The three virtues: Mind, Body, Machine.
In Japanese, “Santoku” means “Three Virtues”. Exactly which three virtues it is referring to is unclear, but I am fascinated by the idea of a single word with such a rich, if ambiguous, meaning. I have several kitchen knives that goes by this name, and within the scope of knives the three virtues are generally accepted to mean fish, meat, and vegetables. But if I know anything about Japanese culture, then two things are certain: that the three virtues in question depend on the application, and that I know absolutely nothing about Japanese culture.
In Cycling, we also have three virtues. These are the Mind, the Body, and the Machine.
The Mind.
The mind is the heart of the organism. It is what drives the body towards fitness and strength. It is what drives us to find the limits of our will, our body, and the machine as a cohesive unit. It is our conduit into The V; just as the body, it must be trained and disciplined. Without the mind, the body lays at rest and the machine leans gathering dust against the wall. It is, however, susceptible to doubt. Doubt is an insipid thing that creeps through our veins and burroughs in at that little point at the base of our skull where it meets the neck. It tickles at our nerves and whispers in our ear to undermine the strength of the body.
The Body.
The body is the engine of the organism. Through the disciplined practice of training and learning to ignore the natural impulse to yield to both pain and common sense, it becomes strong. We break our muscles down so they rebuild themselves again, a bit more robustly. Over time, it becomes a tool. An instrument of intimidation. A weapon even. The body serves at the pleasure of the mind; a strong mind can draw unexpected performances from the body. A strong body can bolster the morale and encourage the mind to draw more from it, but it can only exhibit an influence; the body is never in control of the mind.
The Machine.
Who hasn’t laughed at the redneck wearing a “Guns don’t kill people, People kill people” t-shirt? While I commend the author’s ability to assign responsibility, guns definitely make the job a lot easier. It is the same with the bicycle; the bike is not what makes a rider fast, but a good one makes it a lot easier. The bicycle is almost a sentient being, we often show more affection and concern for the state of the machine than that of our own bodies. But the machine also exerts a huge amount of influence over the the entire system; a bicycle in perfect working order serves to inspire the Mind to find the limits of the body. A failing machine – or even a creaking pedal or squeaking chain – will send the mind into a descending feedback loop of morale which ends, most often, in a Millarcopter.
To achieve our potential as Cyclists, we must respect our Santoku: the mind, the body, and the machine. Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@VeloJello post work used to be pretty regular as well, however with a 7 month pregnant wife (carrying twins) at home dealing with a 2yr old all day, my services are generally required at home post haste to give her a break!
@RobSandy I'm only 5k away from the office, but the hills that border Adelaide to the east are only 20 minutes away once I've dropped my bag off there, so if I get there a couple of hours prior to starting work I can generally get ~50k & 1,000m of climbing in.
@Mikael Liddy
Quite understandable. Best of luck sir!
Though it be blasphemy, I've always struggled with the trinity (always seemed like a cheap way to rope in the first century polytheistic folks). Maybe if Father Kellerman had used more bike references in his homilies, then maybe I'd be better set with the concept.
@Mikael Liddy
Congratulations Mikael, all the best over the next wee while.
Conversely to your demotivation to work reducing your riding, I find the early morning ride is what gets me out of bed in the first place, and eventually in to work. Maybe use a ride as motivational fuel to get you to the office on time. When we don't ride, coming back to the bike is never a pleasant experience, so maintaining some base fitness I find is key, and motivates continual riding for me.
Kudos to you for 1000m in 50k. My bunchy is that much over 75, with a 20k home again at the end of the day. Would prefer the 50 I reckon.
I've had 2 weeks off the bike sick and injured, I am dreading the lack of fitness on my return, but looking forward to swinging a leg over all the same.
@Mikael Liddy
You poor, sweet, doomed soul. Take note fellow Velominatus - following this year's Vuelta it's likely we shall not hear from Mr. Liddy until the Classics of 2020.
Correction - we shall hear from him, but probably just updates on his breeding and blimping (good thing he got that new bike).
@Beers
yeah, that's usually the theory, the 1am finishes that come with Antipodean tour watching make getting out of bed at 4 slightly touger.
@DeKerr
it'll look good hanging on the wall for the next 12 months...
What is The Prophet holding in the other 4 fingers, a peach? An orange? Nothing like inhaling some sugar before the next climb!
@David Booth Beers my guess would be an orange segment.