Have a look around to see who you find occupying your immediate vicinity. Presently, I am surrounded by a pleasant-seeming bunch. Some are even going so far as to appear happy or at least not displeased; all of them are pale and none of them fit. My attention is drawn, however, to a a portly mustached gentleman who strode into the hotel lobby with an enormous degree of self confidence and who as such feels justified in wearing an ill-fitting t-shirt bearing a phrase which asserts that real men wear orange. While I have no reason to disagree with the assertion, I assume he is optimistic that through wearing said t-shirt, he will be mistaken for a “real man” and is not in fact attempting to disprove the point through contrast.
I’m not picking on this gent not because I’m harboring any sense of ill-will towards him, nor for the fact that he strode into the hotel lobby carrying a twelve pack of Yuengling Black and Tan. I’m picking on him mostly because I have come to understand that “real men” are capable of crushing things like soda cans and their opponents’ Will to Live, while from the looks of it, the only thing he’s crushed lately was a ham sandwich whose remnants I’m fairly certain I spotted on the front of his bright orange t-shirt.
Surprisingly, our Orange Hero isn’t even the most disappointing case in the room I’m occupying. The guy in the camouflage, knee-long shorts and flip-flops is an example at least two degrees worse; if he harbors hopes of blending in to anything – most of all foliage – I suggest he spend some time outside to brew himself up a tan that goes beyond TV Translucent (I’m not sure what the pantone value is for that). He should also try lifting his computer some time, to build muscle mass, rather than wheeling it about in a trolly. But worst of all by a considerable gap is the skinny-fat chap with carefully disheveled hair who is presently chastising the bartender – who is serving free drinks to hotel patrons – for not having his preferred brand of vodka on hand. If this guy took half the time he spent worrying about his hair and invested it in not worrying about his free drink, he’d be three-quarters less of a douche. (My dad would call this guy a zacht gekookt ei, or soft-boiled egg.)
All this to say that as a society we have, by and large, become soft. While I want to be careful not to paint too broadly with that brush as no one is to say what hardships people have been through, on balance we seem to expect to take more and to be asked to give less in return. Our ancestors worked harder than we did, in worse conditions, for less reward but found satisfaction in a job well done and an honest day’s work. Yet today, we are overly dependent on t-shirts to send a message about who we are rather than our actions. We fill our conversations with sentiments of entitlement and rights, when in fact we are entitled to nothing and we have the right only to the things we find within ourselves.
As Cyclists, however easy our lives may be, the bicycle brings us some degree of hardship and struggle. For many of us, our easy lives are what draw us to the bicycle in pursuit of a harder life. This is, of course, in stark contrast that to the riders who came before us, the legion of Fausto Coppi, Rik van Looy, and even the comparatively well-off Eddy Merckx who chose the bicycle as a means of escape from a harder life into an easier one. But nevertheless, it sets us appart. The lessons the bicycle teaches us can be applied to the rest of our lives, and may be used to guide the uninitiated.
Our pets go untrained because we are too busy, distracted, or stressed out to show them the discipline they crave. Our children scream as our dependence on secondary care blurs the boundary between parent and friend. Society’s BMI is pushed ever upward as our appetite for a meal grows inversely with our willingness to exercise. By and large, our dependence on the material is fueled by the immaterial.
No child is too young, no adult too old. This is the time to Obey the Rules, Lead by Example, and Guide the Uninitiated. But most of all, this is the time for us to set an example and have The Talk. The Rule #5 Talk. And remember what Will Fotheringham refers to as Rule #5.b: Eddy Never Complained.
VLVV.
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@Velosophe
I don't say this enough. Thanks for what you do. You too, Buck. And anyone else who does it.
On a different scale, my VMH works around the world to make people healthier and learn how to treat people with devastating diseases. She goes to all corners of the globe - violent or otherwise - to help people.
Makes me feel like fucking shit for what I do.
@The Oracle
According to the article, women. Wisconsin - dunno. Could be Anywhere, USA.
@Ron
Just like using the past to inform your decisions as they pertain to the future, use the negative to help make decisions to make your future more positive.
AND FUCK YEAH. WHAT A BITCHIN' PHOTO! Why the FUCK do you think I used it??
@SuperFed
The scary thing is that the brain, heart, and bones are the same size in both figures. That's all. And look how the joints are stressed. That is scary, scary shit. I walked by McDonnalds at the airport today and stopped in at Vino Volo instead. This makes me even happier that despite the glass of wine I had with it, I did opt for the green salad instead of fries and a burger. Yikes.
@Nate
Rik was the Emperor, by the way, because of the iron fist he ruled his team and, if possible, the race. He is obliquely blamed for impeding Merckx when they shared a team the first year he was a Pro.
The thought does cross my mind: how many of those races did he fix and how many did he win on merit? Its a shit question, no doubt, and one we'll never answer. But it has the positive side effect that it will make me study his career more to try to figure it out. And, that process in and of itself will make it worth while.
I don't really care that the anser is. I'm phyched about the journey.
Oh, and check those bitching bar-end shifters.
I had forgot how large the US is. Until last week's quick jaunt into the heartland. o.O
@Nate
Spot on mate.
@frank
Yeah, just reading about Van Looy as I had not heard of the moniker "The Emperor of Herrentals" and it is really interesting reading. No love lost between him and Merckx, esp at the 1969 WCRR.
That's why I LOVE this site, so many people here with so much knowledge and it just brings me deeper and deeper into the mystic and depth of it all.
@frank
What your VMH does is super awesome. That job really makes a real world difference.
I would love to meet your VMH, and also the Doctor's Without Borders doc that's on this site, sometime and talk about possible future work once my time in the Army is over.