Why
Posted in Blog on 29. Jul, 2008
I may not be racing as much as in the past, or be in as good of shape, or even ride as much. I still do, however; enjoy my time on the bike as much as ever.
I have been thinking about what keeps me coming back to the bike. Is it habit? Am I looking to find something in it I have not yet found? Am I out to prove a point? It is none of these, but I have distilled a few things about the bike that keep me coming back.
Soul Riding. For me where the soul of riding starts is the confluence of machine, man and shared experience. Soul riding for me is riding with comrades through terrain defined by climbs, small roads and the elements. Conversations, efforts, speed…That’s what keeps me coming back to it, not power meters, intervals and structured training. While they have their place, that’s not where it begins for me. For me there is no question how to spell soul riding. I have had many memorable experiences racing in rain, snow, great weather and terrain, made all the better by sharing the experience with friends and teammates.
The Cycle. Even today, there is something special about an evening spent maintaining the cycle. How many hubs have I overhauled, bottom brackets installed or wheel trued? I have no idea, but it still gives me a special feeling going through the process of maintaining one of the most elegant machines we have invented.
The Unseen. The draft- you never see it, but is has such a huge effect. Knowing the right guy to ride behind in a breakaway that will make your day easier- it is not immediately apparent, but it has a very real effect. Subtle techniques to be more efficient, this takes understanding yourself and the machine and how the two meet.
There is so much more…. Cycling has so many faces, is there anything else like it?
JK
JK – thats great stuff, my feelings exactly. I think thats what seperates those that “get it” and those that just ride and hammer. That writing was so good I thought I had clicked on Belgiumkneewarmers for a minute.
)
Ah, so the cool kids “get it”, people who ride hard don’t?
I suppose the “hammers” will just have to find solace in fulfilling potential (through competition) out on the course….
There’s definitely something appealing about “Hammering”. The speed and adrenaline, along with the exhaustion of pushing yourself to the edge and knowing you got every ounce of energy you had left into the pedals. However, we all know guys who seem to hammer all the time, and wonder if they ever enjoy a conversation paced group ride. Sometimes it’s refreshing to talk to new people on these rides just getting into the sport. It can help us think back to those initial feelings of what it was like when we first got into the sport.
I never said anything bad about riding hard or hammering…. I’ll be doing that very thing tonight at the Wed night Worlds. Just sayin we’re on the same page with the rest.
I don’t think anyone said riding hard meant you did not ‘get it’.
Kirk A- what keeps you coming back?
JK in NC
I thought it was about driving as far as possible and leaving your family in pursuit of the race with the largest purse.
Nicely put, JK, nicely put.
Rides with my comrades serve as a means for us to purge the day’s (week’s, month’s, whatever) collection of emotional baggage that, often unbeknownst to me, seems to pile up. Ride-inspired chats about politics, life, girlfriends, wives, food, growing old, and, sometimes above all, the simple machine that lures us all to this great sport, make riding a necessity for me. Mixed with a long, steep climb, or a 90-100% effort through the valley below, there is plenty of time to mix in some hammering. Inclement weather just makes the bond stronger as we endure it together. Regrouping for the roll back into town and a well-earned breakfast or oat soda (depending on the time of day, of course) makes the world around me feel a bit at ease, if only for a few hours.
Guess my public school education left me short in reading comprehension, Soul Rider wrote “I think thats (sic) what seperates (sic) those that “get it” and those that just ride and hammer.”
In other words, if a rider only just rides and hammers, they don’t get it? Why can’t it be both? What differentiates one person’s “hammer” versus another person’s “soul riding”? Are time-limited riders (those who only have time to train versus doing leisurely group rides) not allowed to “get it”?
John in NC on what keeps me coming back: Quite simple, I really like riding my bike, whereas racing fulfills my desire (need?) for competition. Most of the time (for practical reasons), the two cannot be separated.
One would think after 2000+ races I would have fulfilled that competitive desire.
PS I don’t think it really matters why one rides a bike, riding for whatever the reason is good enough in my book.
Guess my internal spelling/grammar checker isn’t turned on until I get my first cup of coffee.
2,000+ races…! holy moly. Roughy 200 races a year for 10 years..ouch
I agree with JG.
Riding with friends on a Thursday night out to the local climb gives time for light conversation. As we approach the pace goes up. We climb, fly, and crawl up the canyon; taking a break and regroup at the top 10 miles later. Smiles around we bomb the descent. Some faster, some slower. And a final regrouping at the bottom to paceline against the wind and cheat sunset to make it home by dark.
Recently I’ve removed all the gadgets from the bike. No cadence, no speed, no heartrate, no odometer, just riding. I’m learning to trust the sensations in the legs. It’s refreshing.
I ride my bike to ride my bike.
I’m in Longmont and Boulder, Colorado for three days of work and I think I am seeing more people “soul riding” here, than I do in my home location of Ventura / So Cal. Maybe it’s the surroundings. Then I started to think about the similarities and differences…Both places are very beautiful (slight advantage Ventura because of the ocean), both offer excellent terrain for training (lots of climbing, flats and rollers), So Cal has year round training weather…but also delivers natural disasters.
The difference may come from “mentality” – but the number of people on bikes yesterday afternoon vastly outnumbers what I am used to seeing on a normal Tuesday afternoon at home. For me personally, I was really impressed but the number of riders in groups of 2, 3 or 5…some solo…all riding in picture perfect surroundings – all looking to be riding for the sheer joy of riding. I was jealous I didn’t have time to join them…
you’re right, bikefool. I always ride better, faster, and stronger when I leave the computer at home. Whether I’m actually better, faster, or stronger is up for debate but invariably, I enjoy the ride more because of it.
Great post. It has been quite a few years since I have raced (except for the local TT series), but I still love riding as much as I always have. I won’t say yet that my USCF racing days are behind me. I plan to start racing masters when my kids get a little older. For now though, I just enjoy every ride that I can squeeze in; road or mountain, solo or group, fast or slow. Instead of training, I am always out just riding because that is what I love to do. Hopefully I will be able to say the same thing 50 years from now. Cycling is way more than a sport for me; it is big part of my life.
I love riding with the team all in the same kit, its a site to behold. The friendship and the banter mixed in with the demands of racing you gotta love it.
well said jk. we must move forward with love and passion with all things we do. work, and play. when play is cycling, it offers much more than just being on a bike. i consider my time on the bikes the closest i have ever come to being “with zen”. a mind without stress, [without even a thought for that matter] except what i need to do to move myself forward. when you add the love of it, and the passion for it, performance can only increase. but as a non racer, or soul rider myself, it doesn’t mean much fast or slow, group or solo. i’m just a happy rasta when i am pedaling.
roll on.
rasta.
you guys were guessing at the American Olympic Cyclists recently..I just picked this up from RoadBikeRider enewsletter:
Men’s Road
George Hincapie, 35 (Greenville, SC.) Road Race
Levi Leipheimer, 34 (Santa Rosa, CA) Road Race, Time Trial
Jason McCartney, 34 (Coralville, IA) Road Race
Christian Vande Velde, 32 (Boulder, CO) Road Race
David Zabriskie, 29 (Salt Lake City, UT) Road Race, Time Trial
Women’s Road
Kristin Armstrong, 34 (Boise, ID) Road Race, Time Trial
Amber Neben, 34 (Irvine, CA) Road Race
Christine Thorburn, 38 (Sunnyvale, CA) Road Race, Time Trial
A master’s race?
Good call Kent.
Master:
Middle English, from Old English magister & Anglo-French meistre, both from Latin magister; akin to Latin-Magnus
1 a (1): a male teacher (2): a worker or an artist, performer, or player of consummate skill (2): a great figure of the past whose work serves as a model or ideal: one that conquers or masters : superior
your point Kent?
Mouse: a Master is a USA Cycling category for a racer over the age of 30, therefore Kent was making fun of the Olympian’s ages.
You got it good over there then cos you have to be over 40(vet) in the UK to get something like that and usually your just ut in with the 3rds.
Nicely put JK. I think you summed up the joy of riding for the beauty of the sport and machine, as well as the comraderie/friendship of the team. I don’t think he denigrates those that like to hammer. We all have that edge at one time or another and some just have it more than others…ala Kirk A. There is a time and a place for both “soul cruising” and “dropping the hammer” and, as had been alluded to by other riders, you often have both on the same ride.