For the Love of Cycling

If you were to look at my reading list this year, it would consist mostly of cycling related books. I have been to see Beryl at the East Riding Theatre and have just watched David Millar’s Time Trial. In fact, it’s his book, ‘The Racer’ that I am currently reading and has had me wondering what I find so fascinating about cycling.

I know I do triathlons – I do actually enjoy them even if I do hate running. Swimming and cycling win out for me every time though. My biggest love is swimming. I make no secret of that. Cycling though, has an appeal of it’s own.

I don’t really follow the actual racing itself all that closely. I cannot name riders on teams like some people can reel off football teams and their members. I don’t even ride as much myself as I should/would like. So why the interest?

My degrees at university were history and I specialised in social history on the whole, mostly women. It’s people. It’s the social history, It is the stories behind the riders, the history behind  the races, the achievements of individuals and teams. The sheer ridiculousness of it all. The personalities and characteristics of the riders, as a whole, and the mystical beast that is the peloton.

It’s the developments, the technology, the individuals testing boundaries. The tradition against the modern and the issues that come with that.

It is also the freedom that comes with riding a bike, sharing the joy of riding a bike with mates, the racing of said bikes. Who’d’ve thought I’d love a good TT? Im not particularly great at them but I don’t care.

I am sat looking at (one of) my bikes sat on the turbo as I type – I want to get better and I want to do my FTP test…

I should go do it.