Cycling for More Than Sport
I’d like to mention a few people I think are doing a lot for the sport of cycling. These people are not just into for the sport, (none of them actually race although they all will give you a run for your money), for these people cycling is more of a lifestyle. Lets start with the uber-milelage commuters, Puddles in Georgia and Jeff in Oregon.
Puddles is not allowed on an indoor trainer for the same reason we call him Puddles. They just don’t make mops like they used to. He doesn’t live that far from work but he takes the long way and gets the extra miles in. He used to do it here in South Texas. No one alive is better at sponging off before going into work. Not only does he commute but he also rides fast club rides on the weekends.
Jeff is an attorney. He could be driving a big lawyer limo but he doesn’t. He rides the 17 miles into work on his bike and then home again. Up until recently he was riding his 3 speed. His knees, and the Oregon winters have prompted the purchase of a bike with more gears. He apparently has this problem with chasing anyone ahead of him.
These two riders are sane (within reason) even though they ride all year round and have an unbelievable yearly mileage. I am looking at about 9,000 miles this year and they are making me look like a slacker.
Then there is the Kid. He goes to school in Austin and didn’t ride very much when he was down here. His first year in school he decides to join a group of kids and ride from Texas to Alaska. They trained through the Fall, Winter, and Spring and then spent the summer on the road. He learned a lot about food, chamois butter and when not to ride naked. He completed the trip and when he got back to Austin he traded away his Trek for a TIG welder. He hasn’t quit cycling, far from it. He has welded up a trailer and pulls his TIG welder behind his fixed gear. He’s a good kid.
There are more riders I admire and I will get around to speaking of them later. This post is mostly to remind people that there is more to cycling than training and riding fast.
Be careful out there folks and leave the car at home once in awhile.
Puddles is not allowed on an indoor trainer for the same reason we call him Puddles. They just don’t make mops like they used to. He doesn’t live that far from work but he takes the long way and gets the extra miles in. He used to do it here in South Texas. No one alive is better at sponging off before going into work. Not only does he commute but he also rides fast club rides on the weekends.
Jeff is an attorney. He could be driving a big lawyer limo but he doesn’t. He rides the 17 miles into work on his bike and then home again. Up until recently he was riding his 3 speed. His knees, and the Oregon winters have prompted the purchase of a bike with more gears. He apparently has this problem with chasing anyone ahead of him.
These two riders are sane (within reason) even though they ride all year round and have an unbelievable yearly mileage. I am looking at about 9,000 miles this year and they are making me look like a slacker.
Then there is the Kid. He goes to school in Austin and didn’t ride very much when he was down here. His first year in school he decides to join a group of kids and ride from Texas to Alaska. They trained through the Fall, Winter, and Spring and then spent the summer on the road. He learned a lot about food, chamois butter and when not to ride naked. He completed the trip and when he got back to Austin he traded away his Trek for a TIG welder. He hasn’t quit cycling, far from it. He has welded up a trailer and pulls his TIG welder behind his fixed gear. He’s a good kid.
There are more riders I admire and I will get around to speaking of them later. This post is mostly to remind people that there is more to cycling than training and riding fast.
Be careful out there folks and leave the car at home once in awhile.
posted by Speedo at 4:58 PM
1 Comments:
Keep the creative juices going Speedo! I love it!
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