It requires a combination of factors to intersect. You need to have already spent loads of time on a bicycle. Enough so that you have an inherent sense of this odd thing with two wheels; you can make it go quickly or slowly, you can steer it around a corner with ease, you know how the introduction of a layer of moisture between the tires and the tarmac might affect the way it does these things.
There can’t be too clear a boundary between the bicycle and your body; those lines are best when blurred a bit. Hands to bars, feet to pedals, badonkadonk to saddle – these are contact points but they extend into the body to form a cohesive unit of rider and machine.
You need to know the difference between being out of shape, overweight, under-fed or hydrated, or simply being tired; these things have different implications and you must know how to manage them. You need to have met the Man with the Hammer enough times that you can feel him standing alongside you some time before his hammer hits. You need to know which actions bring him near, and you need to know which actions may stave him off.
These are all things that must be learned through many years spent in the saddle and cannot be gleaned from a book; this is a path you must walk yourself.
It also needs to be a long day out on the bike. Long enough that you’re tired with some distance yet to go; past the halfway point in the ride, but not so close to the end that you distract yourself with thoughts of finishing. There can only be the moment, nothing more. The legs need to be heavy from hours of effort but still strong. The pressure in the chest firm as the rhythm of your breathing is contant but not overly labored. The heart has to be pumping hard but not on its limit.
You have to be on the right kind of road to support a sustained, constant effort. Not too twisty, not too undulating. Not too scenic as scenery tends to be a distraction. Perhaps it is misty, humid. The air through which you ride wraps around you like a blanket.
You don’t have to be particularly strong that day, or fast, or in particularly good shape; you just need the right amounts of the right elements. As the legs start to go round, they draw you into a kind of hypnosis. The sight of the front wheel guiding you in the bottom of your periphery adds to the effect. Slowly, your senses turn inward, like falling asleep except that with every turn of the pedals, your focus grows more intense. You see everything and you see nothing. You see the road and you see obstacles, but acknowledgement of these things is reserved for critical items only. Only those things that require attention will be given it; the rest is reserved for turning the pedals.
The blanket you wrapped yourself in gets pulled up over your head, over your ears, nearly to your eyes. Darkness is everywhere except directly in front of you, the tunnel guiding you along. You hear nothing but the whirring of your tires, perhaps the changing of gear. The Man with the Hammer wanders close; you feel him. But La Volupte has graced you as well and she distracts him to stave off his hammer for a bit longer.
His killer blow will come, but not yet.
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Somewhat prescient article given the ride I had this morning...up climbing through the local hills well before sunrise & then up in the fog and it's definitely the first time in my 3 weeks or so back on the bike where I've actually felt like a cyclist again.
La Volupte it was not as there was no semblance of smoothness but finally the legs felt like they had the strength to drive me up & over the hills. The fact that it was first pitch black & then fog not dissimilar to the main picture no doubt helped enhance the 'tunnel' effect.
Ahhh great. One of my fav posts/vignettes/articles so far.
So good, in fact, that by the end I completely forgot that I had the word 'badonkadonk' forced upon me only a short moment earlier.
@scaler911
Its funny how that works. You do really learn to shut the legs off. You know when you're indulging in the exhaustion you're feeling. I did that in the last 10-15k of the ride...I was done and wanted to be done. But then G'rilla and a few others went up the road on the way up to the brewery and I let them go. Then decided to chase.
The legs were back. Out of the saddle, sprinting, the gap was coming down like crazy. 10 meters to go and I've got them; I'll fly by like they're standing still and take the honors. Then, nothing. Cramp. Full-on, agonizing cramp. 10m from glory and there was no discussion, no pushing, no fighting, no Rule 5. Just, cramp and two sets of perfectly good legs, unable to turn.
I coasted the rest of the way.
@scaler911 "Thinking too precisely about the moment..." from Shakespeare. Means, in this case, simply "Shut up and ride."
Try to understand that meaning. It may not be the one you are wanting to hear.
@scaler911
A-PLUS-FUCKING-ONE. Badge goes to you for that, matey.
@moondance
The more people I meet from the site, the more tell me how intimidated they were before their first posting. (Even @Scaler911 has told me this, who's first post might have been the ones stating that a cyclist in the sex other than the one he's attracted to turned him on. I won't say what sex that was because the orientation is irrelevant. I'm also very happy to have brought this up again.)
Anyway, it's bullshit. We're all full of shit, and we all want to hear how full of shit you are. Every opinion adds to the story. If we disagree, we'll argue. If we agree we'll (hopefully) let you know - though we do have a tendency to not take the time to acknowledge agreement over disagreement. Not to worry - take no response as affirmation because the pedantic twats around here will surely let you know when you're wrong.
*Wipes proud tear from his eye*
Welcome to the fold, mate.
@Marcus
You've lost me, completely. I have only a tentative grasp on reality. Kind of like you and beastiality.
Careful, the taged ones are already taken.
@versio
Thanks for the philosophy lesson.
@metalface
I was going to say "ass", but I wanted to leave the door open for the #SeattleSummerCogal attendees to rip me apart, but I have to assume they decided to hold fire until the report next week.
at the risk of shit-stinking the limelight of moondance, above input (input being a 'progressive' word...although i'll leave the judgement to the reader) is/was my first foray into the V crowd too ....i was apprehensive ..hovering over the Enter key ....too long have i lurked in the shadows!! :) i do enjoy the rantings and sage-like wisdom of the V-Crowd ....and I remember Rule 5 always .....when u r in the tunnel, u remind yourself of it on repeat