Friends versus Bikes

Not your classic battle. Good vs Evil, Fast vs Slow, Hot vs Cold, Cheese Toastie vs Rocky Road (get both, don't be stingy at the cafe stop). Friends versus bikes. It's a funny one. This post explores the topic of cycling and its place on life's priority list. I've heard multiple musings from people, saying they had to do the dishes, clean the car, cook a three-course meal, drop a child at school, prevent an earthquake, defuse a bomb and stop a zombie apocalypse, just so they would be allowed out on a Saturday bike ride. Maybe this is a little exaggerated, and I counted myself lucky that I could hop on my bike any time after work, and no one would bat an eyelid. Or would they?

I'll be the first to admit I have, over the last 6 months, fallen head over heels in love with a beautiful, sleek, sexy, little piece called Trevor. We hooked up in a shop just down the road. I spied his little, robust frame poking out from behind some of the big boys. I don't like them too chunky, you see. We went for a quick tester around the back of the shop, and the rest is history. I took him home that very same day, and we embarked on a sweaty, sometimes life-threatening adventure together. Trevor is my bike. At first, I would take him out for a spin about two times a week. Slowly this has crept up and up, and before I knew it, any spare moment outside of work was consumed by the bike. Obliviously becoming engrossed and enraptured in the beautifully simple sport of cycling. Just two wheels and legs moving from A to B. The diversity of people within the cycling community is astounding (although more women are needed, we'll save that for another ramble), yet a bike seems to connect everyone, no matter personality, background, age or gender, you can ride together.

Anyway, this newfound love interest has meant less time to see those outside of the bike life. I've had biking friends in the past, who I found somewhat frustrating. They would never turn up to the pub, parties, dinners etc. and when they did it would always be a conversation about riding their bike, chopping pints of ketones and snorting protein powders left right and centre. It should have hardly been a surprise when my non-cycling friends started to make comments. Those comments turned to discussions, discussions to arguments of prioritising Trevor over them. I was suddenly one of 'those friends' who picked the bike over their mates. I don't think I'm alone in this "Friends vs Bike" standoff. Spinning away a few Saturdays ago, I asked someone whether they had ever had the same issue. "Oh hell yes, all the time. It's always 'Why are you always riding, we never see you anymore! That's why you've got a sore crotch!'".

I think the problem lies in a lack of understanding. It is a bit of a classic but I'll say it anyway. If you haven't done, it you won't get it. Since that very first ride on Trev with the BRC, I was left wanting more of 'that' feeling. You're left hooked, one nibble later and there ain't no going back. It's not just the feeling, it's the escape. Cycling has helped me deal with so many mental challenges, more so than any other sport or counsellor. My mind runs away with itself most of the time, but when the pedalling starts, my brain cadence decreases, until all that remains are numbers "1 climb, 150 bmp, 220 watts, ouch that hurts, 60km, 5%, 2 seconds...". Cringy as it sounds, the simplicity of riding a bike has helped me find silence and peace, as it has for so many others. In regard to friendships, I don't think it's a case of a lack of care. It's more that when you get to the end of the day, having spent hours getting next to nowhere with work, and there is a deep longing to escape reality, which can be done on the back of a bike. The physical departure from the mundane repetition of life is what keeps cyclists going back for more. However, one key thing to acknowledge is that you can't always get what you want or need. So, for the first time in my cycling journey, I've had to make some compromises, although maybe not ones that involve fighting any zombies. I made my apologies to my friends and have since tried to get my head out of Trevors' arse.

It's quite hard though. Juggling a full-time addiction with work, family, and friends is no ride in the park.