René Privat wears yellow as Master Jacques reads a newspaper and tries not to notice.
I’ve never been afraid of imitating my heroes, they always seemed like the best examples available and as a student of life (as every child is) it seemed normal to me to copy every aspect of their lives that I had visibility into. I copied my dad’s handwriting as I was learning to write just as I copied Greg LeMond’s position on the bike as I was learning how to get serious about Cycling. None of my friends recognized my dad’s handwriting; they all thought my handwriting looked different from everyone else so they figured I had “cool” handwriting. All of my friends who rode bikes recognized Greg Lemond’s riding style; they all figured I was a copycat.
It was an early lesson; neither the complement nor the criticism meant terribly much to me; I was busy learning and that was good enough for me. I have to say, though, that as I’ve grown older, I’ve become more fond of my younger self, that version of me who didn’t feel the influence of what others believed so much. As we age, we “know” more and we “believe” less. Preserving the ability to believe is what keeps us young; for that reason alone, I refuse to grow up and insist on believing in everything I find beautiful, however irrational it might be.
Which brings me to Cycling; Cycling is the perfect way to stay in touch with the more delicate aspects of what we love in our lives. Riding in the first place is already enough; breathing the air and indulging in the tension of strength in our muscles and body as we ride brings an awareness that most people don’t have the opportunity to experience. As we develop in the sport, we start to test the limits of our bodies and equipment; testing is the way we experience growth and the development of our skill.
Every time we climb aboard a bicycle, we are testing our limits the same as we did as children; to be a Cyclist is to be young again. Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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Awesome! I thank heavens that I'm able to ride a bike every day. It's incredible. Have you ever seen an unhappy cyclist? Nope, we're too buzzed on oxygen (and recovery ales!). It certainly keeps you young, and I think some sort of other athletic pursuit that involves a bit more play, creativity, etc., is very helpful too.
I keep on wondering when I'll grow up! I'll do something and think "Heck, I've been acting like this since I was a teenager, aren't adults supposed to stop finding humor in _____?" Oh well.
On a cynical note, the one unfortunate thing about getting old is definitely knowing too much and not being able to believe that bullies and idiots and selfish assholes will mature and grow out of it. Nope, they just grow older. That's been the one big disappointment of adulthood for me.
@Randy C
When I'm cycling around town I sometimes can't help myself...when I see someone completely ignoring the world and/or me approaching them on a bicycle, I'll yell "Oh my god! Would you look at that!" Usually gives them a pretty good reminder that you shouldn't walk around oblivious to the world. And, I guess this is proof that I haven't outgrown enjoying a simple prank.
AND...YES! We have a new article. Youth following Dead Tired. This is exciting!
@RobSandy
Sarto are sweet and you can customise the tubes for not a lot extra. http://www.sartoantonio.com
A bit of a counterpoint. Youthful exuberance and openness to new beliefs and points of view are certainly qualities one should continue to foster as one gets older. However, let's not discount the value of experience and wisdom that comes with age (for some of us, anyway!). There are a lot of things that I "believed" as a younger man, without necessarily having the experience to know if those beliefs were valid. Many of those beliefs have been tested throughout my life, and many have fallen by the wayside. However, there is a certain joyousness when life's experience affirms a long-held belief. It's a way of sorting through this mess we call life and finding a way in the world and peace within ourselves. I've had occasion over the past year to examine and sort through a lot of what I believed about myself, the people around me and my life. While that work is never done, I feel more more free and at-ease as a result.
@Ron
Exactly my thoughts! Youth after Dead Tired; Hopefully, suggesting a turn for the better. Thank you Frank and I hope you are feeling and doing well.
@RobSandy
I just got this
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/tcr-advanced-1-disc
but I don't race. Super solid bike though as I've had it out on some pretty rocky two tracks, short sections of single track, and tons of dirt road with no issues. It just barely fits 28mm continental clinchers. I'm 1.88m and 84kg (6'2", 185lbs). The bike is a size M/L. This is an "Ultegra" bike, but only the FD, RD and cranks (comes with compact) are Ultegra. Brifters and brakes are somewhere between 105 and Ultegra, cassette is 105, chain is KMC. It has thru-axles so that may not work for racing either, but ups the stiffness factor. It's not bespoke, but Giant's factories make frames for lots of other brands so in theory their crap should all be ironed out. YMMV.
Good luck.
Great piece! The pic is from, I'm pretty sure, the 1957 Tour. Four of the ten man French squad are there, but besides Privat and Anquetil, I'm not sure who the others are! The team comprised: Roger Walkowiak, André Darrigade, future world champion Jean Stablinski, Gilbert Bauvin, Louis Bergaud, Albert Bouvet, Francois Mahe, Rene Privat, Jean Forestier and Jacques Anquetil.
There were six French teams in the race: France, France North East-Centre, France Southwest, France-Ile de France, France-West and France South-East. Nothing like a little competition!
I suspect the purple Mercier bike is Privat's and the blue Gitane (?) is likely Anquetil's. Privat won stage 2 and held the maillot jaune until stage 4 when he lost it to Anquetil who would win the race overall for the first of his five tour wins. He was only 23.
@Oracle
Hey Oracle. I hope you're well. Will you drop me a line at greid@wisconsinart.org please? Thanks!
@RobSandy
Don't we all !
I was/am so tempted to pick up a new CAAD12 Ultegra bike just because I suspect it's a awesome combo of great bike and price, I dig the color (yep, black, go figure) and I love my CAAD10. I'm sure the bike would be a blast to ride fast and race and a mech Ultegra you know is gonna be buttery smooth. And so far I've successfully resisted that temptation. You know what's stopped me ? I was looking at the junction of the seat stays and seat/top tube and w/the alloy welds it looks like they're all attached with a big blob of bubble gum. Seriously.
Frank: I like this essay and you express in it thoughts that many of us probably also think. But, I have another view of my bicycle and riding it. My bike is a time machine. When I ride it I am often transported back to my youth and the feelings that I enjoyed while riding my bike, at least in a metaphysical sense. That is the best part of riding for me. I am chasing my youth and while I will never capture that, I can recapture those feelings and I will do so for as long as I am able.