Every Team Has One Slowest Member.
On My Bikepacking Trips, It’s Me.

They reach the top. I’m still climbing.
They finish resting. I just arrive.
They’re ready to go. I’m still catching my breath.

2023, Tajikistan. My first bikepacking trip.
2026, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Same brothers. Same slowest rider.

People ask me which country I prefer.

Honestly,
I don’t remember the mountains first.
I remember the people.

The best moment was never the view from the top.
It was dragging myself up the last climb, legs finished, and seeing my gang there. Waiting for me.

Nobody had to wait.
They chose to.

That’s the same in our working life.

Every one of us was once the slow one.
The new junior who didn’t know how to read a ledger.
The associate who needed three rounds of review comments.
The one who took twice as long to finish the file.

Someone waited for you.
A mentor who explained it one more time.
A senior who stayed back to review your work.
A manager who gave you a second chance.

So I always tell my juniors one thing.

Remember the people who waited for you. Please say thank you.

It doesn’t need to be big.
Tell them in words.
Brew them a cup of coffee.
Buy them a simple plate of mixed rice at lunch.

Small things.
But the person receiving it will remember.

Because people who feel appreciated keep waiting for the next slow one.
That’s how a team becomes a gang.

The destination gives you photos.
The people give you stories.

Who waited for you in your career?
Have you thanked them yet?