One of the most magnificent things about Cycling is that not only does it represent different things to different people, it represents different things on different days. Some days, it’s training – a means to an end. Other days, it’s the culmination of a body of work; rather than a means to an end, it represents that end itself, whether that end is exhilarating or devastating. But these two facets represent Cycling only as Sport, the complex simplicity of the balance between dedication and results.
Cycling stands apart, however, in its many dimensions beyond Sport. For me, Cycling is meditation, a time to clear my mind of ancillary concerns and contemplate on those that require my focus. It is thoughtlessness, a time to eliminate everything through the simplicity of pain. It is simultaneously medication and therapy; even a short ride can shake a heavy lethargy from my bones and rejuvenate aching muscles and joints. It is simultaneously tension and release; Cycling can fill my being with effort, an effort that overflows my legs and lungs and spills over to fill every fiber of my being, flushing from me all those things I wish not to keep.
Cycling is penance for my mistakes; a few hours at the mercy of the Man with the Hammer can help me understand the error of my ways. It is cleansing of other’s mistakes – here the Man with the Hammer helps pound out the ripples in the surface of Life they cause me.
I am by no means a great man and never will be. But I am a better man for my bike, and for that I am eternally grateful to it.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@frank
You go straight for the short guy call? You disappoint me. I thought you were better than that.
Why didn't you say something like,
"You should be ok Marcus as I don't think you can get a double dose of the Gonna. I think I caught it from your Missus."
And then I could respond with
"Did i say don't borrow Frank's bikes? I meant to say 'don't borrow Frank's rides.' Last time I checked Fronky boy, your velomihottie has never needed me to wear wooden blocks."
See, that was a bit more fun wasn't it? And then all the other readers would say, "Gee that Velominati is a cool website. I think I am going to buy more V-gear."
Missed opportunity my lofty friend. All because you dissed a short guy instead of going for the slightly edgier, but always guaranteed laugh of talking about porking someone else's missus.
And no matter how far you people slam down your stem, tall guys on bikes always look fucked.
@Ron
Nicely put. Shall fwd to my wife!
SWMBO had a moment of revelation last night. Working in advertising her truly free time outside of work or work related events is fairly limited at best & even then most cognitive thought processes are somehow connected back to her work. She went to her second session of Bikram Yoga (think yoga performed in room at about 35-40 degrees C) last night after starting on Monday & she comes home with a weird smile on her face & just says:
"I know you've wanked on about how good that fucking bike is for clearing your head for ages, but I now understand exactly where you're coming from. An hour & a half of concentrating purely on what my body was doing without having to think of anything else, it's magic!"
I took that as the perfect time to let her know that the insurance claim has been paid & I'm either picking up the repaired bike before the weekend or the LBS is lending me a demo model so I can find some legs again before the 65k group ride I've signed up for next week.
@Chris
That looks awesome, I am just hoping the weather holds out and its not raining too badly otherwise the power I will be layind down is going to result in a lot of wheel spinning (yeah right!!) I swear sometimes when I am pushing it up hill I can feel the counter rotation of the earth against my every pedal stroke.
I am currently based in Wimbledon, London at the moment hows about yourself?
@frank
agreed Frank, I have been looking at better ways of shifting the weight as I am fking shit at losing it due to my passion for fruit pastilles... oh and chocolate... oh and cakes... oh and actually any bloody food any bloody time.
having just got through a new super duper private medical scheme for work I was consdering putting in for a couple of sessions of chemotherapy...did bloody wonders for Pharmstrong.
@huffalotpuffalot
I'm up in the Alpine wonderland of Cambridgeshire. There are no proper hills to train on and there are no proper hill between here and Siberia so you're always guaranteed a good headwind.
I'm a bit worried about the weather myself. It's not that I don't enjoy riding in shit weather but a dose of Rule 9 for the longest ride I've ever done across some pretty lumpy landscape might be pushing it. Going to give the guns a bit of a twirl this weekend on out local club run and was thinking that I really should ride down to thee start point to add another 20 odd miles to the 50-60 miles.
I was also thinking of doing this, it's in your neck of the woods and the organisers are guaranteeing fine weather, a fast flat course lined with pretty spectators and free beer and massages at the end.
@Chris
don't forget, the wind generally blows from the same direction when it is strong, so you will have a tailwind for pretty much the same time as the headwind
For the lack of hills, try a higher gear when training dude, and hang out over the front of the bars with your eyes shut (maybe best only to do this on the rollers....)
@fronk
Don't be embarrassed about having gonnorhoea Fronk, plenty of people get it still - in fact, some quite famous people
@Dr C
Maybe I should slow down so that I don't exceed the speed of the tailwind and create my own relative headwind!
@Chris
nothing like making work for yourself!
try cyling backwards into the headwind, so the wind is constantly at your back.....?
There has to be a solution