Back
on a Bike

I’ve always loved riding my bike, even though I literally parked that form of transportation in my parents garage decades ago–I had a fresh drivers license.

A little background… sports at competition level have been a part of my life since the ripe age of eight. Unfortunately the cumulative affect of the collision sports and heavy weight training  have come with a price–joint pain. I needed to make some wholesale changes–the pounding, wear and tear I’ve inflicted has caused me to throttled back the effort to an unfulfilling point both mentally and physically. Out of necessity I still lift weights as I need to maintain strength, balance and bone density, but I also need something easier on the joints. Re-enter the bicycle.

“the machine itself is so simple in design, but such a mechanical marvel…

Athletes understand the difference between “good-pain” and “bad-pain.” The situational irony is most people interpret pain to be primarily bad–not so. Yes, my joint issues are obviously bad pain–but so is recreational level activity to me. I prefer an “all-in” attitude as well as effort, that absolves me of any excuses–good-pain. As a result, I naturally gravitate towards activity that rewards you commensurately with effort–a damn near perfect fit for cycling.

Cyclist, particularly those who race, refer to hard training efforts as being in the hurt locker or pain-cave. One very famous cyclist went so far as to say getting faster was not about increasing speed but rather the ability to endure more pain.

Regardless, the machine itself has remained a simple design but such a mechanical marvel. While they possess a beautiful aesthetic, they do nothing without a rider. As a friend likes to remind me… name me another activity where “the passenger is also the engine.”