Gravity is the most unavoidable force on Earth, with the possible exception of Stupidity. And like with Stupidity, you can take measures to reduce its influence on you, but you won’t get rid of it completely, assuming you’re staying on this planet. From the very moment we’re born, Gravity takes its unrelenting hold on us – which isn’t altogether bad because I learned from watching Despicable Me that as soon as someone is smart enough to invent anti-gravity serum, someone will be stupid enough to leave a skylight open.
We Cyclists protect a secret from the rest of the world: we can defy gravity. Riding allows us to float a few meters above the ground, suspended in a cloak of V. Add a little speed to the mix and a maybe few sweeping switchbacks and we are as close to achieving human flight as we will ever get.
Once we trade flat roads for the hills, Gravity reveals its true secret to us: the mind can overcome physical limits when we form the cohesive unit of bicycle and rider. There is a symbiotic bond that forms; Gravity pulls us down toward the bottom of the hill, and we require our strength to counter its force and scale the heights. The strength required to achieve this takes a heavy toll on our body, and it is only through focus and determination that we keep the legs turning over smoothy. Riding back down the other side, we learn to fool Gravity and explore the intersection of centripetal force, friction, and our old friend Stupidity.
With practice, we learn that our mind can drive us to overcome the the physical limits of not just our bodies, but Gravity itself. Its hold on us remains, but the effects are greatly diminished. In defiance of Gravity, we rise to touch the heavens and ride where angels fly.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@Marvellous Oh man what I wouldn't do to ride up and down and around that scenery. I can only imagine I'd probably be going awfully slow for a couple of weeks just taking it all in. Beautiful.
So I'm riding with this young lady tonight:
as she prepares for her first ever crit as a licensed Jr racer this w/e. A local race festival called Sunny King. And we take a last climb up a hill from where we'd parked, turn back to head down and she says, "Can we go fast?" Needless to say, I believe she gets it. Because that my friends is when we embrace gravity! After all, going down hills is the reason for climbing 'em in the first damn place. Cheers, all, RC
'The mind always fails first, not the body. The secret is to make your mind work for you, not against you.' - Arnold Schwarzenegger
In the same veign, this is my favourite V-article.
By the way, as you wonderfully alluded to, zero gravity is a bad thing; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNQdSfgJDNM
Cyclists require an abundance of stoopid, but in return are wiser above earth
If Mr Newton and his mate Mr Galileo werent such smart arses maybe gravity wouldnt exist, thereby enabling me to climb hills much faster !
....... but then if that were the case would I descend as quick as I do, which for me, is the exhilarating bit about going uphill in the first place.
"I don't think there are other sports where a normal trained person can climb mountains and feel great. Someone well trained, when he climbs a mountain, feels like a god.
This is the magic of cycling."
- Valentino Campagnolo
@Barracuda
But you would need dead straight hills (well straight everything!). You may not have seen this I posted elsewhere.....
@wilburrox In my case the last one of the day is to get home as I live on the top of a hill. Though it does mean that I can arrive at the top and have zero reserve - bar getting up the stairs to have a shower.
@Rob I'll take hills over a headwind any day of the week. At least gravity is consistent. It doesn't change strength or direction on a whim. Conquering a hill gives me a sense of achievement. Wrestling a headwind just annoys me.