Fitness. The rhythm, the feeling of precision in our movement, the sensations of The Ride. The temptation of knowing we might in some way control our suffering even as we push harder in spite of the searing pain in our legs and lungs. The notion that through suffering, we might learn something rudimentary about ourselves – that we might find a kind of salvation.
Cycling, like Art, is based on the elementary notion that through focussed study, we might better understand ourselves. But to describe Cycling as a an Art does it an injustice. An artist, they say, suffers because they must. A Cyclist, I suggest, suffers because we choose to.
This element of choice, what psychologists refer to as the locus of control, is part of what allows us to feel pleasure through suffering. Through this choice unfolds an avenue of personal discovery by which we uncover the very nature of ourselves. Like Michelangelo wielding his hammer to chip away fragments of stone that obscure a great sculpture, we turn our pedals to chip away at our form, eventually revealing our true selves as a manifestation of hard work, determination, and dedication to our craft.
Having chosen this path, we quickly find that riding a bicycle on warm, dry roads through sunny boulevards is the realm of the recreational cyclist. As winter approaches, the days get shorter and the weather worse. Form tempts us to greater things, but leaves us quickly despite our best intentions. Its taste lingers long upon the tongue and urges us to gain more. Even as life gets in the way, we cannot afford many days away from our craft before we find ourselves struggling to reclaim lost fitness.
To find form in the first place, and to maintain it in the second, is a simple matter of riding your bicycle a lot. This simple task asks of us, however, a year-round commitment to throwing our leg over a toptube in heat, cold, wind, rain, or sleet, lest we spend months fighting to reclaim last year’s lost condition.
But with riding in bad weather is revealed a hidden secret. It is in the rain and the cold, when all the seductive elements of riding a bicycle have vanished, that we are truly able to ensconce ourselves in the elemental qualities of riding a bicycle. Good weather and beautiful scenery, after all, are distractions from the work. Without them, we have only those elements that we ourselves bring to The Ride: the rhythm, harmony between rider and machine, our suffering, and our thoughts. As the rain pours down and all but the most devoted stay indoors, we pull on extra clothing and submit into the deluge.
We are the Few, we are the Committed. We are those who understand that riding in bad weather means you’re a badass, period.
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I am really looking foward to getting those arm warmers for my early morning Saturday rides. And since life does get in the way(even though it will pay off in the end) I really need to get my indoor training regiment on.
@Dr C
Any experience with race blades?
@mcsqueak
Yeah I can see the fun of being out and it starts to rain. The problem down here is that drivers panic the minute it starts. Add to that the oil baked roads and you get a cluster fuck for accidents.
Now if I could just get over this damn cough I'd be back in the rain.
I've always found that heading out in the cold rain is one of the hardest things to mentally prepare for, but once out on the road, that first bead of water falling down the face, tasting the sweat, road grime, and water on your lips, that is the most motivating force on the planet. At that moment I know that I am unstoppable, and I can't help but lift the pace. Either the suffering gets easier or I am more willing to endure it, either way i find some of my most productive riding comes in the rain.
@DerHoggz
Not used them myself, I just have the ugly sticky out plastic fender suspended in an ugly fashion of my beautiful carbon seatpost with an ugly twist in it due to manufacturing ugliness
Aesthetically the blades look much more the part, and indeed they keep the rain off the arse of the guy in front, whilst most of the road shit has left the tyre already, on a trajectory directly in line with the poor sod's open mouth behind, so to that effect they are not much better for the guy behind than nothing at all, IMHO
@DerHoggz
I have something very similar. Planet Bike's version I think. I like them and they go on and off in a flash. They keep your ass dry and most of the gunk/wet off your feet. I got caught by an unexpected heavy shower last weekend sans guards and my feet were very quickly cold and wet. The seat pad in my knicks started getting pretty sodden and unpleasant. Fortunately I was only 24kms from home . . .
When the weather's crap, it really is too easy to skip the ride and deny Rule 5. These guards make riding in the pish a lot more bearable. Also, they look kinda sporty so they aren't aesthetically unpleasant - always a consideration for Velominati.
@DerHoggz
I use RoadRacer MkII's
Works lika a charm, and doesn't look like ass!
http://www.crudproducts.com/products/roadracer/
@mcsqueak
Dude, You need to rule 5/9 it this winter and you'll be killin' it in the spring. I used to live in Vancouver, WA and was a bike messenger in Portland. Nothing like spending 8 hours a day in the cold and wet and then having a 1 hour ride home in the same waiting for you. The flip side was that I was in awesome shape - too bad it was wasted on BMX racing huh Frank.
One question. What brand of fender is the Prof using in the picture? Exactly.