Reverence: Daylight Saving Time
Not too many people espouse the virtues of Daylight Saving Time, much less chose to write about it every bloody year. But Daylight Saving Time is my favorite day of the year, no question. Better than Christmas, Sinterklaas, or my birthday. Combined. The reason is simple: Daylight Saving is the day of the year when it becomes feasible to once again ride after work without headlights.
To be a Cyclist is to be a student of sacrifice; everything is given for the sake of becoming better at our chosen craft. We risk life and limb when we set ourselves upon the streets to take flight amongst the motor traffic like a gazelle amongst the lions. In winter, we often do this with the further risk of darkness, limiting our range of vision and our visibility to drivers who are much more likely to be texting than I care to imagine.
While there are some liberating aspects to riding and training at night, Daylight Saving Time frees us from the grip of darkness and affords us the opportunity train once again in afternoon daylight without requiring excessive amounts of Calendar Tetris in order to sneak out of the office while the sun still hangs above the horizon. From Sunday onward, it is Open Season on training and the path towards summertime fitness opens up before us.
Most crucially, Daylight Saving Time means the days lengthen enough to once again allow the afternoon training rides to become the karmic neutralizer of the daily grind. Vive la Vie Velominatus.
Here down under Daylight savings is about to leave us, makes me a bit melancholy. I’m just not a morning person so after work rides are awesome. Last night I got in 50 km and 1700 vertical metres in 27 degrees, taking full advantage of the few weeks we have left!
Despite the fact that the cows get out of synch, my curtains fade more and the grass grows more I love it.
@frank
Training use to be about being at the front of the bunch. Not so much anymore it is more about being in the middle unnoticed and being able to sneak up and dish out some V when needed and then slip back into the mix.
@frank
Yikes!! That could have been much worse (Boonen-style). Nice application of #5!
@frank
Having spent much of my adult, working life trying to explain complicated things to other people—college students, usually, not just police officers and judges—I spent most of that life having to believe that the ability to explain was bound up with the ability to understand. Now that I have to do that kind of thing only a couple of days a week, I’ve come accept what I believed all along: that belief is bullshit.
Thought experiment: ask a highly intelligent professional bike racer to explain to a highly intelligent six year old what it means to become a professional bike racer. Now ask the six year old what it takes to become a professional bike racer.
@frank
How did you know what kind of music was on the drive? That Darkthrone logo is unreadable when it’s standing still, let alone at 40kph.
@Rom
And the curtains fade and the chooks stop laying eggs
@frank
Seconded. Is this a reference to newt making season?
@frank
Aw come on.. When Museeuw attacks on the Carrefour you’ll be the first to go after him, how could you not
@Nate
Squids = Squirrely kids, according to sportbike riders I’ve been around.
@frank
Winter bike… is good. What I really like is the look of your workshop/temple, that looks pro.
I am based in Vienna, Austria and have very nice bike paths and infrastructure that unfortunately become totally covered in grit at the first sign of ice/snow, so after about 5 flats and hearing all those dings am now very happy to switch to the indestructible winter bike for that time period.
@frank
btw… that is a very long seat post.
Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been over 3 months since my last ride, the darkness brought shadows and in the shadows there lurked something called a swimming pool. I spent long months in the shadows until last week when a ray of sun peaked through the dim winter light and I went out on my bike. And Oh how had I forgotten the joy of turning the cranks! The legs are a little spongy but the lungs are good and the weight has stayed off.
I would say I was back
on track except after Thursdays ride and another on Saturday, Sunday showed me how those endless laps in the pool had sapped my powers of concentration and bike handling skills….(The prophet has punished me for my transgressions)
Roll on DST!
@frank
I’m curious about this “strong password.” Having lived with a website designer/programmer for a bit…goddamn, you lads like your strong passwords. I know the thing by heart by I still have to speak it aloud whenever I re-enter it.
And, I’m glad I’m not the one getting the stick here, since I often am. Nice work on setting him straight! I had to reset my Casio wristwatch; it took to clicks. Buck up, DeKerr. However, I do appreciate the sincere feelings on this. It’s difficult to get real emotion out of folks these days; they’d rather just get back to sending their text message.
@1860
Yer new here, kid. Well established opinion. However, Frank’s stance on this opinion is well-vetted, hours of saddle time by a known genius on Pillar Positioning.
@frank
Yes, indeed. Mental wear this winter was present. We had a few decent weeks of cold, rain, snow and ice. It felt like the northeast. I found myself getting pissed off having to sort out so many clothes, gloves, hats, shades, etc., then dry them all daily.
It nearly broke me. I almost complained about the weather. I’m truly becoming a Southerner, I was tired of winter in early March. My parents just went back to upstate NY after a month in Florida. Conditions: 3′ of snow, 6*F. Ouch.
@PeakInTwoYears
Uh, The Five?
@Rigid
Those are two different things, as you well know.
Can’t fucking wait.
@1860
Excellent point!
@Deakus
Ouch. Hope the bike is alright, you look fine.
@Ron
To all of this: yes.
Red Barchetta day — to ride.
@Deakus
Good thing you shaved first — carbolated vaseline!
@Deakus
Did this event require external assistance in recovery or recuperation…..?
@frank
Ha, I actually have the habit of asking my good friends so many things at once…they often answer with a “yes” and let me sort it out! You’re onto me, Frank!
On another note, how about the terrible news about Boonen’s elbow? I can’t imagine training that hard for a handful of races and…bam, done. Fingers crossed though that maybe he’ll target the Worlds and I’ll get to see that dude in Richmond in six months. I’m sure I’m not the only one going, but I’ll offer to fly the V-Flag. I’m 2.5 hours from Confederacy Capital.
@Deakus that derailleur pic made me gasp a bit. Speedy recovery (sans Speedo).
And I should clarify my position on the fuckedness that is DST – I prefer the current orientation of the clock (more light in the evening) but soundly reject having change said orientation twice per year.
We’re in a good place now… let’s stick with it.
@ShawnB
Crap, so much for making a PG Wodehouse joke.
@Nate
Well. That being the case people could have just Asked Jeeves.
@ShawnB
In
@ShawnB
As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by my iPhone, the personage I had in mind was the noted amateur newt-fancier, Augustus Fink-Nottle.
@frank
In summary and to my shame:
1. Cycling partner had to ride on the last 3km to fetch the car, my bike was unserviceable roadside. No medical treatment required except a half a cup of Rule #5. New rear mech on order (still have the N1 this was my rain bike)
2. The crash was entirely my fault, loss of concentration coming in to a climb and stood up, bike moved slightly left and in to a roadside rut…
3. Just roadrash all healing well, although the thigh is still a bit sticky, I will be riding again this weekend.
4. Not going anywhere near the pool…my season has begun, I will be peaking in 2 months…
Thank Merckx DST is here! In WI it marvelously coincided with a noticable rise in temps to solid 40s and 50s. Amazing how in the fall these temps feel chilly, but in March they feel amazing.
I had a friend called Billy who worked in one of those specialty labs that processed photo film back in the days before it all went digital. For five months each year Billy cycled to work in the dark; worked all day in a dark room; and went back home in the dark on his bike. At weekends, sunlight was shunned because of the shock and the blinds at Billy’s apartment remained firmly closed – like his mind. Last I heard, Billy had moved from London to settle in East St Louis and has his own blues show on a local radio station. I understand it’s all dark in there too. Ain’t never bin so I can’t confirm.
@wiscot
I too think the loss of 1 hour of sleep is awesome and glorious if it means more sunshine. Whatever it takes to maximize that is what counts. The day we moved clicks forward seemed to break the lock of cold weather here… Until it started snowing today.