There was once a cyclist who joined a long-distance ride.
Everyone around him was fast — carbon frames, shiny helmets, legs spinning like turbines.
He, on the other hand, rode a simple single-speed. No gears. No glory. Just legs and lungs.

Within the first few kilometers, he fell behind.
People overtook him one by one. Some even smiled pityingly as they passed.

He could’ve stopped. He could’ve said, “What’s the point? I’ll never catch up.”

But he didn’t.

He didn’t chase.
He didn’t panic.
He didn’t compare.

He just kept pedalling.

Uphill? Slow… but pedalling.
Downhill? Relaxed… but pedalling.
Flat road? Tired… but pedalling.

Hours later, he began to see something surprising.

The fast riders who had sprinted early were now resting by tea stalls, fixing punctures, rubbing cramped legs.

And as he quietly rolled past them — still pedaling — they looked up in disbelief.

He wasn’t the fastest.
He wasn’t the strongest.
But he was still moving.

By the end of the ride, he didn’t win first place.
But he finished — when many who started stronger had already given up.

That’s when he realized:
You don’t need gears to go far.
You don’t need speed to win.
You just need consistency — even when nobody is watching.

So if today feels slow — keep pedalling.
Your pace doesn’t matter.
Your persistence does.

October 1st marks the Nigerian Independence Day…