Sunday, February 7, 2010

Zealot

I was at my friend Karl's shop yesterday and Jacuie Phelan called. She just wanted to say 'hi' and that she liked the Klunk patch she had picked up a few months earlier during her 4200mile cross-country ride.

I knew who she was and remembered an amazing picture of her caked in mud but hadn't ever read any of her writing. Man, have I been missing out.

Here's a sample:
"The Bicycle Bond, one of the strongest known, derives its power from the inescapable fact that riding turns the rider into a Zealot. If the rider is already a Zealot, then they become a Major Pain In The Butt Zealot, the kind of person that attempts to create links from cycling to any other subject of conversation that might come up among a group of uncyclists, to rope the discussion back under control.

I am one of them. With much help, I have learned to rein in this urge, but I have to admit it to the world, here in my little blog.
Zealots know that

–bicycling, whether on skinny tires or fat, is a low-impact activity that alleviates the ills of mostpodern humanity.

–bicycling does not abide the mental yo-yo game between past and future that we allow to pass for reality. The bicycle obliges you to be precisely here, at this moment…Poised in perfect balance between the dime-sized oval blobs that connect the tire to the ground. Oh, all right, then : on a road bike you can often get away with the yo-yo game more easily than on a mountain bike because concrete, asphalt, pavements promise a smooth surface.
Whether they keep that promise is another thing entirely.

And lastly, bicycling is cheap bliss—the celebrated endorphins eliminate the middle man (‘big Pharm” or shady illegal pharm/ag) and put you in full control of your dose."

Her blog: http://jacquiephelan.wordpress.com/

I went for a 3 hour hammer-fest with Fish, Shot, ProPam, and Alejo yesterday. Ethan said he was putting out 350-400w while holding Shot's wheel for the last 10-15 miles at the end of the ride! Today will be more of the same, although probably longer.

4 comments:

Mason Storm said...

She pulled her pants down in front of me and some others on the way back into town after sswc. She is really cool but her ass is another story! Post some pics of the new squishy bike please!

Rory King said...

wow, those are some numbers for the end of a winter ride! i found this vid the other night and thought i'd share. something about downhill racing before the advent of "functional" suspension technology makes the talent of these guys so much more obvious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X2i9S4r_yQ&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_stronger_r2-2r-2-HM

Maggie said...

"bicycling is cheap bliss"...who is she kidding??? i mean seriously, i'm pretty sure prozac is cheaper...

Dan said...

Storm, soon my friend, soon.

Rory, that video is awesome! Those guys are seriously intense.