RIDING A BICYCLE VS. CYCLING

Its a state of mind.

      In this article, I am going to get a little philosophical, and this is of course my opinion on my world view, but I feel this is something that not only can help someone to be a better cyclist, but more importantly be a better person in life no matter what it is they pursue.

      First I am going to define what I think the difference is between “riding a bicycle” and “cycling”. To me riding a bicycle is sitting on something with two wheels and pedaling it enough to make it move without falling over. There is nothing wrong with riding a bicycle around for fun, or to get somewhere when you don’t want to, or can’t use another means of transportation. Riding a bicycle is something people do, but it does not define them. Cycling to me however is a whole other animal all together. Cycling is getting on a bicycle with the intent to ride it efficiently, deliberately, with an exact purpose and goal in mind. It’s a lifestyle, attitude, and drive to get the best out of the machine, and best of ones self. It is simply the desire for excellence in body, mind, and spirit.

      Most people who I try to get into the sport always have the same notion of why I do it. They say “I’m not trying to win a race”, “I’m not trying to be the fastest”, “I don’t care if I’m the best”, “I just want to ride around”. Well that’s all fine and good, but why not? This is where the perspective and attitude come in, and my most important point. I am not winning races against other people, I am not trying to be faster then other people, and I too want to ride around, I just realize that life is a race and it doesn’t care if you win or lose. We only live once, and our greatest two opponents are time, and our own minds. When I see an athlete, or any other successful person win, I admire that they won in their mind first. That’s where the race begins and ends, not at an arbitrary ribbon, or a checkered flag. Those things are symbolic, they are man made measurements so we can record, witness, celebrate, and share in the victory of the human spirit.

      So the next thing I want to address is my opinions on competition, and sportsmanship. I have established that I believe winning is a state of mind. So why compete against other people and why is it good when balanced with good sportsmanship. First off I believe that a person can win their personal race, and lose the competition in regards to other competitors. I don’t say this as some politically correct puke that we hear on a daily basis, because there is no trophy for winning our inner race. I say this because it’s about what the competitor was looking to win. For some, it may be their first race, and just showing up, and being prepared to compete and lose is a personal victory. For others they have been competing against others for a long time, know they have a little more to pull from, and by digging deep, and winning the actual competition was their personal victory. But either way, competition requires bravery, sacrifice, perseverance, and humility. Competition can also show an individual a new perspective to win the next race, set a bar they didn’t realize was even possible, and give them a reason to keep growing. Sportsmanship is being able to win with humility, and loose with humility. It is the ability to rejoice in the ideals of winning even when you loose, and empathize with those who lost when you win, encouraging them to try again. I would even argue that it requires the same exact virtues to win or loose when both competitors truly gave all they had to give.

      With all that said, if cycling isn’t for you I totally understand, and I know that nobody can be excellent at everything. But whatever it is you find that you are truly interested in, try to be the best you can at it, and you will find a satisfaction, pride and fulfillment that only a pursuit to win can bring. If cycling is for you whether to loose weight, stay fit, fight anxiety, stay sober, raise charity money, or win a serious race, take pride in your effort and give it all you got. Every time you truly and honestly do your best you win, and every time you don’t, worst then lose, you have cheated yourself.