The Joys Of Cycling, Suffering On Your Bicycle

This is another installment of my continuing series, the joys of cycling. In which I try to chronicle some of the hidden gems of cycling.

It’s hot, it’s muggy, the guy on the radio described the weather as “aggressive humidity.” So in my infinite wisdom I decided it would be a good idea to ride 40 miles in a big loop out to Waltham, down to JP, downtown, then up to Somerville, with 30 pounds of crap strapped to my back. Not since the Katamari cat had I inflicted so much heat and weight related suffering upon myself.

Why I did such a silly thing is not as important as to how I felt doing it. Riding in the summer heat and humidity is a completely different animal. Its like bike riding but damp and oppressive. You start by developing a slight film of sweat, with quickly becomes a torrent, and soon you are feeling drips of sweat roll down your elbows and off the tip of your nose. When you have a heavy bag on, the sweat also accumulates down your backside, good times! It’s also interesting to note that so long as you keep moving the sweat does its job more or less (evaporating to cool you) but the moment you stop at a red light, release the flood! You go from a glistening cyclist, to a drowned rat in a couple seconds.

Going out west there was a steady wind in my face, this had the duel effects of cooling me down somewhat (i mean a 85 degree super humid wind will still cool you down a little bit right?), and making my uphill slog that much more horrible enjoyable. My back hurt from the various oddly shaped pointy things jabbing into it, my legs were letting me know they hated me, and every part of me was hot and miserable. It was awesome!

I truly enjoy suffering on a bicycle. Just feeling like total horrible twice baked ass. I don’t particularly like it AS I am doing it, but really enjoy it once I STOP doing it. I enjoy pushing myself, I enjoy seeing just how hard I can go, I enjoy finding a new level of personal achievement, but I really like the shower and ice cream after all that. Someone wiser than me once said that “mercy was the ability to stop” they were probably a bicyclist.

There are real benefits to pushing yourself on your bicycle. You get stronger, both mentally and physically. You feel more confident. You understand that you CAN do it. You can push yourself right up to the line, and and then ride screaming over that line into uncharted territory. You also at some point get to enjoy the end of all that, the sweet sweet feeling of falling asleep when even your toes are tired and ready for bed.

Do you ever do things on your bike that other would look at as pure agony? Do you enjoy the fine sleepy oblivion after a long hard day of cycling, do you suffer on your bicycle and suffer with a smile? Let us all know in the comments.

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