What To Do Now?
Following on from Darryl’s great ‘Do It Now’ post featured here yesterday, I wondered what things it would spark people into doing. This might not be as thought provoking as Darryl’s post or so centred in distant grey memories, but we’d like to help kick start some people into new challenges as the seasons change.
Over the last few years cyclo cross has been gaining a massive following in this country. It’s seems to have taken much longer to grow into a legitimate cycling/sporting option over here than it has in North America, but it has gripped many with the muddy bug. I’ve wanted to give cyclo cross a go for a long time but I think the start up costs have held me back as at first it seemed like I’d have to buy a whole new bike, kit and mud resistant mouth guard. But I’ve decided to stop worrying about things like that.
Please don’t snitch on me to my fiance, I’m not off to the LBS to purchase a new bike light enough to shoulder, I’m just going to try to borrow my friends bike as much as I can! I’m also going to investigate ways to adapt my winter bike into something a bit more mud friendly. (BTW Joey is OK).
Photo courtesy of epicfail.net
I’m a roadie through and through. If you sliced me open you’d see I’m lined with pure white MicroTex bar tape. But I can’t deny that the lure of the woods and trails does try to grab me from time to time. I’m going to say it… sometimes, I want to be a mountain biker (Jeez I can’t believe I just said that out loud!) When the weather turns nasty and the clouds go grey, the wonderful terrain we cycle through all year doesn’t seem so exciting, so why not change up the view and go down to the woods? Again, I don’t have the specific equipment but I know how to handle a bike and don’t mind getting muddy, what’s been holding me back!? I guess I’ll be asking my other buddy if I can take his MTB into the woods this winter!
Photo courtesy of bigshotbikes.com
Bike polo has also been tempting me over the summer. To break a winning format, I do have the correct equipment for this sport (if you don’t mention the giant wooden mallet) but I have been honing my fixie skills. After using all of my Bart Simpson Band Aids I can track stand, I can ride backwards (a bit) and I generally look pretty cool on my fixie, even if I do say so myself. But even I could win a game of bike polo if I’m the only player, I need more fixie friends! Well Hallelujah! I’ve found that a neighbouring town has an open league! It seems I have one less excuse to get my hockey mask on and start swinging that mallet!
Photo courtesy of… oh I can’t remember, but thanks!
I don’t need to have a go at road riding, I do it an awful lot and love it. But what if you have never been on a road bike before and want to start… what have you been missing? The escapism as you leave the city and smell the fresh country air, the sights you see when travelling a little slower, the interaction with other cyclists and pedestrians and the feeling of speed in your face. Road riding seems to have a little more of a stigma about it as it’s seen as ‘the Lycra sport’ and thus some are not as open to trying it. But it’s not necessary to zip your flabby bits into skin-tight clothing to enjoy the delights of a road bike. Get out there, climb some hills and enjoy the downhill bits. Screw what your colleagues say about push bikes, you know they are wrong. Road bikes are the new mid-life crisis purchase… just get one now and buy a Porsche when you’re 50!
There are lots of new experiences out there, and I now have a few more to try, and then conquer over the coming months. I hope you have fun trying something new. Whatever you do… Do It Now.
Stevie
Great Post, hoping to get a little trail riding in this weekend (in between sessions on the road of course 🙂 )
Great post, my man. Thanks for taking what I laid down yesterday and running with it. This is awesome…and it’s great to see that you are totally Making it Happen.
Good luck Stevie. Are you going to follow up with articles once you get going in these other types of cycling? Seeing video of it would be even better.
I agree with JD…let’s see some video of your new bike adventures. Sounds like fun to me.
I did one cyclocross race last year and was hooked. I sold my mountain bike and bought a cross bike. I’ve done two races so far this season and it is the most fun (and pain) I’ve had on two wheels. I heartily recommend it to any and all. 🙂
Based on this post I believe you have caught all the same bug’s I have…. I am (was) a MTB rider only, but…. SSMTB sounded amazing, oh and fixed gear has an element of awesomeness, what is this CX you speak of??? oh and with a pair of slicks I can try road??? Yup, you heard it here…. cycling is amazing!! pick your way/s and enjoy!!!
Rock ON! Welcome to the dark side of cycling! 🙂
I felt the same way as you did after reading Darryl’s post yesterday. I’ve always wanted to try cyclocross but haven’t yet got around to actually doing it. That post yesterday got me thinking about it again and now that I see how you’re going about it I am ready to do it. I have a few buds with cyclocross bikes and will call them up right now to see if they can borrow it to me. The idea of buying another bike was always something that stopped me from doing this. Good luck with your cyclocross.
Good to see you’re looking forward to getting muddy Peter!