@scaler911 likes beer and pizza, as we all do. I bet Jensie does too. He races more, we drink more, he has to finish each stage at the Tour, us, not so much. There must be a balance to all our cycling lives. Since we don’t have to earn a living racing we can relax a bit but this word “relax” maybe where the trouble lies.
Yours in Cycling, Gianni
“For him who has no concentration, there is no tranquility”- Bhagavad Gita c. BC 400.
If you ask people close to me about my ability on the bike, you’ll probably hear different versions of the same story, “Scaler is a genetically talented cyclist, but it’s too bad he lacks focus.” I’m the first to admit it. If I put any energy into developing a solid training plan, laid off the IPAs, and (my VMH’s fine/ healthy cooking aside) stopped having pizza and Monster energy drinks for staples at work, I might be able to be consistent in my beloved craft. Instead, I have a few flashes of decency, but I’m mostly just pack fodder and excuses these days.
I’m consistently amazed at people that have this ability to focus. It’s akin to a superpower I think, like flying or laser beams shooting out of your eyeballs.
It really breaks down to a few different types of focus, with the endgame being the same. Focus from a global perspective: setting and achieving season-long goals, from winning the TdF, to being the first up the big climb at your local Tuesday night club ride; abiding the hard days of winter Rule #9 training; not having that 5th slice of combo pizza that you wash down with your 4th (or 8th) beer. Focus in the short term- be it tapering before a Grand Tour, or spending time in the shop making sure your rig is cleaned and tuned to perfection before your group ride. Focus in the moment- being right near the front before the big climb, finding just the right gear, the right stroke, position, rhythm. This is the one place I can find that focus. All the joys and troubles of day to day living melt away. All that’s left is the deep, singular objective of the task at hand. Pushing a little harder to bridge to that wheel 50m ahead of you; not making eye contact with them as you stay in focus, or my favorite-smiling and saying “Hi” just before grabbing the shovel to make the Pain Cave a little deeper.
I firmly believe that this, along with choosing the right parents and a bit of luck is what separates us mortals from the pros.
There are many hours and kilometers where we suffer alone. Velominati strive to Look Fantastic, and we make sure our machines glisten and are properly silent. We study our heros as well as the douchebags. This all requires some form of focus, and I hope that I get as good at it as others here already are.
VLVV!
-scaler911
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
@frank
Well, as COTHO replaces 'evil' in the original prayer, it seemed appropriate... but open to suggestions.
@Chris
Hem is pretty fucking evil...
@brett
Fucking Hem! What a soulless piece of crap to end a beautiful experience.
@brett
Has your anger for COTHO blinded you so, my child?
You're looking for a word to replace "evil"? There is no greater evil to the Velominatus than the Anti-V.
Eddy's Prayer
Our Father who art in Belgium
Eddy be thy name
thy cobbles come, thy hands are numb
from pavé
as it isn't heaven
Give us this day our daily V (five),
and forgive us our Rule violations,
as we drop those who attack against us,
lead us not off our line
but deliver us from the Anti-V
For thine is the big ring,
and the power, and the glory,
for Eddy and ever.
A-Merckx.
COTHO is less than insignificant to La Vie Velominatus, thank Merckx. He deserves to be contemplated only in the way a turd is contemplated once trod upon.
Like "Ah hell, I just stepped in some Armstrong. That'll take forever to get out of my cleats."?
@scaler911
You know I have to agree with you 100% focus is something I see glimses of and can sustain for periods of time only to have it vanish before my eyes due to injuries, change of commitments or worse of all self sabbotage. I was a talented junior who had Robbie McEwans first coach. He was a former pro himself and desparately tried to lure me back to cycling when I gave it away at 17. This was due to a range of factors which in turn lead to a loss of focus. Once again back at it I find focus hard to get when I do I am deadly and motivated. But when its waning I'm nothing more than a shaddow of what I was or could have been. The point to what I am saying is if I could transecend the moments that kill my focus what is possible to achieve could be limitless even now on 37 years of age.
Funny timing with this article, I've felt quite drifty bike wise since the TDU/Adelaide Cogal without having much to train for & have felt like I didn't do much riding. I had a look at strava yesterday & I'd still racked up something like 700 odd km's during Feb but have still felt like I wasn't riding enough whereas that sort of a month early in the build up (say Sept or Oct last year) would have been huge...all a matter of what you're judging it against.
When you've done nearly 700km's in a week late in January, doing the same in a month doesn't feel like much but with a bub coming in May I'm well aware it could be the most I do in a while!
@gaswepass
Well the focus is still there dura off to the crits again this morning, lots of work on the rivet whilst trying to ride smarter, not harder. Didn't get swamped out of the penultimate corner this time, but did get jumped by a pair into the last turn. Couldn't quite get them on the sprint, but good enough for 3rd and my Cat 3 licence. And a V-podium is never a bad thing.
@Fausto
nice work! hoping to create some energy tomorrow on a small circuit race. Congrats.
@gaswepass
I even got a mention in the write up:
The evens race saw [Fausto - name changed to protect the guilty] do most of the work throughout the race and he was rewarded with a third place on the line.
A small amount of V was channeled in the making of this result.
@Fausto
congrats! I got Vth. How ironic. Woulda preferred 1st, but got swept by 4 dudes by a bike length at the finish - I did one fucken high quality lead out without blowing up( or winning...).