With the spring racing season upon us, there is a lot of talk about the pros– what it means to be pro, how to look pro, and so on. There are two things that distinguish the professional cyclist. The first is talent, which is a mysterious thing and best left for another discussion. The second thing is that the pros ride every day. This is so simple that we forget its importance. We also forget that it is ours for the taking.
To be a commuter is also to ride every day. To do something every day is to experience it from all sides. Rules are broken, rides are fast, rides are slow, the bike is filthy– and we keeping riding. We ride to get somewhere, and then we ride to get back. We ride without a computer, without matching kit, without a training goal. We ride because it is simply a way to get from A to B. There is no glorious finish line and no support team, yet we share something with the cycling elite: every morning, we wake up, look outside, shrug at the weather, and get on the bike. The gesture is small but when accumulated over years it becomes sublime.
For those who are toying with the idea of commuting, some simple advice: go all in and do it for a full two weeks. At first, it will seem complicated and annoying. The logistics of your work clothes and your bike gear outweigh the enjoyment of the ride. You will think about how much simpler your weekend training rides are without all this stuff to cart around. You will find reasons not to ride – just for today, you will tell yourself. Doing it everyday, however, will breed efficiency, and after two weeks your routine (and the amount of gear) will become streamlined. With a set of habits in place (my wallet goes here, I leave me shoes under my desk, etc), things will seem easier. With enough time, the details of your commute will fade to the background and you will enjoy the ride itself.
Then your bike will not just be your tool to get from A to B, it will be your freedom…just like the weekends, except every day.
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
Hear, hear. You wonder what makes many drivers dislike cyclists? It's (some) cyclists. Some cyclists are all cyclists' worst enemies. It ain't difficult to be courteous and considerate on the road - like indicating when you're gong to turn or change lanes. It ain't difficult to not do dumb, annoying things - like overtake on the wrong side, go to the front of the queue at the lights then take off slowly, etc. It ain't difficult, in fact, to wave or nod the occasional "thank you" to drivers who give way to you - even when they are required by law to do so. It ain't difficult, in other words, to take some modest steps to encourage drivers to think "Hey, maybe cyclists aren't so bad after all". And all this is worthwhile because it also ain't difficult to lose badly in a confrontation with two tons of fast-moving steel piloted by a hostile.
@Marcus
Congrats to good cadel.
You may be on to something there. While I can only go off the pictures, he's certainly looking more focused and determined, rather than the serious but disheartened that's his usual display. There was even a hint of a smile/satisfaction with himself. Different 'tude, better, nay full potential realised (?) rider this season? I'll contemplate further after the Tour of Catalonia
^^^^ Good Cadel might finally be seeing the benefit of some better teamwork?
@Jamin
i think he is, they seemed more of a presence at the front of the peloton for the T-A, i hope he is in the form for july, i like the way he rides and as i've said before, i'd always prefer a competition between more than two individuals as is gives better racing
@ Oli & mcsqueak - ah ha ha, the Bicycling forum.
Don't know if it is just me or not, but the more time I spend here, the less I spend on any sort of cycling forum. The Rules are all here...
Yes!
or I need a heart rate monitor with a GPS and blood sugar tester that weighs less than 20 gm.
@G'phant
A-Merckx!
@Ron
When I first started cycling I really found the various forums online pretty useful for learning a lot of good information, but eventually you just see the same questions posted over and over and over...
Thankfully someone has put into words what I've always felt about commuting. Thanks to Steampunk too for mentioning #9. In winter just making the commute sometimes seems like achievement enough. For many time poor parent types the commute can make up the bulk of riding time in any week. I do wonder though, what happens that makes a once perfectly normal person start rocking panniers and high vis?
This was a great post. I live in the snowy north (Winnipeg,Manitoba) and commute year round. It is finally starting to melt around here and this post was pretty inspiring. Cyclocross bike is the way to go for anyone who is considering tackling the daily ride to work. I am a father of 2, one car family as well and the 30 km or so that I put in every day going back and forth to work really helps get those rides in. One other thing, if you can swing it and you live somewhere messy (rain and snow) singlespeed is the way to go. There is so much junk on the roads here that gears for the commute makes no sense.