Life On Two Wheels

Along the river and toward the mountains a morning shadow shimmers across the road. The rays of the first light jet through the trees and across a figure gliding upon the road. His breath trails in short spurts, petrified as it hits the icy air. All is quiet except the slight sound of the athlete as he summons himself for yet another days work. Soon the rest of the world will bustle with life as well and the brief simplicity of cyclist and nature will disappear into the everyday struggle of life in full motion; the errands and intervals, the appointments and intersections, and the deadlines and finish lines OutPaceTheRace

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Assisted cycling

North Bend, WA
Tuesday, February 13, 2007

The day at present was riled with rage. The use of a motor in training inherently tends to ignite the anger within… and today was a demonstration of such.
I made something of a discovery at once as I ventured into the depths of assisted cycling. The most profound of which, was that of the varying nature of speed maintainable by I while in the wake of a fast moving intermediary of wind and I. In the case of today, “speed was no object.” With the draft created by the motor (suv), each 12 minute interval sported a 42 mph average… which for those familiar with motor pacing, is exceptionally fast. I find that the hunt for roads adequately suited for these speeds is something of a search. Given that the speed in this activity must remain constant or ungulate slowly, it becomes desirable to use roads with mild hills and few turns- so that the pursuit doesn’t become too hazardous.
Despite the perilous conditions promoted by such behavior I did manage to escape the exercise unscathed.