Sitting at the top of Haleakala, I thought of this photo with the staunch realization that there are no words to describe the agony of exhaustion, except Graham Watson’s caption in Visions of Cycling:
Paul Sherwen’s mother cried when she saw this picture of her son, taken after the finish of the 1983 Paris-Roubaix
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@Gianni
Thanks for hosting Frank vs. The Volcano. That was a lotta fun stateside. Mahalo.
Trying to explain cycling to a non-cyclist, and the pain and suffering and beautifulness of it all remond sme of the saying, "If you have to ask, you'll never understand. That photo says it all. I really need to get that book. Blows me away.
Sorry for the typo's above. Too caught up in the excitement of the post! And I just fixed my serious library hole as I just ordered a copy of that book.
Man, sorry, cannot stop posting about this photo. It is the first time I have seen it and it rivals my favorite cycling photo of all time: The 1989 Chambery, France World Cycling Championship finish with Lemond just beating Konyshev and Kelly. I have that one in a poster and now I need to find the above one in a poster size. Just amazing.
@Buck Rogers
a great image - back when Lemon puss was cool.
When I flash back and forth between the images of Sherwen and Frank it strikes me that the amateur has attained the same level as the pro. A rare occurrence in my book.
@Rob
YES! Frank is ascending!
Frank: How do I make that image my avatar on this site??!?!?!
@Buck Rogers
I'm not Frank (OBVIOUSLY...) but go to gravitar.com and follow the instructions.
And to actually add to this conversation: I agree with many posters above, I do not think that non-cyclists (or people that don't work out in general) understand the glorious suffering that can happen on the bike. The harder you push yourself, the better it feels afterwords, too.
I think the mistake comes because you are "sitting" (to the layperson) and the bike is propelling you forward, the non-cyclists somehow mistake that for making the sport easier, somehow... (in their mind) as if having to haul your own fat ass up a hill, PLUS the weight of a bike makes it easier, just because it has wheels.
@mcsqueak, @Buck Rogers
It was amazing to see the expressions from people on The Hill. Fit people would wave and honk and be cool, fat people just had a completely blank expression or be annoyed that I slowed them by 5 seconds. Except the fat guy at the top who asked it I'd come from the bottom. The fact that he talked to me within 200 meters of the finish is enough evidence that he also didn't get it.
@Oli Brooke-White
Thanks - corrected.
@Rob
Thanks mate, and as flattered as I am, I imagine I'm about in 1/23433th as much agony as Paul. I just know how to look the part, remember?