Dealing with the current sub-0º Chicago winter, I reread this reflection I wrote a few years ago regarding tough cycling times.
Prelude
It had been a very long week of work and summer class (accounting ). That summer, I hadn't ridden nearly as much as I would have liked. The mountain bike hadn't been touched due to the long commutes to riding spots. The road bike had a few decent rides after work. In general though, I felt like one of the loves of my life - cycling - has been drifting away (along with my physical conditioning).
I had been working on restoring and converting my old commuter bike (1970s steel Takara road bike) into a fresh single speed joy machine... or so I had hoped. Things started off fairly quickly with a tear down, polishing of the old parts, a trip to the powder coat shop, and a return for final reassembly. Unfortunately as I began to reassemble, one thing after another (broken Dia Compe brake lever bushing, chain line, short chain, stripped pedal thread, etc etc) caused problems and delay. It dragged on for a good 2 months now. My frustration began to pile up.
Fresh Breath of Air
At around 4 pm, I returned from my favorite local shop after picking up a replacement left crank arm so I could finally get to riding my steel steed. I grabbed my Park grease toothbrush, socket wrench, pedal wrench, and installed my new crank arm. I tightened things down and rode it around the driveway. A wonderful dinner of tomatoes, garden-grown basil, mozerella, and olive oil called me from the garage. While dinner was great, I felt exhausted. I pulled a shot of espresso and quickly felt the energy return. I decided it was time to take the Takara on its maiden shakedown voyage. I didn't even change out of my shorts and t-shirt. I simply grabbed my helmet, threw on my SPDs, grabbed the bike, and took off.
That was my first single speed. As I pedaled off towards the sunset, I quickly forgot the bike beneath me as the single chainring and freewheel silently spun beneath me. Everything ran spectacularly. I headed up the road and decided to do a quick prairie path loop. The quiet grinding of the gravel beneath me provided a sort of white noise as I pedaled. Wow... everything that had been bothering me melted away as the gorgeous golden sun and forest greenery flooded my vision. With no gears to pay attention to, I settled into a comfortable 54x17 cadence and had an absolutely perfect ride around the fields. The sun was shining. I was breathing hard and sweating, but it felt absolutely wholesome. I forgot everything behind me and just enjoyed the ride. I was reminded of why I fell in love with cycling.
Conclusion
Even if for a half hour, forget everything the clutters your life. Forget the bike you ride whether it is a $200 Wally World 29r or a $10k Colnago. Forget it all. Hop in the saddle, go break a sweat, enjoy the view, and clear your head. Find that mental and physical zone which drowns out everything but the view in front of you. Make the time for cycling and you will thank yourself later.
Thank you legs, old bike frame, two wheels, and this gorgeous green earth.
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A good friend of mine studying film happened to read my reflection and decided he wanted to create a short video for his portfolio. Below is what we came up with.
