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When my relatives ask me why I get up so early, purchase the ‘right’ kind of shoes for cycling, eat so much, drink so little alcohol, or jostle me about “riding a bicycle” so darn much – I just look at this photo (taken in late October of this year on the Dragon). What I see amazes even me. As I did yesterday, the day before, and the day before that – I shall ride oneth. Peace.
Isn’t that reason enough? If nuns are keeping fit – pedaling for St. Peter – then why not you? I know that applies to me. One might conclude riding a bike is prayerful in its own right. Umm? Maybe my 4.5 hours on Sunday were closer to a religious experience than I originally thought, and the induced meditation was full of enlightenment. Please continue riding onward with thoughtful prayers my friends.
When riding a bunch of miles every day, food doesn’t stick to your ribs, arms or any other body part. Cyclists who ride lots of hours per week typically consume freely – - at breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack time and late night when the ice cream calls. The more hours you ride, the more you can (and must) eat. (My grocery bill yesterday was $209 – which included a 12-pak of Sam and a 6-pack of SN – but still, that’s for a week of grub-a-dub.)
On average, my daily intake is roughly six to seven thousand calories; more on Saturdays and Sundays (yeah). Each meal averages 1,500 (without dessert) along with two snacks and on-the-bike gels, beverages and such. After lunch I usually include chocolate (dark) on my list of consumed goodies. After dinner I eat several oatmeal cookies made by the BGE (very good). The point? Cyclists would rather eat to ride rather than ride to eat.
This past week someone sent me a photo of a nasty crash involving a professional cyclist getting crunched under a car. Naturally I had seen the photo, but wasn’t about to blog it in a post. Why? It only reiterates the painful side of riding. There wasn’t humor in it – nor anything that felt good. It reminded me of my own wreck where a mo-fo driver elected to run a stop sign, run me down and then drive away. Neither the photo nor my accident were positive.
The photo of the day today captures the spirit of why I ride … and why so many kids ride bicycles … because it’s freeing and a lot of fun. When you ride it requires your entire being to move forward – your mind, your vision, your legs, torso, arms — everything. In doing so you connect with the world around you and because you’re moving slower than in a car, you see more of the world. For those that haven’t ridden in a while – get out your bike, ride it somewhere and then take a gut check about how you feel. Go get an Icee and enjoy the summer. Ride on.
It’s here – at last. Bike PORN Friday’s. Looking ahead the theme for Friday is Bike PORN. What is Bike PORN? Well, it’s an “affinitas” for bike related bling to include bike gear, threads, trick-gadgets, cuties at races, and certainly bikes. Just go with the header and you’ve got the news – today is a “Bike PORN” day. Enjoy.
Have you noticed how windy it’s been this year? Sometime in early to mid-February the wind started blowing and it hasn’t stopped since. The wind seems to be blowing pretty hard most every day now. Typically it’s a March thing (in like a lion and out like a lamb).
The wind is a training aid – a catalyst to propel an average rider into a better-than-average rider. When pushing into the wind you mimic the motion of being on the front. You replicate the motion of being on a TT bike pushing hard on the gears. It stresses your legs and your spirit to endure and to appreciate the calm days – or the protection of the peloton. Either way, I appreciate the wind. Especially when it’s at your back. Sail on.
Take a look at this photo – do you see what’s really going on with the riders? The untrained eye would not notice the significant effort nor appreciate the energy required to move “at speed.” When the casual observer sees a race, the typical thought bubble above his or her head is something along the lines of …”I can do that – it’s just riding a bicycle.” Some folks feel (and think aloud), “maybe I should ride my bike – or even race. Sure, I’ll give it a try.” Careful though – don’t be fooled into believing it’s easy to move fast – continuously and for long periods of time. It takes years of training to get there — if at all.
If you care to stress your heart, your body, your entire being – a bicycle is worthy of riding. It gives as much as you give – and then some. Ride because you love the bike and ride because you know it will extend life as we know it. Ride on.
Sounds funny doesn’t it? Life and breathing go hand in hand. If you ride, run, swim, play basketball or any sport you eventually breathe a little harder. Sometimes much harder. For me it is an overt reminder how dependent we are our lungs to bring in fresh oxygen – to create energy and propel us forward. I ride because I want to breathe a little harder and hopefully a little longer in this lifetime. Ride on.
When the starter says “go” you know in your gut that at some point during the race you’re going to be tested. It may not be at the beginning of the race, but it does occur. Usually when you least expect it.
When training, especially in a group, you make a choice of when to test and when not to test. Group rides offer each individual multiple opportunities to push limits and test the body. Gauging your efforts against others helps satisfies the need to confirm ‘where you are or where you are not.’
On the other hand, testing your limits while training alone is what many riders call the benchmark of commitment. The absence of competitors (in a race) or fellow riders (in a group) make it much more difficult for the average cyclist to test their body. Frankly, it’s harder to “push yourself” when it’s not race-specific or group oriented. I ride because I look forward to all three forms of testing.
The energy that is conserved by following is tremendous. Some researchers indicate 30% or greater. My take on the real number is this: how hard is the pace??!! There are times when following saves 0% energy because the tempo is FAST. Riding a bike allows you to follow – or lead. You can lead when you’re not on the front – you can lead in the middle of the peloton. How? By riding safely – by watching out for other riders – by thinking. Lead or follow – riding your bike gives you lots of opportunity for both.
When I look around my garage at multiple bicycles I see kewl stuff. Flashy wheels, carbon fiber, unique forks, unique shocks, interesting lighting systems, more carbon, and slick bags for extra wheel sets. No matter how you ride, you take pride in your gear. It’s root is the bike store – the birth place of all that is kewl with cycling.
When a cyclist enters a bike store we revert back to kid-status and begin drooling at the sights, sounds and smells of new bikes and the gear. A visit to the bike store forges a bond between your need for going further, faster and easier and your wallet. I visit my bike shop, ETO, three or four days per week. Some people call it church, I call it nourishment for the soul.
All it takes is a little plastic explosive called “VISA” and you’re rolling on a new set of ZIPP wheels. Or riding a “Focus” track frameset. Sometimes it might be as simple as a new set of rubber. The reasons for riding are endless – and one of which most riders will espouse is “kewl equipment.” Ride. On.
Today’s photos are HOT. Look at the carbon. It spells F-A-S-T. Look at the designs. You might find them in a Victoria Secret catalog one day. Looking …
Ever ponder what happened to our overall commitment to physical fitness? I do. There have been so many times in my life where I felt like a backslider – a lazy mo-fo who wasn’t careful about consumption. Within the last three years I’ve given my life to a crazy pastime called cycling.
I spend countless hours during the winter months riding and working out at the gym to improve my fitness level – and at a minimum maintain what I’ve built. Many a day I ponder, “why am I doing this? All my friends are out doing fun things, soaking up adventure in a 1,000 ways.” Then my brain snaps into the future with the clear picture of what a race might be like when I’m unprepared, physically unfit or worse – I’m out of shape. Period.
I ride because so many “others” do not. I ride because it’s all about the bike. About seeing the world from something other than a TV or a car – or the internet. I suggest that we continue riding on.
At one point in my life I was a runner. I loved running. However, I wanted to see more, soak up more views and certainly take in more scenery along the way. Let’s put calories aside and focus on the views: if working out is both commitment and enjoyment (separate by some standards) then we’d best enjoy the view. When you ride your bike – you SEE more things, people, places, creatures, and certainly more cars, dogs and issues. I ride because I want to see more of life. Ride on.
English Mountain Challenge. The short version is this: it’s about 110 miles with lots of climbing, scary descents, gravel in odd places, cars that DO NOT want you on “their” roads, 22% grades of climbing around the 87 mile-marker, more hills, lots of wind and at the end, pizza. Go figure. We pay $40 bucks for a ride with a cheap tee shirt and pizza at the end.
Were we supposed to obtain something “good” out of this? Much like the Tour de Blount and the Smokey Mountain Wheelman’s “Fall Century” the overall ride value is MI$$ing. Look at the dwindling numbers in each event.
Summary of the event: there were a few “bike Nazi’s” at the beginning … riders who “thought” they were in a race. Can someone explain this to me???? Especially one fellow in a Liquigas pro kit. LOL (many times over). What’s up with riders who wear pro kits???? They obviously don’t realize how pathetic they look.
Mr. “Liquigas” rides off the front about a mile from the start. It was hilarious – seriously. Somewhere at mile 5 we settled into our pace … and passed the “pro” rider. HA. After the first climb and scary descent I looked around and there were 7 of us total. No one else was in eye sight and I strained looking back on several long stretches of road.
In the lead group — ahh — mo-fo “Adam” had it in his brain we were supposed to ride 110 miles at or near race-pace. At one point the punk mo-fo who was leading the painful pace on our “ride” had daggers aimed at his back. Somewhere at mile-marker 40, four of us sat up and said (collectively) – “we’ve had enough. IT’S A RIDE – NOT A RACE.”
Ok – Ok. So we pulled our collective attitudes together and pacelined back to the three guys in front and stayed with them until English Mountain. At which point I sat up and did the sensible thing – I rode easy.
There is NO money to be earned at the finish line. And NO NOTHING to be earned by making the ride (emphasis “ride”) more painful than required.
Three of us rode the last 15 miles together – with the punk mo-fo leading his own brigade, followed by another loner – followed by a pair – followed by three of us who said, “20mph is enough when the wind is blowing 20mph.”
We completed 109.46 miles in 5:38 with two stops along the way. At the end I drank 3 Cokes and ate three pieces of pizza followed by two bottles of water and Chick-Fil-a sandwich and another bottle of water. Two hours later I ate a ham-wrap and cheese with more Cytomax. I finally peed about 2 hours later. I have no idea how much we climbed – I’m guessing it was over 6,000 feet but I’ll check on the total this week. EMC – ride. on.
So many hills, so many dogs, so many horses and so many folks sputtering along the rural roads of our neck of the woods. Yes, I ride because of the hills, to avoid dogs (when possible), watch the horses and pass sputterers. I ride because there are so many miles to cover – so many roads.
Think about how many people who would love to ride a bike. Think about it for a moment. I think about it everyday. With many friends in the disability community, it’s so very easy to be reminded of why I ride: because so many cannot. When I’m around a friend with a visual impairment or a mobility impairment, my heart reaches out to say – “if only.” It’s the very reason I don’t talk about bicycle racing nor riding – unless they bring it up. Then and only then do I discuss it. And when I do talk about my “hobby” I am sharing the experience in a heart-felt genuine way. So – if you can ride – get on the bike and ride … on.
The “century” mark — a hundred miles — is for many cyclists a huge barometer of their commitment to riding a bicycle. Whatever. 100 miles via a camel is a commitment to insanity. 100 miles via a bike is “a ride.” Last Saturday I completed another century with some 200+ riders. With several thousand feet of climbing, I completed the 100 miles in under 5 hours. Only 10 of us did that. 100 miles is an accomplishment. Time to set a new bar: 150 in a day — and later this year it shall be done. Ride – and ride a long way.
Riding is fundamental to affirming our freedom as humans. Think about it: as a kid a bicycle ride was the ultimate ‘freedom’ … it was more freeing than anything else we experienced. It allowed us to venture well beyond the yard, the neighborhood, the streets most familiar and certainly the boundaries we established in our minds as “that’s a long way off.” I ride. Why not.
I recently visited family and the topic of why I ride came up in conversation. Naturally I responded with, “because I can.” The counter response was surprising — and included the words, “you’ll stop in a few years.” The follow-up response will be found here. I ride because I can. I ride because people like Oscar Pistorius would if they could. IN fact, I’ve been in several races with guys who have a carbon fiber leg … just like Oscar Pistorius. Ride. on.
