The thing about bike racing, touring, being a weekend warrior, or anything that pushes limits is how humbling it is. Get spit out the back of a peloton going 34 MPH or dropped on a climb and you get in touch with yourself and what you can do right quick. You either give up, keep going, or collect yourself for another day. @BenKing89 was in a pile up and raced 140KMs with this
and is now heading to the hospital for stitches. Likely was forced to do that by his Team Manager or he’d have just tended to it with superglue.
While we spend most of our time here talking about popularizing the bike and it’s culture, there’s an underlying hardness about it and what keeps me riding. You may never pedal in anger with a number on your back, but we’re programmed to compete and there’s a commuter challenge waiting for each workday. Riding Tweed? Sure and undoubtedly thinking abut how you could’ve taken that corner smarter in those fancy shoes.
It’s also about clearing the head, destressing, and pushing the body. Today we’re riding in China? Damn straight and everywhere else.
A few years ago, Stuart O’Grady brought Australian comedian Chopper’s humor and Aussie attitude into cycling with Harden The Fuck Up wristbands.
That’s still topical today when you see a photo like that from Ben King. What’s your most epic story on the bike? When have you had to harden up? This one time, I rode 60 miles in a Tri-Cities, WA windstorm, sick as I’ve ever been, on a teammates wheel. No cellphones, no support cars, just put my head down and sat on.
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