Springtime For Amateurs Means One Thing: Suffering
Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to ride I go, with suffer-ing and pain to bring, hi-ho, hi-ho, hi-ho. Funny stuff, good times. Easy cradle rip-offs, and misery.
The springtime in the midwest US is a curious thing. Blessed with 60 degree temps on Monday, cursed with 38 degrees and snow on Tuesday, the weather here is like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get. Some rides, I feel as though I’ve never ridden a bike in my whole life. My legs feel no stronger than gummi worms, dangling from my torso and sloppily pushing the pedals around. Other rides, I may get about 30 seconds of feeling semi-human on the bike. But mostly, it’s all pain, discomfort, and looming fears of subsequent beatings in the racing to come.
Luckily, I get a built-in training camp alongside my real life job, as I will be heading off to the Tour of Georgia in little over a week to ride the entire course, bring you musings from the road, ride in the Jelly Belly/Aramark car, and scour the landscape for the best Daily Distractions I can find. These are all great things, but chief among them is the riding. Hopefully it will get my stars aligned so I can come back and help out my team, and there’ll be no more of this intense suffering:
Ah, my fellow amatuers….the 4’s, the 3’s, let me extoll the virtues of spring. I feel your pain. I suffer alongside you, perhaps even moreso as my off season wasn’t as streamlined as I had hoped.
I guess winter has taken a greater toll on me than I thought. Sure, I rode a bunch, but I am guilty of committing the greatest sin of cycling: riding without a plan. Oh yes, and I indulged in the finest my new city has to offer. Life and how to live it, as posed by this internally conflicted writer. It seems that while plenty of miles have been poured into my legs, they haven’t had a very overall positive effect. I hurt. A lot. My mouth was writing cheques that my legs can’t cash, and I am behind the 8 ball now.
My one and only race so far this year was a complete bomb. Of course, the weather might have had something to do with it, with the recorded 50mph gusts and cool temps, but it didn’t stop 50 other guys from kicking my arse.
Time for the program, kiddies. Regular joe needs regular food, bedtimes, miles, and rest.
About Dave:
DOB: 6/5/71
Residence: Just outside Chicago, Illinois, USA
Category: USCF Road 4
Teams: Project 5 and Evil Cycling
Why I Love Cycling: “Nothing on the planet can hurt me more than my bike.”
Fave Cycling Moment: “Anytime I sit down and trance in front of ‘A Sunday In Hell'”.
Favorite rides: “Any criterium, anyplace, anytime, and of course, Ragbrai.”
[email protected]
Comments are closed.