The commuter bike that once again represents the simple freedom of riding a bike.
There are very few experiences as incredible as riding a bike; the wind in your face, the sensation of generating speed under your own power, the balance of forces that almost magically hold the bike suspended upright. It is the closest we humans will ever come to feeling the miracle of flight; it is the closest we can come to knowing what it must be like to be a bird.
Cycling is my passion, my greatest hobby, my obsession. From a young age, I have been taking it seriously, slowly growing my dependence and interest in life behind bars. It was during the summer when I was eight or so years old that I first set a legitimate training goal, and took to the bicycle as my primary means of summer training. It isn’t a unique story, how the bicycle intervened into a skier’s life and somehow took over, but the point is that I hardly recall a time in my life that the bicycle didn’t hold some enormous meaning for me.
Before I became a Cyclist as a pre-teen, I learned to ride a bike on the dirt trails behind my parent’s house. With this acquired skill, my range of travel increased dramatically. I could suddenly meet my friends who lived far enough away that I couldn’t walk there. I could ride to and from school, I could ride to the lake and swim with my friends. The bicycle was simple, carefree. It was freedom.
This is the great paradox of La Vie Velominatus: the more serious and passionate we become, the farther we are from that juvenile pleasure and freedom afforded by the bike. As Velominati, each ride serves a purpose, whether that purpose is to follow a training plan, feed the Good Wolf, or to spend some quality time with ourselves as introverts.
Last weekend, my girlfriend and I whimsically decided to jump on our bikes for a midnight ride around the neighborhood. No helmets, no lights, no plan; just two people riding around, choosing the route on a whim, talking about life, love, and laughing. It was perhaps the first time in more than thirty years that I felt the raw childhood whimsy of riding a bike for its own sake. It was one of my favorite rides, ever.
Cycling is indeed my passion, my hobby, my obsession; I am eternally grateful for the gift it has given me throughout my life. But somehow, I’ve lost the original connection I had to the bike from before I became a Cyclist. I am resolved to rebuild that and continue to indulge in the joyride.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@frank
not you as well! So many people tell me I should race Cross. I think I'd love it but having thought about it a lot I'm not sure I could cope with giving up a whole afternoon for 1hours racing, and also the mud.
so I'll stick to summer racing/winter training. Not ruling out track racing next year though...
@frank
That will stop the Bad Wolf being fed. I have renewed hopes for the Sussex Cogal..........
@frank
Saddle will be replaced as it's not the most comfortable for my arse(new Fabric for the Planet X XLS commuter of doom and the Charge spoon from that will go on the Trek).
First 'ride' today which was a poodle in the city so all ok-ish(front mech needs a fettle);plus a better Tortec rack fitted so looks a bit tidier at the back.
If the touring thing kicks off next year a better set of wheels may be sourced.
@frank
Fair enough. Ask and you shall receive. Forgive the poor lighting, as it is a rainy day in Seattle and I'm out the door early. On a related note: does Rule 9 apply to commutes?
On another related note: to my eternal shame I note that I wrote "derailleurs" above when I meant to write "discs. Several repeats up Pine the wrong way in penance.
On the subject of joyrides, took my brother-in-law and niece for a trundle around the park on Sunday. It was a ride with no aim at all; we just rode to one end of the park, stopped, turned around and came back; and was on a totally mismatched set of bikes.
My niece borrowed my wife's Bianchi, my bro-in-law was on his Genesis mtb and I rode my new track bike. It was slooooow, and the paths were busy but the weather was glorious and it was a total joy to be out.
Long live the bike.
@RobSandy
I can relate. Sometimes I'll go for a casual spin around the park with my daughters: old Gazelle oma fiets, Raleigh Superb and me on my Marinoni SSCX which I use as a commuter and once a year racer (Paris to Ancaster). Like you said…total joy.
A weird thing happened this summer. My brother and I were training for a gran fondo (the Blue Mountain Centurion,160kms). I was putting on over 400kms per week in preparation.
Then three things happened simultaneously that changed everything: he crashed on a thing they call a MTB and broke his shoulder, the VMH reminded me that we have a family wedding on the same day as the race and then we went on vacation for 4 weeks with no bikes.
When I finally got back on the bike I took a different approach: Just ride for the joy of it. It also helped that I happened to be reading a book by Thomas Sterner called, The Practicing Mind. Sterner emphasizes process over end goals and staying in the present while doing an activity. It really works. I enjoyed the rides more and actually posted some pretty good average speeds as well.
Thanks for the reminder of the true reason we ride, @frank. I hit 39mph on a downhill the other day, and after thinking "ohmygodi'mgonnadie," my second thought was "Wheeeeeeeeee!"
@freddy
You went and ruined the whole vibe by mentioning the 'average speed' word