As I sat down to write this article, I noticed that the battery on my laptop needed charging. I stood to reach for the charger, picked it up, and then watched helplessly as it slipped from my hand and pin-balled off every possible surface between my hand and the floor. I then muttered something that suggested it was birthed outside of wedlock and asserted that it may not in fact be comprised of plastic and electronics, but entirely of fecal material, as is the customary reaction to such events.
Having successfully insulted the inanimate object and thereby preserved my dignity, I picked it up (again) and unwound its cord which then promptly whipped around and smacked me in the face. On some days, I’ve come to learn, I just don’t have it.
This pattern of general discombobulation spread it’s tentacles beyond my benign computer-charging activity; it affected my cycling. Having spent 27 years climbing aboard a bicycle, most of the associated activities are second-nature and thus require very little focussed effort. Shifting, drinking from the bidon, clicking into the pedals; all these things happen without so much as a second thought and never do they require me to look down.
Or, I should say, almost never.
On this day I found myself with the chain crossed on two separate occasions; once on the little ring and once in the big ring. The fact that I only noticed I was in the big ring as I came to the top of a climb I found unusually difficult did little to temper my disgust at the incident. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not afraid of a chain cross out of necessity, but I’m usually aware of it. What I found intolerable was the simple fact that I was caught completely unaware; that the connection between rider and machine had somehow been severed. But what I found most insufferable was the fact that I had to stare down at my feet and concentrate on the pedals in order to clip into them, lest my foot was left to dangle uselessly in the air just adrift of my pedals. I’m surprised I didn’t drop my bidon while attempting to replace it in it’s cage. Infuriating.
But even on these clumsiest of days, I can still spin the pedals smoothly enough to lose myself in the sensation of flight as my machine and I sweep through a series of hairpin turns together. I find I can still breath in the delightfully damp smell of a stand of deciduous trees or the sunbaked smell of a cedar pine forest. I find I can still indulge in the urge to make my legs burn for no reason other than to quell the doubt that I still can. Even on these days, when all the little things seem to conspire together to wear at my patience, the beauty of The Ride still unfolds before me.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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Ugh, I've felt like this lately too. Broken right shifter on my cross bike the other week. Spent five hours last week mounting fenders on my rain bike. Training rides for cross yesterday and didn't have it. Coaching soccer & my team sucks AND refuses to be coached. And, my dog was acting off for awhile, in bad shape last night, turns out she was heading towards renal failure & might have a genetic problem with her adrenal glands.
But anyway, some days things just don't go right; a pedal can be the easiest & best cure for all of that.
Frank - I cussed out my 3mm Allen wrench last weekend during fender installation. Nothing like yelling at inanimate objects.
@roadslave
Roadslave, I hear you. Fall is here and that means crappy weather in WI and riding the old winter bike - a Trek 1200 from about 89. (40 tooth chainring, 7 block at the back, downtube shifters, does the job just grand and is amazingly compliant with the principles of silence.) I do find myself missing the ease and convenience of brifters, but no matter what system I have, there is a physical engagement with the machine on three levels: ass on seat, feet on pedals and hands on bars. With the brifters there is an art, a feel to knowing just how much to push the specific lever and this will be lost with electronic shifting.
I think it'll be a very long time before I get into Di2 because one of the charms, the beaurty and the eternal attraction of bikes is that they are remarkably simple and sophisticated at the same time. Materials and design aside, our 2011 bikes are really not much different to those Coppi rode. Cables, chain, levers, bearings, braking systems, gear systems - sure they've all improved but the fundamentals are basically the same. This gives us an ability to maintain our machines and a very direct link to our heroes of yesteryear. To me, Di2 is like any one of the electronic devices that fill our everyday lives, they work but most of us have no idea of how. I love how I can look at my bike and know exactly how everything works.
I just read something today about Jason Queally being a possible start for GB at the 2012 Olympics at what would be the ripe old age of 42. They talked about how cycling was a sport that saw engagement and performance at ages way beyond what is normal in other sports. They attributed this to several things: the non-impact nature of cycling and the fact that, unlike swimming, our sport doesn't drive you crazy swimming up and down a pool. So many other sports have serious impact or require very specific venues and facilities. We have freedom to ride where, when and for however long we like. We can, to a point maintain our own machines. That is the beauty of it all.
@Ron
I was very disappointed that it was impossible to get the mudguards (as I believe we call fenders in the UK) an even distance away from the tyre for their complete length. Once I gave up on that idea though, they went on quite easily (on my number 3 bike).
As of yet, I don't own a bike that could be called number 1, I have 2,3 and 4 (a classic 82 Kuwahara Laser Light with 20" wheels)
@roadslave
A-Merckx!
In case you haven't seen it, the Giro organizers have gone absolutely fucking insane:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mortirolo-and-stelvio-to-feature-on-penultimate-day-of-giro-ditalia
Ho-lee-bat-fuck. But oh my Merckx is that gonna be something to watch.
@snoov
Snoov, I've got a pair of the "racer" guards on my #3 bike. Basically they run from behind the front fork and behind the back brake. They look good and keep the worst of the pish off you. They can be a bit fiddly to get perfectly set up, but so long as they're not rubbing and pretty straight, I'm good with them.
I did a ride last Sunday in the pouring rain. I got soaked to the skin. Brought to mind something an old Renfrew hardman "Shug" Donald used to say, "the only thing that keeps ye dry is the fuckin' hoose!" So true.
@Ron
Oy, five hours? You need SKS Raceblades. Not the prettiest solution, but they go on and off in a snap. It's what I throw on my main bike when I know it's going to rain the whole ride, and since Bike #1 is my bike for all weather conditions I feel like riding in, I don't want permanently mounted fenders.
@Minion
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Last Saturday I had a tubular roll-off in the first CX race of the season. I checked the complete bike, got a new chain, new sprocket, new brake pads, even a better sealed bottom bracket. Everything was clean and ready to go. And I put on new tyres at the end of the last season. So they still looked pretty new. And so far I never had issues with a tubulars rolling off the rim ... until last Saturday. I should have known better and check their adhesion before the race. Luckily, I was not insured seriously in the inevitable crash. So I am looking forward to start next weekend again with tubulars glued properly.
@Eightzero
Agreed, Chapeau! @Roadslave.
@grumbledook
Luckily, I was not insured seriously in the inevitable crash.
Yup, gotta watch out for being seriously insured - especially in CX!