By Joe Maloney
The last few years I’ve been preoccupied with making cycling more than something I do for fun, I’ve been trying to make it something I do for a living. I’ve been trying to make it more than hobby. In this effort sometimes I worry that I forgot why I ride in the first place. It’s an interesting question to ask yourself once in a while.
When I was a kid, my dad bought me my first bike. It was a blue Trek mountain lion. Heavy, steel and cheap, but it didn’t matter. It was the door to the world. On that bike I could travel from one end of the block to the other effortlessly. I was too young to understand, but it was my key to unlock the world beyond what I knew. I was pretty heart broken when it was stolen, but that’s beside the point.
The next bike was another mountain bike. A red Trek, I don’t remember the specific model. Again it was steel and cheap, but it was bigger. It fit me like a glove and it could take me even further. As I remember it was the first bike with big kid wheels, my first 26” bike. I remember my dad taking me out on rides with him. First it was 5 miles, then 10. I remember my first 20 mile ride. I came home and told my mom all about it. I was pretty excited about that. Each ride was a little further and took me to a new place where I had never been before. But each ride would take me back to the same sense of discovery.
As I entered my middle school years and high school years, life got complicated. It wasn’t just about playing with friends and going to school. It became more about life. Whether it was a project due in class, juvenile drama, or something around the neighborhood, stresses became part of my life. And the bike was still there for me, but this time in a different role. It was my couch and the road was my therapist. Because as we grow, life become more complicated, but the simple pleasure of discovery and self-reliance you get one bike is always there. It can remind you of anything you need to be reminded of and make you forget about something that’s needs forgetting. It’s always the right pill to take.
The last few weeks have been tough. School has been crazy with projects and big reports, presentations and assignments due every day, usually 2 a day. College is not a walk in the park, but I feel like lately it’s been a sprint up Mount Everest. But most importantly, training and racing has become a part of that stress. I am beginning to realize now I forgot why I rode it in the first place. I rode to take me back to the time when things were simple, and all that mattered was making it to the end of the block and back. Yesterday’s ride out to Elver Park and back was one in a long series of rides which helped me remember that.
While on this topic, I begin to think about all those master’s riders who ride for Team Wisconsin. There are many, but two come to mind immediately, Jason and Dennis. These two men work hard to not only provide for their families, but to provide for the team. I cannot imagine how stressful their lives must be, and to be honest I don’t want to; for I fear it might stress me out. Yet they handle it with style and ease (getting steezy, as some may know it) every day. How do they do it? I would bet it has something to do with the rides Jason has posted on Strava almost every day, and the racing and riding Dennis does throughout the year.
My point here is not to tell the story of my love affair with bikes, or to remind you of how awesome the master’s riders are on KS Energy Serivces. My point is to ask you to think. Think about all the stress you have in your life. Then think about the last time you rode. Then think about how when you got done, none of it mattered. Remind yourself of why you ride your bike, and how you fell in love with it. My hope is it will get you through the next challenge life throws your way, because it does for me. Because cycling for me and many others, is much more than just a hobby.