In a recent article, Evelyn Stevens remarked that she is the best version of herself while on the bike. I laughed a little at this because I remember saying the same thing, although to myself as much as anyone because this lifestyle has vastly changed the way that I interact with people.
Really, cycling to me is a way of interacting with the world that makes sense. You get on. You go until you are dead. And then you do it again the next day. In a race, you are throwing your physicality up against that of another person: seeing who is the strongest, the smartest, the best. The world does not function that way on many planes anymore. Everything is business attire, common courtesy, table manners. We are bred for politeness.
But in cycling, the polite do not get far. It is not the most popular who will succeed, but those who can funnel their vision down to the ultimate point and stare into the manmade tunnel until the end is all that is visible. Lance Armstrong--the name no cyclist can don spandex without a reminder of--would you call him polite? (Le Not).
I guess I feel pulled in two directions. Do you do what you want, even when it seems stupid, or do you do what you are told?
