Doubt. It speaks in whispered tones but echoes in our actions and lingers heavy on the mind. It is a thing that weaves itself into the seeds of our dreams and erodes vision into whim. Doubt leads to uncertainty; uncertainty to fear; fear prevents us from reaching as high as we might.
Doubt is a clingy thing. Like a snowball dropped down a mountainside in a cartoon, it starts small but grows upon its own weight. It continues to collect more doubt until finally it crushes any positive thought. Doubt is the fundamental element of the Anti-V.
As Cyclists, our morale rests on a knife’s edge where the slightest drop of grace can send us into the waiting arms of La Volupté while even the smallest grain of doubt can draw us to the cold anvil of her husband, the Man with the Hammer. Little things such as a freshly wrapped set of bars or a recently cleaned and silenced drivetrain can send morale skyrocketing, even in otherwise atrocious conditions. An elusive click or creak, on the other hand, can coax squares from even the most magnificent of strokes.
Clicks, creaks, or a misfiring drivetrain are guaranteed to send me into a tailspin of frustration and doubt; if my machine disobeys the Principle of Silence or malfunctions, I am sure to face a dismal day on the bike. Clean kit and freshly shaven guns, particularly when the guns are glistening with sweat or rain, is for me one of the greatest sources of form and good morale. To see the muscles moving under the smooth, tanned skin as they strain with effort instantly sends away any lingering doubt and leaves only optimism and drive, my conditioning and training cease to hold sway over my desire and willingness to suffer. And when we are willing to suffer, we can do anything.
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Eddy H. Merckx on a waffle....THIS. I can't fucking stand a violation of the Principle of Silence. Kills the ride.
That last sentence - brilliant.
Luckily there is no rule against correcting the grammar and spelling of the Keepers. Else I would find myself doing hill repeats in penance.
It's "echoes."
@Mikel Pearce
I couldn't agree more.
Seriously? Now that's good stuff!
Looking impecable truly is one of the key factors in having good legs; heading out with a miss-matched kit is demoralizing from the start. If it doesn't match, then it's a day to sit in the pack, to avoid being seen (and get dropped) by those who wear proper kits.
However, as great as clean clothes and pristine legs are, there is great satisfaction to be had in acquiring the Flanders Facial and being slathered with sweat, rain, and grime from any number of impromptu circumstances. If I look like the creature from the black lagoon, my legs feel as monstrous as my face appears.
Excellent stuff frank!
After spending many a year doubting my ability to race (or keep up with the big boys as I would say to myself) I finally joined a local club last year. Ironically enough I would sometimes train with the club rides and comfortably hold my own, even when they would unleash a surge of speed. It was the doubt in the back of my mind that I would be 1. too slow; 2. crash; 3. do my own version of a rainbow turd, albeit a white, green, yellow and black (club colours).
After my first couple of races, none of the above occurred and most importantly, any doubt that I wasn't a capable cyclist quickly disappeared! Some days I'm not as strong as I want to be, but mostly I am. I'm finishing in the top ten and have move up a grade with the summer crit season. Doubt can suck my milk chocolate salty balls.
@Enoch
No its a much more complex construct according to the Hitchikers Guide "Echos (Greek: ἦχος, [ˈixos]; pl. Echoi ἦχοι [ˈiçi]) is the name in Byzantine music theory for a mode within the eight mode system (oktoechos), each of them ruling several melody types, and it is used in the melodic and rhythmic composition of Byzantine chant ("thesis of the melos"), differentiated according to the chant genre and according to the performance style ("method of the thesis"). It is akin to a Western medieval tonus, an Andalusian tab', an Arab naġam (since 1400 "maqam"), or a Persian parde (since 18th century dastgâh)."
Blessed indeed are the cheese-makers...
"Doubt leads to uncertainty; uncertainty to fear; fear prevents us from reaching as high as we might."
and from fear, Yoda, taught us that..."Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
Well done, Frank. Some beautiful phrasings. As much as I like the writing here on pro cycling or gear or history its always these pieces on the spirit or nature of our passion and obsession that I find to ring the truest, deepest, and clearest. True inspiration indeed.
@the Engine
Exactly what I was going to say! (well no, not really.)
I found this quote a while ago and I liked it; plus, it somehow seems appropriate:
"To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity. Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement. No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep"”down joy. Might as well be playing Tiddly"”Winks." "” Scott Martin
I don't know who Scott Martin is, but I like the quote.