I don’t practice zazen when cycling but once I get going it is close enough for me.
The aim of zazen is just sitting, that is, suspending all judgmental thinking and letting words, ideas, images and thoughts pass by without getting involved in them.
When I was a child, I cycled as a child. I rode with friends; bullies chased me; I rode downhill on insanely steep hills just for the feel of the wind rushing past me, the excitement of it, and feeling the rush of riding the edge of disaster.
If you were hauling ass down that hill and wiped out, you were going to get messed up.
When I got older, I began just to ride, anywhere just to get away from things, and to get places. When we moved to Highlands Ranch, CO. I traveled to explore and I rarely ever thought about what it would take to get home.
One of the longer rides I took was from (on the map) just to the right of the “s” at the end of Highlands, around Chatfield Lake, up 75 to Mineral Ave, then back to 470 and then riding 470 back to the start. There have paths in Colorado for a long time, but to give you an idea of what it is like now, see the map below:
When I turned 17 and began working more frequently, I stopped riding as often. A sad thing in retrospect because I eventually wound up valuing work more than “living”, because of the mighty paycheck and what it could buy. By 19, cycling had become a ghost of what it used to be.
I moved to Columbus, GA and until 2014 I had not ridden a bike for more than a few blocks.
Then things in life lined up in just the right way, and I felt the need to ride again.
In 2003, a few people in the community felt the passion and desire to open a bike shop downtown. Jason, who would later become its owner, and the others felt that the ability to rent a bike for a reasonable amount per day would be an awesome way to help out the community downtown (called Uptown, there is a story about that, but I won’t go into that). The bike shop is Ride on Bikes. (Also on Facebook and Twitter)
The shop existed there and grew for many years, all the while I had only gone in a couple of times. I passed by thousands of times over the years and remembered faintly what it felt like to ride my bike when I was younger, but nothing clicked. I got a chance to talk to and get to know Jason through some my work events where he was asked to speak.
I rented a three-speed roadie (I think that is what it was called) in June of 2014 and rode 19 miles. I only used the 2nd and 3rd gears the whole long ride. There is nothing wrong with the three-speed bike, although it just wasn’t for me. A month later I had an opportunity and felt the need to ride once again. In July 2014, I rented one of the Hybrid bikes they have available. I went in on a Friday and made arrangements, and since I planned on riding early the next day, Jason made arrangements so that I could get the bike before the shop opened. That made an impression on me, as much and more so than the impressions from my previous dealings with Jason. I wound up not getting downtown to the store until after they opened, but they still had the bike and helmet ready to go. I rode 23 miles that day, 20 of them I logged via Strava. I also flipped over the front handlebars for the first time onto gravel, which stuck in my arm and leg, surprisingly enough I didn’t bleed. In my childhood, I wiped out several times and had road rash, bruises, etc… this time, nothing. I did wind up pulling little pebbles out of my skin for a while.
Both rides, the one in June and the one in July, reminded me of that feeling when I was young. Reminded me of the wind rushing past me, the excitement of pedaling somewhere and being in nature. Both rides were solo, and there was a small amount of excitement in the experience. I have yet to participate in a “group ride” from Ride on Bikes. Oh, I forgot to mention that is one of the things that attracted me to that shop. Every Tuesday evening from Spring to Fall people gather in the area around the shop and ride out for an hour ride, just to ride with people. I wish there were one that was going on in winter months (because in Georgia, you can have days where it is 55 degrees and sunny, and it feels good outside).
December 6, 2014, that is the day I went to the shop for the Christmas party they throw every year. All the people who are customers, friends, and the people who work there… it felt good. I talked with Jason for a little while, and I mentioned that I was still looking at bikes, and I asked what he suggested. Like a good salesperson and owner, he asked what I liked and disliked. I told him the three-speed wasn’t for me and the Hybrids they had in stock for renting are sold at the end of the season, and I wasn’t able to get one “that was plan A after my ride in July”. After a quick thought of what he had in stock, he showed me a similar bike and after a few quick adjustments he let me ride around with it. He trusted me to take it for a spin and bring it back without a second thought. (They did have my drivers license and a credit card on file for when I rented bikes. So I imagine that has something to do with it.) Nonetheless, I do not remember him asking me about it that night.
Off I went, three blocks south, a few blocks west, a few blocks east, a spin around the block a few times, then back north a few blocks and back to the store. When I came back, he asked if I was ready and I replied that it rode nice, felt good, and that I would need to think about it overnight. “It’s late. I never make important decisions so long after dark or so far from dawn.” I got back to the shop Saturday afternoon before a Hockey game, one more quick spin to remind me. Then I bought my new bike, helmet, and kickstand. They have been helpful with any questions and adjustments since that day. When I walk in, I feel like I walk into a friends house rather than a Walmart or some chain store. I like that feeling.
I have kept my bike at work so that I can get in quick little rides because quick rides are better than no rides. I have been on two short 4 miles, 30 minute rides after work when the weather was warm enough.
December 26th the weather was warm enough, the skies were clear. The call of the ride beckoned. It called, I went, and 18 miles later I was satisfied.
While on the Riverwalk ride I was a little surprised that I didn’t see very many cyclists out. By the time I was halfway to the National Infantry Museum I had started seeing them, many of them. I didn’t get to talk to any of them because they were passing me or I was passing them. I wanted to say more than “Hey,” “Hi”, or “on the left.” I joined a Facebook group for active people in the area and two communities on Strava and keep looking for practice rides or something that might indicate that people are working up to races/rides for next year (even started looking at listings on Active.com).
I don’t know if trying for a race/ride as soon as February is a smart thing, a crazy idea, or wild fancy. I want to ride in one (or more), and there are four I am looking at between February and April:
- 8th Annual Crank Your Heart Ride
- 18th Annual Tour de Pike Century
- 14th Annual Wheels O’ Fire Century
- Pedaling for Kids – 30 Mile & Metric Century Rides
I know I can do the rides, just don’t know if I have enough warm-enough days between now and February. I want to be sure I can do the rides in the time they allow. I am crazy enough to do it.
This post started because someone asked me how can I just get on a bike after all this time and ride the distances that I have. I explained it like this:
Me: Have you seen the movie Gattaca?
Them: No
Me: you should it is a good movie, also it has a good quote in it that applies to this situation.“Vincent: You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back.”
Them: So, you just… go… and you get back somehow, you don’t save anything?
Me: If I did I might not even get half way, because my mind would probably limit my effort.
Them: your crazy
I get all the way to National Infantry Museum every time I try because I never save anything for the way back. I never stop longer than it takes to drink something or to hop off the bike to walk out a cramp. It’s a lot like I used to do when I went to the gym. When I went to the gym in the past, I would go all out and leave nothing left. I felt that if I didn’t then I was cheating myself.
I will leave you, the reader with a clip from Gattaca, the one about the Vincent quote above. “You want to know how I did it?”
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