Steady as you go

I’ve written about the beauty of cycling and the liberation that comes with turning the pedals over. But the posts have usually been recorded after covering routes I know intimately. Sometimes the ride before an entry was solo, sometimes with friends. It became rhythmic and comfortable. Pedal. Think. Compose. Type.

Then things changed. Very fast.

Less than six full days now after landing in Seattle, though, I can add another reason to the short list of why I love cycling. I’ll call it the ‘”steady hand.” Stripped of club rides or races, the act of riding a bike can be a safe passage while navigating the unknown. For those of you who do big miles and hardly ever take time off the bike, consider it your daily devotion.

Here’s what I mean. As a person seeing a city and neighborhoods for the first time, I can’t tell you how great it has been to have a bike underneath me. My first day here, I quickly built up the Tarmac Pro SL (after unpacking and grocery shopping, of course), and headed straightaway toward Puget Sound. I had no clue where I was going. Nary a cue sheet or clue. I just started riding from the front door and toward the sun. I figured I could always pull out my GPS if all else failed (it didn’t).

What awaited me in those short miles, I can only describe as a tunnel of green that included pitch of 25% (for a few seconds). After nearly going Joseba Beloki-2003-Tour-de-France-skid-and-wipeout on the way down a steep hill, I flipped a U-Turn and began climbing back up. It wasn’t but a few seconds before I didn’t feel out of place. I became myself again. On a bike. Only this time covered by a new flavor of nature. Sensations associated with so many familiar rides in San Diego before this first Seattle ride were instantly activated. Muscles fired. Breathing leveled out. Stress began to melt away. At that moment, I was lucky enough to return to the place of unexplained comfort, simple peace and, yes, even pain and suffering. Steady as you go.

When (blank) happens, you know that… When you move to the handlebar drops through reflex–not strained motion–you know that things are progressing nicely. Either that, or adrenaline washed over your nerve endings. When you accelerate into a steady headwind on rolling hills and your heart rate doesn’t fly off the Garmin dial into the stratosphere–you know...
The forest Although I was born by the ocean and have lived most of my life under the sun, the best San Diego memories I hold are those spent inland, away from salt water and summertime crowds. Given a choice, I’ve preferred trees at elevation. The “forest” — if you will. Seeing...
Odometer and alitimeter True fact: I’ve put more miles on my bikes this year than my car. It’s been awhile since I did the math. The numbers keep going in the right direction. A direction that humbles me, makes me thankful that I can be out there, and creates happiness. About 99 percent of...
Foodie An admission: I like pumpkins. Their colors. Their seeds. Their flavor in steaming hot cup of joe, also known as a latte. Yep, it’s that time of year when a particular coffee shop chain from Seattle rolls out sweet pumpkin-laced concoctions that warm the belly and provide a solid mid-ride...
Bike vs. office It’s really not a fair fight. The bike triumphs on so many levels: physical invigoration, sun, wind, rain, chill, warmth, mobility, endorphins. The office, however, is a critical fact of life: income, eating, mortgage, intellectual rigor, retirement and college savings, quarterly earnings to the Street, innovation, technology, growth. I’d be lying...