Bike Riding

I have to write about the bike. I'm not sure what I have to say, at least not yet. But I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I need to work a few things out.

I don't spend as much time riding as I should. Truth is, I'd rather put on my running shoes and go out the door. For me, getting on my bike is sometimes in the same family of dilemmas as the things in life that will only take 5 minutes to finish yet you are loathe to do it. As a baseline comparison, doing expense reports falls into the same category.

I like machines so I like bikes. That's not the problem. I don't have a problem with speed (not that I am very fast) or a fear of sharing the road with cars. So that's not the problem either. Leg burn? Nope, doesn't bother me. Headwinds do, but I would guess that even the most dedicated riders in the world don't start doing cartwheels when they find they have to ride 20 miles into a stiff breeze. So that one cancels itself out, too.

It's like proving a negative. I can't prove I don't like riding a bike. And it's said that to find the answer to a particularly puzzling question, you must first eliminate all the potential answers that you can. The answer that is ultimately left, regardless of how unlikely it may be, is THE answer.

OK that whole last paragraph is a bunch of horse turd. The overall concept kind of ties in but it's a bit out of reach and definitely coming from left field. Disregard. It's 2 AM here, after all. And after 2 AM I like to go all pseudo-intellectual.

Cool, a light bulb has just gone on in my head. The actual answer might be pretty obvious. I think it may be that I'd rather not ride alone.

Running alone? Awesome - I get a lot of thinking done, always have. Swimming alone? Practical. And what I mean by "practical" is that having your face, mouth and ears immersed in water is not super conducive to socializing.

I love the bike portion of the race. Outside of maybe the swim start, it's got the most action in and of itself and interaction with your fellow racers. I feed off of that. It's the part of the race that feels, well, like a race.

So maybe I need to do some group rides, tail wind preferable of course. I'll talk some smack in the peloton, stop for coffee and talk components, and then clack around the floor of a 7-11 in bike shoes while debating whether or not Gatorade should have dropped Tiger Woods. It honestly sounds like a good time.

Issue solved? Perhaps. I'll give it a shot anyway. Thankfully, there are tons of options for group rides here in Orange County.

OK, that's it for now.