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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@fronk
thanks brother Fronk - I have just set that picture as my desktop wallpaper - I'll be climbing it next June, so gives me a great focus
More importantly, when I look at it, it is as if the path to freedom is mapped in front of my eyes - I just can't wait to ride it - I know that nothing else will matter, the shit of the day will be all left at the bottom of the hill, and life will feel good, as good as it gets - up, up, up, up, up........and away
I talked to a few guys at my yottin Champs at the weekend, turned out they were keen cyclists too, and we all chuckled how our dream day would be to be somewhere quiet, say nothing, hear no voices for a whole day - some floating around a reef looking at corals, for others, buying a yot and heading off alone - I think all of us would have also pictured this scene in our mind's eye too - Heaven is around the corner - respect the Silence - Vive la Vie Volaminati
A-Merckx
As a youngster I ran a lot, middle distance athletics, cross country and road races. I never had a problem with running in foul weather (which was lucky being at a boarding school in Scotland) and often used to relish it as I knew that it would allow me an advantage over my competitors who would be thinking of nothing but the hot shower and pie, beans and chips at the end. I was also pretty good a running up and down hills. I don't think, though, that I ever truly loved running rather that I enjoyed winning and the kudos that went hand in hand with it.
I certainly never felt disappointed when I reached the end of a run in the same way that I do know when I'm on my bike. It doesn't really matter what sort of ride it is either, there's always an element of regret at the end (although it's matched with a level of serenity and optimism that I can take into the rest of the day). I suppose it's an indication of the level of release that you can achieve on a bike.
@Dr C
best you bolt some rollers to your garage wall then, I've driven up there, it's a bit steep!
@Dr C
No matter the weather, I've never stepped off a yacht without wistfully thinking that I could have quite happily carried on off over the horizon
@ Dr C - good luck for the Tourmalet, it's such a beauty. Only been over on motorised 2 wheels but still magnificent!
@ Frank - Word. It's all about the chemistry. Addiction, but with a positive psychological manifestation. I make sure to offset all those happy waves with a bit of alcoholic fear and loathing from time to time. Balance in everything.
Oh Lordy: good stuff! Usually I go out for a quick, 30-40km loop on a Saturday morning. Due to a variety of factors, including a Rule 11 breach, I got out on Sunday instead, and only for 20km. That 20km might have saved the weekend. And yet, it wasn't nearly enough to get my head straight. Methinks this great write-up needs a twin from the other side of the of looking glass, which articulates the addiction that is our "agony - our badge of honor - our sin."
frank - yes, yes and yes! The clearing of the mind of the daily grind; thoughtless yet full of focus; aware of ones surroundings yet ensconced in ones own bubble.
Being able to exhale life's crappy pieces and inhale a fresh outlook, bliss.
For me, who does the majority of his riding very early in the morning, this is a hard time of year. The sun is still abed when I set forth, and this morning there was only a hint of its awakening when I returned home. By next week, there won't even be that hint.
This time of year I find excuses for not getting out of bed and getting on the bike, even though I know that, when I do, my soul will be better for it, for the reasons described so eloquently in this post. I got out this morning and, just as I do after every ride, I am questioning how it is that I ever choose to stay in bed over the focus and peace I find through cycling.
Well said as usual, Frank. As someone who grew up 'athletically challenged' shall we say, the discovery of the bicycle indeed has made my life better in ways I could have never fathomed. Never one to excel in team sports, loathsome of weight training and running, it was not until I threw my leg over a top tube and set off on my first proper ride that I learned what I my body was capable of - and enjoyed every moment of the suffering.
I cannot imagine that the freedom that cycling provides, not only from the stresses of work and other commitments, but also from myself could ever be matched by anything else. I believe it to be the only therapy, meditation and method of self-discovery I will ever need.
I hear you loud and clear. Work right now is a bit busy and stressful to put it mildly and will be for the forseeable future. People ask how I cope. "Long bike rides" I reply. Seriously, if I didn't have the bike, I really don't know how I would deal with the stress. Even as it's getting darker earlier and earlier here, I'll just get the lights out to keep riding as long as I can before the inevitable snow flies.
@Chris
stop that, you're scaring me with the steepness chat - it's also the other 19 col's we're doing that is really frightening me though!
@Joe
thanks Joe - I suspect I will start on the 2 wheels and legs combo, and finish in the 4 wheeled motorised broom wagon combo....