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.

There is Nothing Like Riding With Your Buddies.

There is nothing like riding with your buddies. They know all of your tricks and can spot weakness faster than a Hyena. They will beat up on you, torture you, and since they are your good buddies they will offer you solace and haul your sorry ass home. They might point out the weaknesses in your form on the ride in, so you are encouraged to blow up as close to home as possible. This limits the duration of the critique.

Your best buddy will help you train. He will stay on your wheel for mile after mile gleefully letting you know how much farther you have to go. This is especially helpful for time trial training. Little gems like “Nine and a half more miles to go” and “You seem to be dropping off a bit and we’re not halfway there yet” are SO inspiring. It is even better when there are two or three of your best friends on your wheel to keep you appraised of cadence, speed and style. Who hasn’t heard “ I thought black was supposed to be slimming.”?

I rode with a few good friends last Saturday. I had had a couple of miserable solo training rides during the week and brought a full bag of frustration with me. I started out fast with one buddy in tow. We got caught by two others and I kept the pace up most of the way out. We picked up a newbie with atrocious form and strong legs. We shed the two veterans of the back after about 20 miles. Ten more miles to go and we picked the pace up a little. I picked on the newbie. My best bud picked on me. By the time we hit the turn around everyone was picked pretty clean, the buzzards weren’t even interested.

The heat was up on the way home, some where in the high 80’s with hardly any wind to help. It seemed like it took me forever to get back up to 20 mph and once the big guy was on my wheel 23 mph seemed like the place to settle in. He of course came around and settled in at 24 mph and that is where we stayed until our tanks emptied out. At the 50 mile post a silent armistice was signed and we shut it down. (We had a 22 mph average from the time we left the parking lot.)

This is the true joy of riding with your buddies. Once everyone has emptied their fuel reserves and there is nothing left to fight over, there is that splendid cool down ride. This is where you build those bonds that form a team. You see, your buddies may take advantage of your weaknesses when you ride together but when you ride with strangers they are always there to watch your back, offer a wheel and let you know when it’s your day to shine.

And that newbie? the buzzards got him.