I like to ride my bicycle

Over a 2 hour period last weekend, I had eaten more than most eat in a few days. I had 3 granola bars, 2 full plates of spaghetti, a burrito the size of my face, a bowl of chips and salsa, beans and rice, a sleeve of ritz crackers topped with peanut butter, a glass of milk(2%!), a bottle of Gatorade, and a large milkshake. This is not an exaggeration. This is a meal that I had after an 80 mile bike ride. This is just one reason I enjoy biking.

This is one perk of being on a cycling team. I don’t regret picking up biking when I am able to enjoy a 4,000 calorie meal. My desire to bike is not based on my stomach though. Cycling comes with its ups and downs.

Riding 250 miles in one week gives you a sense of accomplishment that is hard to come across elsewhere. Spending hours every day outside, in the sun, in the woods, and on the hills makes your days much more enjoyable.

Competitive cycling is very good for your health. I know that my heart and lungs are healthy when my heart rate is 40 beats per minute (the average is 70 beats per minute). My legs are chiseled from miles of biking. Not to mention, it is very difficult to gain weight when you burn thousands of calories each day.

For me, the most enjoyable part of cycling is race weekends. This is a chance to test my hard work, fitness, pain tolerance, and strategy against fellow collegiate cyclists. This is where you cash in hours of pedaling. It makes all of the sacrifice worthwhile.

I’m far from in love with cycling though. It has its less enjoyable times. Last weekend I drove to Wisconsin for a 30 mile race. Not three miles in, I got a flat tire. I changed it and proceeded to race by myself hopelessly trying to catch the pack. With three miles left in the race, I got another flat tire. I almost literally crawled across the finish line for participant…last place. You are bound to have your off days.

No one likes spending money. This is especially true for me. And biking is very expensive. To start, a bike nice enough to be raced costs at least one thousand dollars. Race entries are anywhere from 10-40 dollars per race. Tires are replaced every few months, which costs about 50 dollars a pop. Cycling clothes cost an arm and a leg. When you pay, you realize you bought clothes for you arms and legs that you no longer have. And that’s a bummer.

And time is money. If this is the case then all cyclists must be poor from all of the time they spend riding. You must do a lot of riding to race competitively.

“Bike racing, by nature, is inherently dangerous…” this is a line from a release form required in order to race. And it could not be stated more clearly. In the few months that I have been cycling, I have seen my share of accidents. I have gotten in a 10 bike pile-up requiring me to take a week off to recover from my injuries. I have even been hit by a car. I was traveling 25 mph one second and in a strangers windshield the next. And I have seen countless crashes at races.

But I keep on biking. Maybe because it is just something to do. It might be the friends that I make from biking. I might simply enjoy working out. Or maybe I just legitimately like biking. Or maybe I’m good at it. Either way, this blog entry is not at all controversial.