The Joys Of Cycling: Going Fast

There is something primal about going fast under your own power. I remember as a child running just because it felt so good to be going as fast as I could. I would run till my lungs gave out, and then I would lay on the grass and just enjoy the feeling of being tired. When you are on a bike you feel the same way.

You are the engine, your legs are the pistons. The rhythm of your breathing informs you of how hard you are working. The thumping of your heart tells you in a real and human way that you are alive and that you are moving quickly. The wind in your face is a cool reminder of just how fast you are going. All of it is wonderful.

When you are in a car and you go from 50 mph to 90 mph there is very little difference. You push a little pedal and a little hand moves over a bit on the dial. But on a bicycle when you go from 12 mph to 30 mph you suddenly feel like you are tearing a hole open in the fabric of space. You are moving! The sensation of acceleration is real and immediate.

The bike leaps out like a cheetah. Your legs drums out a pattern of speed. Your vitality is being put to use in the cause of creating motion. It is a human scale enjoyment of the poetry of going fast. You go as fast as your body can go. There is no artifice of internal combustion engines, or gas pedals, your human form is the machine propelling you forward with the bicycle almost an afterthought.

There is a certain kind of timelessness that is achieved when you really start cooking on a bike. The world compresses and your mind is fully tasked with the job of making sure you continue to go fast. When you get going fast enough its like the world becomes a stop motion. Things slow down, and then suddenly as you get near them speed WAY up.

That car pulling out of the driveway seems like it is taking its sweet time, until you get right up behind it then suddenly you are forced to take action NOW! In this way you must keep your brain moving as fast as your legs or you can get into trouble in a hurry. Speed is dangerous, and danger can be thrilling.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet