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(Note: I originally wrote this while a moody
grad
student in 1996 so please keep that in
mind...)
See how small we could be?
Words by: Kraig Willett - published on
bike.com
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
I sit here thinking, wondering, and pondering
about the fragility of life. Recently, I was
reminded that every day I straddle my top tube
and head out on a ride, I put my life on the
line. With hurried commuters unwilling to take
five seconds out of their day to give a fellow
human the rightmost 24 inches of road, or
hell-bent rednecks looking to roust up some
action on a slow Friday afternoon, the common
road cyclist doesn’t stand much of a chance.
Perhaps we should be put on the endangered
species list to protect our valuable hides.
Perhaps we could find a way to convince
motorists that we, as cyclists, do have the
right to live. Perhaps this friction between the
hunted and the hunter has convinced some bikers
to give up and head for the hills. Perhaps this
is why mountain bikes have become so popular in
the last ten years.
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As the common person toils in obscurity
behind their desk from 8 to 5 only to be greeted
by an hour long commute home and the trauma of
suffering through another night of mindless T.V.
just to be followed by another morning in which
they get to do it all over, we must realize that
there is some meaning to all this. Believe me,
there is.
There are many ways people try to cope with
life. Some try to find meaning and explanations
for the unexplainable through otherworldly
means. Others analyze and investigate things in
an attempt to prove everything can be
rationalized. It seems that I found my meaning
in life on a six-hour ride. I have turned to
bikes to find meaning in my life, and l live it
with no regrets. Don’t even think of telling me
that I can’t do something I‘ve already set my
mind to. Let me explain...
The way I see it, life just doesn’t last long
enough to be dominated by unhappiness. So, the
driving force in my life is just that,
happiness. I want to be happy and have a
positive impact on others around me. Riding
bikes, for me, is one of many tools I use to
accomplish this goal. Bikes simply make my life
more complete. Things seem to be a little bit
brighter and more laid back when I am able to
ride. After a stressful day at the office, or a
day where nothing seems to be going my way, one
thing is for certain: when I get home, my bike
will still be there waiting to be ridden.
Whether it be a relaxing spin on my favorite
hour long ride, or a “mano a mano” interval
session with my old reliable training buddy, the
rest of my day is always more satisfying. In the
end, that makes me happy.
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Through cycling I have been able to see a lot
of things and meet a lot of people. Since I am
true to my personal philosophy, I am constantly
trying to make everyone I come in contact with
see the positive aspects of cycling. Every
chance I get, I like to thank the officials and
promoters for putting on races. I like to wave
to the farmer plowing his field during those hot
summer afternoons. I like to stop and chat with
the curious onlookers I meet on my epic rides
out in the nether regions of backwoods
southwestern Virginia. It makes me feel good to
be an ambassador for the sport. Bike racers are
not all a bunch of selfish crybabies. Some of us
have better things to do than yell at our
significant others in the feed zone because we
wanted fruit punch Cytomax on lap six and
instead received plain water on lap 5. Some of
us are just happy to be out there competing and
fighting for that field finish.
So, as I sit here spewing out my philosophy of
life and bikes, my mind begins to wander through
my computer monitor and beyond. It travels past
my little rented room in my little house on my
little street in my little town. It races above
my little state in my little country and my
little planet. It ventures past my little solar
system in my little galaxy in my little
universe. See how small we could be?
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