Solo Artist

Solo on Haleakala. Photo: Elizabeth Keller

I walk away from social gatherings with an acute sense of accomplishment whenever I haven’t offended anyone and when my friends all stayed awake. I view myself as a bottle of wine that keeps getting better with age, but I’m slowly coming to grips with the notion that I am actually a bottle that may be corked. The great irony of life is that as we become more comfortable with who we are, we become more annoying to be around.

Fortunately, I enjoy being alone. I haven’t always felt that way, but my natural charm means I have had to cultivate a taste for it. That isn’t to say I don’t like being around others – quite the opposite – but being alone allows me the opportunity to reconnect with who I am. This is especially true when riding my bicycle. Riding alone, there is nothing to do but focus on the sensations of the ride: the wind in my face, the smells in the air, the sound of my tires as we hum along together, rider and bicycle.

Doing a long ride alone is an exercise of discipline. The little voices in your head may start quietly, but they build to crescendo inside your skull after a few hours of solitary suffering. The doors and patios on the cafés at the roadside start looking larger and more welcoming with every kilometer that passes under your tires. A point comes, on these long rides, at which Rule #5 becomes a matter of continuing on with the task; a determination to finish what you have begun.

We learn fundamental things about ourselves when we are alone in the Pain Cave, after we’ve dropped the flashlight and watched helplessly as it rolled off the shelf and into the void. Questions come knocking, and they won’t go away until you’ve dealt with them. This is when we grow, when we build confidence in the face of doubt.

We are lucky to find ourselves at crossroads where every direction leads to more suffering, where the direction we choose is irrelevant. The choice is simply to suffer or to go home. In a world where we have made a science of luxury, we Cyclists choose to suffer.

Vive la Vie Velominatus.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

PeakInTwoYears says:

Nov 21 2013 at 7:19 am

@Robs Muir

I find seeing the scenery around me a lot more beautiful when its not some guys butt infront (sic) of me

This is precisely why one must ride with hard women.

Mm. Yes.
RManneck says:

Nov 21 2013 at 8:03 am

I have been off the bike for two weeks now - due to life and work. With some pretty bad weather coming in this weekend and a road trip coming up, it will be three weeks. I am definetly itching to get back on it, but this break has done wonders for the little pain and aches on the back, knees etc. I did start doing a tittle lifting and incorporated some running (yeah....I know). I am actually hoping it snows this winter, so I can go snow shoeing.
Joe says:

Nov 21 2013 at 8:48 am

I've found myself increasingly riding alone and shirking the weekend group rides. Probably just the result of dealing with the same folks on the same loop through the Spring and Summer months and needing a break, but there's something about the solitude of a solo ride in crappy winter weather.

You learn more about yourself and Le Metier in those lonely tempo base rides than you ever do on the Saturday morning hammerfest, imo. Takes a lot more stones to stay out for that extra hour than it ever does to close down that one attack for the town limit "finish." Makes the latter during the summer seem easy by comparison.
frank says:

Nov 21 2013 at 9:15 am

@Rom

@KW

Anyone can go into the Pain Cave while riding with a group. It's going in when no one else is around that will really make the difference.

@Rom

Great article @frank but if you're going to adopt the SI units of the modern world you might as well spell them correctly. That'd be kilometres then. Of coarse you can measure them with a meter, a kilometre meter.

If you're going to criticize @frank's spelling, you might want to proofread a little better.

Apologies to all. Just pointing out "kilometres" is more Euro.

No, its more English. Since when do the English consider themselves Europeans?
frank says:

Nov 21 2013 at 9:23 am

@Ron, @brett

Less friends, but better friends. The kind you'd move heaven and earth for if they needed it, and the kind you don't need to see all the time, and when you hook up again, its like nothing ever changed.

@KW

I always like to tell people that my name in phonetically correct. Ch shouldn't make a "k" sound, that's what the damn K is for!

Why go around diluting the value of letters by combining others to make the same sound!

@gordon

@Barracuda Following surgery on my hand as a result of a crash and with a cast, I had to use trainers for about 8 weeks. Kind of got past the hate of indoors and saw how it really is a good supplement. If I can not be outside then I go inside. Never take a week off as I feel like I go backwards physically and mentally. I do use power meter for indoors just help with focus. Works for me. ROAD,SPIN,rollers,trainer. mix it up.

I'm planning on upgrading my indoor gear for that reason. It really helps the stroke and its the perfect environment for intervals.

I'll probably just use it on nice sunny winter days though, no way am I giving up my Rule 9 winter rides!
PeakInTwoYears says:

Nov 21 2013 at 9:23 am

Geographic isolation means I ride alone or with the VMH, both of which I enjoy. Being a sub-clinical (I think) depressive type, I often find myself on solo rides working hard enough to replace negative ideation with the constant awareness of physical discomfort--and then reaping the emotional rewards of the resultant neuro-chemical cocktail.

I do miss the days of regular weekend club rides with the same group of folks who work well together. One of my best days was the Seattle to Portland (325km) 25 years ago. Seven or so of us got a late start and hammered in a disciplined paceline all day long. Like group meditation.
scaler911 says:

Nov 21 2013 at 9:35 am

@brett

@frank

I was wicked stoked that I never cursed in front of their 4-year-old. That's a low bar, but I psyched to clear it.

Disappointing.

What!!?? My little dude learned the word "fuck" from Frank.
Chris says:

Nov 21 2013 at 9:57 am

@frank

@KW

I always like to tell people that my name in phonetically correct. Ch shouldn't make a "k" sound, that's what the damn K is for!

Why go around diluting the value of letters by combining others to make the same sound!

kos itd all endup az txt spk uddrwys
eightace says:

Nov 21 2013 at 11:26 am

Frank you are an INTJ Myers-Briggs personality like me and Lance.

I think Wiggo is and a lot of other driven individuals but we don't do well with others.

http://www.personalitypage.com/INTJ.html
le chuck says:

Nov 21 2013 at 12:47 pm

@pistard

Blast! Caught red-handed! Those crappy Giro-brand gloves have since worn out.. low-quality stuff. I got a couple sets of black leather gloves to replace them. As for the cables, would somebody please give me some instructions on how to clean up that mess? Regarding the phone call. This is unacceptable and I have not since repeated such indiscretion. Have a good one my friend.

- chuck