Ride #59: Because I Need To

Nothing about today should have led me to a ride. It was:

Lots of colors for the ride.

• cold (mid-40s)
• a little windy
• I hadn’t been on the bike in two weeks
• I’ve been physically feeling ill – possibly H1N1
• there is a plethora of yard work to do at my house

But, I have come to realize that riding isn’t about enjoyment. It isn’t about fitness. It isn’t about the “freedom of the road”.

It’s about suffering – but in a good way. Rides that have no obstacles are fundamentally boring. They need something to overcome. They need some event to occur that provides the story at the end of the ride. It, more than anything, brings me back to the bike. I can assure you that most serious riders (of which, I am not), enjoy the suffering brought on by riding.

That said, both based on my fitness/talents and the mediocre terrain in Minnesota, there are few opportunities for epic rides. Today was far from epic – but it wasn’t without a few challenges. It sucks to be sick and on a bike for an hour. I have learned that it is generally OK to exercise when not feeling well, but it doesn’t mean that it is an enjoyable experience.

Gathering dust - it is a shame

I dug the bike out from the basement – in its typical hiding place behind my drum set. I detected a faint coating of dust, which is a shameful realization for any cyclist. It’s been two weeks. Far too long for such an elegant machine to sit idle. Plus, my house appears to be dustier than I would have imagined.

My body would have been better prepared had I been spending many of the recent, rainy nights on the trainer. But, I haven’t been able to get my mind around the torture that is indoor riding. If I’m sitting on the couch knowing there is some beer in the fridge, I’ll quickly click through the channels, find Project Runway or Top Chef, and realize that several hours have passed with bedtime soon approaching. Thus, the ride performance generally sucked during today’s ride and I felt terrible throughout the entire route.

Ride stats:

• Saturday October 24, 2009 – 1:00pm start
• distance: 19.7 miles
• speed: 17.4 mph
• duration: 1:08
• odometer: 1254

I was a little surprised to run into several riders on the same roads. I think we are all sensing the short, cold days coming and trying to get a few more outdoor rides in the legs before being sequestered to our assorted basements. The environment has a mix of fall colors and empty trees. The cold, wet October has resulted in a less spectacular fall than other years. Several of the trees have been shocked with the cold evenings and dumped their leaves. Others (like the maples) appear to be helped by the loads of rain we’ve received over the last few weeks and are only now just turning color.

I'm starting to get the whole temperature-appropriate clothing thing down.

The Song Of The Ride™ (SOTR™) comes from the B-52s. As with most songs that are stuck in my head, this one was based on a quick browse through YouTube shortly before leaving. I was listening to several of their big hits, but was stuck with Roam. For all of their other hits from the 80′s, I think Roam is my favorite.

Here’s hoping that tomorrow has a break in the rain and offers the chance to suffer through another ride.