Fitness. The rhythm, the feeling of precision in our movement, the sensations of The Ride. The temptation of knowing we might in some way control our suffering even as we push harder in spite of the searing pain in our legs and lungs. The notion that through suffering, we might learn something rudimentary about ourselves – that we might find a kind of salvation.
Cycling, like Art, is based on the elementary notion that through focussed study, we might better understand ourselves. But to describe Cycling as a an Art does it an injustice. An artist, they say, suffers because they must. A Cyclist, I suggest, suffers because we choose to.
This element of choice, what psychologists refer to as the locus of control, is part of what allows us to feel pleasure through suffering. Through this choice unfolds an avenue of personal discovery by which we uncover the very nature of ourselves. Like Michelangelo wielding his hammer to chip away fragments of stone that obscure a great sculpture, we turn our pedals to chip away at our form, eventually revealing our true selves as a manifestation of hard work, determination, and dedication to our craft.
Having chosen this path, we quickly find that riding a bicycle on warm, dry roads through sunny boulevards is the realm of the recreational cyclist. As winter approaches, the days get shorter and the weather worse. Form tempts us to greater things, but leaves us quickly despite our best intentions. Its taste lingers long upon the tongue and urges us to gain more. Even as life gets in the way, we cannot afford many days away from our craft before we find ourselves struggling to reclaim lost fitness.
To find form in the first place, and to maintain it in the second, is a simple matter of riding your bicycle a lot. This simple task asks of us, however, a year-round commitment to throwing our leg over a toptube in heat, cold, wind, rain, or sleet, lest we spend months fighting to reclaim last year’s lost condition.
But with riding in bad weather is revealed a hidden secret. It is in the rain and the cold, when all the seductive elements of riding a bicycle have vanished, that we are truly able to ensconce ourselves in the elemental qualities of riding a bicycle. Good weather and beautiful scenery, after all, are distractions from the work. Without them, we have only those elements that we ourselves bring to The Ride: the rhythm, harmony between rider and machine, our suffering, and our thoughts. As the rain pours down and all but the most devoted stay indoors, we pull on extra clothing and submit into the deluge.
We are the Few, we are the Committed. We are those who understand that riding in bad weather means you’re a badass, period.
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@Oli
Oooooh, maybe we can do a scan swap? You can't really get them anymore, it would almost be worth PDF'ing them all the way through.
@Marcus
Greatest of all time is a tricky epithet to pin down and while Herb Elliot was clearly a bit swift, I'm not sure that the fact that he was never beaten is necessarily the beast measure of an athletes achievements. I'm not suggesting that Coe and Ovett were better but the fact that they butted up against each other while breaking records made that a pretty rich period.
The best? That would be my daughter, Katie who came over the line 2nd for her club and 1st girl for the club in the Under 16s today on her club debut at 10!
@frank
A works archive maybe. Although, if you were worried about the technicalities of publishing .pdfs an inner sanctum for the true adherents might be the thing.
@scaler911
I remember these things from the 80s. Can't recall what they were called, but redneck unicycle is as good a name as any. I love the brake placement. When it's panic time, grab your nuts!
@Chris
It is an an unwinnable argument (which is what makes it enjoyable), but even with his early retirement, Elliot did hold the 1500m world record from 1958 to 1967 (including breaking his own WR at the Rome Olympics when he ran the last 500m completely on his own).
Matched middle distance rivals typically make you run faster...
But if you value longevity, then El Gerrouj is pretty hard to beat.
Sounds like your daughter may have given you a chance to become another Damir Dokic. Don't miss this opportunity.
@Marcus
Well, while I don't want to go 'round with you about this, the stories (Merckx vs Pre) are different, but the drive to win IMHO, was the same.
What I always loved about Pre, was he was a small kid from a shit hole Oregon coast town that stirred up the running scene. It ended tragically, but for some time, he held most of the middle distance records. Agreeing to disagree: Pre is on the same pedestal as a runner to me, as Merckx was a cyclist. And my high school distance coach is (was) friends with Bill Bowerman, from who we got our workouts.
Sorry guys, I know this is a cycling site, and I don't even run anymore.
@scaler911
You may not want to go around with me on this - but when you say something as patently ridiculous as Prefontaine being running's Merckx, what do you expect?
Pre held American records, nothing else. A life tragically cut short? Yes. A world class athlete? We shall never know. With respect, whilst he might have been a great inspiration to you, a 4th in an Olympic 5000m doesn't exactly put him up with Eddy (or Herb).
@Marcus
"Over his career, he won 120 of the 153 races he ran (78 percent)"- Pre (Wiki, but I knew that anyway). The flying Finn, Coe and Zatopek ended up being more decorated runners, but meh. I respect them, but they just don't do it for me.
@frank
Sounds like a lot of work, but will see if I can! In the meantime, check out some photos from my public Facebook page - there are plenty more coming too...
Damn, it won't load unless you click "view full version" wtf.
Anyway, here's a taster.