On the joys of suffering

I need to confess something, guys. Until today, I hadn't ridden my bike in at least a week. Seriously. Looking back at my training log, I see that my last real ride was 8 days ago. Ouch.

But then on Tuesday, I met up with my coach and we got to talking about why I hadn't thrown a leg over the saddle. It wasn't that I was sick. Nor was it injury. I was just bored. The workouts I was getting just weren't challenging. Yeah, they were consistent. But more often than not, I found myself holding back in order to meet the criteria he set for me. I didn't want to over train, because I've been there, and it sucks. So I held back. And then things got boring. But on Tuesday, I talked with the coach and confessed my feelings about my training plan. And you know what he did? He assigned a workout that "would hurt." And I, in my usual smooth manner, responsed "k." But you know what was going through my head? This.

 Seriously. I've always been a sucker for a challenge. A friend once challenged me to eat a full tablespoon of wasabi. And you know what? I ate that sumbitch, and didn't ask for water, or milk, or anything. I kept my face stoic, just out of sheer force of will. So if my coach wanted to assign a tough workout and to tell me that it was gonna hurt, he had another thing coming.

So I did the workout. And I kicked its ass. But this isn't about my workout. This is about cyclists, and our obsession with suffering. There's very few sports where your success or failure in a race is based on your ability to just be stubborn and suffer through it. We're a unique breed, cyclists. Maybe not the smartest of the bunch, subjecting ourselves to all that pain. But unique no less.

This is a sport that thrives on suffering. We feed on it. It's our drug. Without the pleasure we euphoria we get during an intense sufferfest, there's nothing left except for an empty, soulless void. It's a sport that literally has a set of stationary trainer DVD's called The Sufferfest, who's motto is "I Will Beat My Ass Today To Beat Yours Tomorrow." Doesn't that sound awesome?!

And let's not forget the very embodiment of suffering. The man who all cyclists can agree practically invented suffering. A man whom we would all buy a beer, if given the chance to sit and be regaled with tales of suffering. Jens Voigt.

For the uninitiated, Jens is no man. He's an unstoppable force. And immovable object. If you ever get a chance to watch Jens race, do it. The man is a spectacle in and of himself. But part of the reason cyclists the world over love him is simply because of his tenacious ability to dig deep, suffer, and never give up. He's been known to yell "shut up, legs!" during races. He tells his shadow to keep up with him. This is a man that we all aspire to be.

A friend of mine recently told me of a massive two day event that he rode. Each day was roughly 100 miles, with around 10,000 feet of climbing. He confessed that, on the final day, in the closing miles, while he rode with a friend, he and his buddy each experienced previous unknown levels of pain and suffering. And I thought that sounded awesome. It sounded like so much fun, it immediately made my bucket list.

It was at that point that I decided. Cyclists are great at suffering. People who love suffering are drawn to cycling, like a moth to flame. We may get burned. But man, it's beautiful and glorious. It's painful, and freeing, and enlightening, and peaceful. On the bike, mid-suffer, nothing else exists except for you, the bike, the pain, and your limits. And even the latter may disappear, if you suffer long enough. Yeah, that sounds pretty good to me.

Thanks for reading, guys. If you enjoyed it, feel free to hit up that "share" button. All the cool kids are doing it! Till the next one, keep the rubber side down, and your skin off the ground.

Tips for dating a cyclist

OK. So, I've been tossing this idea around for about a week or so. Mainly because some days I really feel for my poor girlfriend, who has to deal with me talking about FTP, or power to weight ratio, or my diet, or how expensive new kits are, or any of the other hundred things that cyclist think/complain about. So I wanted to maybe give some tips to all those significant others who have chosen to date my lycra clad brethren.

1) We're mostly introverts. Yeah, we may go out and do 40-50 miles on a casual Sunday ride, filled with 20 other people, but we're actually introverted people. We're all simply drawn together by our love of riding our bikes. And lycra. See, the thing is, though, that with all that time we spend pedaling, we have a lot of time to think. About work, riding, you, ourselves, our cat, you, whether or not we should buy a duck (yes, I've spent two hours debating that with myself during a ride.), if we want a beer or a Coke after we're done, what to eat for dinner, you, and also you.

2) Yeah, we're gonna worry about our diet. This is actually a better deal than most people think. Yes, we're gonna worry about our diet. But here's the thing. We're gonna eat what tastes good. If we've found a restaurant or recipe that is not only healthy, but tastes great, then that's what we're gonna eat. We like finding new foods that taste amazing, in addition to being healthy for us. And besides, it's highly unlikely that it's gonna be like this 1000% of the time. We're gonna get those cravings for pizza and hamburgers with a large Coke, as well. Just trust us when we suggest eating a seared ahi steak with lemon sauce, served on a bed of rice/quinoa, with a baked potato, and a side of strawberry chicken salad.

3) Speaking of food, we won't ever say no to leftovers. If you insist on giving them to us, expect us to put up a token resistance, while silently doing a fist pump.

Of course, that's assuming that there are any leftovers at all. I typically cook for a small army. Not because I have a small army, but because I need to cook like that if I'm gonna keep myself fed. Just don't get your fingers too close when you're pointing out how much we've eaten. We don't want to accidentally consume that, too.

4) Expect to learn what FTP is, or zone 3, or a pinch flat, or any of the other hundred things we talk about. OK. Maybe don't expect to learn about them. But expect to hear about them. Cuz we're gonna talk about it. Learning about them only helps you understand us in the long run.

5) If we say we're gonna skip a ride to be with you, that's probably one of the most important things we can do to show you we care. It means that, rather than spend the 3 hours flogging ourselves doing the intervals that we had planned, we're instead going to spend those 3 hours with you. It's a huge compliment.

6) We don't need much in the way of gifts. Odds are, if riding our bike is something we're really into, we're already pretty self sufficient. And we probably have tons of spares of, well, almost everything. But, if you absolutely want to get us a gift, most peoples minds immediately go to buying a bike. Don't. Those things are wicked expensive, and we don't want that kind of money wasted on us. Instead, how about a new set of pedals and cleats? A new chain? Some handlebar grips/tape? I can't think of any cyclist that would say no to some rad socks, or a new bib. In short, buying us spare tubes and such is a nice thought, but they'll probably sit in a drawer, and buying a bike is just plain crazy talk.

7) Tan lines. In addition to the farmers tan, and the tan on our thighs, I also sport a sock and glove tan. And before I swapped to full fingered gloves, I also had tans on my fingers, also from the gloves. You can tell how long we're riding for just by how well defined the tan lines are.

8) No matter where we are, if we see another cyclist ride by, we're going to silently appraise them. It's not that we're not paying attention to you, it's just that we're trying to figure out if we can beat that guy in a race.

9) When there's a major cycling race on TV, expect us to disappear from the world. Seriously. I've been known to go through complete radio silence while I watch each stage of Le Tour, or the Tour of California, or Paris-Nice. We're not ignoring you. It's just that this is our Super Bowl. Every day of the week. For weeks at a time.

10) Our sport can be dangerous. But we love it. It's ours. But because I ride my bike, I have hundreds of amazing photos and experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world.

11) Finally, and this is important. If you aren't on board with all the rest of the reasons, I think that this one will help you appreciate cycling. How do I put this delicately? Our asses look amazing. Especially in the lycra. Even I am amazed at how good my butt looks in the mirror.

So, what do you guys think? Do you have any other tips for dating a cyclist? I'd love to hear your thoughts, so post them in the comments below!

Until the next one, guys, keep the rubber side down, and your skin off the ground.

I have an announcement (and also a thought)

K. So, there's gonna be a short interlude before I get into my post today. I just want to take a minute of your time (and maybe several minutes of my time while I type this out), to announce my latest sponsor: Skratch Labs. I've been using their drink mix for about a year now, and after my first taste, I knew I had to have more of it in my life. Shortly after, I sprung for their cookbook and portables cookbook, and haven't looked back since. Anyone that's ridden with me in the last year has heard me heap praises upon Skratch Labs, and that was before I got a sponsorship. I loved their stuff that much. It's a company that actually cares about athletes and has a personality.

Unlike some of those other sports drinks, which are "engineered," Skratch Labs drink mix is designed to not only be good for you, but also taste freaking amazing. Those other drinks just taste too sugary, and the thought that they were "engineered" that way just doesn't sit well with me. Skratch Labs drink mix? Designed with real ingredients (that you can freaking pronounce!), including real fruit. And real food is good for you, right? Right. Anyway, give their stuff a try. Believe you me, you won't regret it.

Skratch Labs, thank you for the opportunity to represent you in the coming year. Here's to a fantastic 2014 to us both!

Now, onto the blog post.

Yesterday, I went out on a ride. Shocking, right? It was one of those "ride how you feel" days. If I wanted to ride easy, I could. I had carte blanche to ride as easy as I wanted. But I didn't. For about an hour and change, I went out and set a tough tempo, purposefully flaying myself in a number of sections. Then, today, a few friends asked me about the name of the ride. Who, after all, could my worst enemy be? And why would I go on a ride with them?

Before I get into that, I want you to sit back and think for a minute or two. Think about your last race or group ride. Think about the people who surrounded you at the start. Think about your attitude towards them during your ride or race. If it was a group ride, is there someone on the ride who regularly beats you along a particular section of the ride? Maybe it's a hill. Or maybe it's a long, flat section that lets you haul ass. But during these sections, they always drop you. If it was a race, is there someone there that beats you regularly? And maybe that one time when you've got a gap on them, and you think you've got them, and then they show up out of nowhere to edge you out at the line. Frustrating, isn't it?

Now, think about those days when you're riding with, or racing against, them and you decide, consciously decide, that you're just not even gonna try. Your body tries, but you mentally hold back. And that person just devastates you. Despite your body really, actually giving it everything it has, it's your scumbag brain that holds you back.

Stupid brain. It's just along for the ride, anyway!

Here's the thing, though. I, just like you in those situations, go through the exact same thing. There are days when my brain holds me back. In any workout, any race, any riding event, unless I have a mechanical issue with my bike, or I'm the victim of some kind of outside influence (a blown tube, for instance), if I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, then I have no one to blame except for myself.

And it's on those days, the days I don't feel like riding hard, or riding at all, that it's the most important day to train, and train hard. "But Ray," I can hear you saying aloud to yourself. "If I don't feel like riding, what good is it gonna do me if I do?" It's simple. We've all heard the saying that, every time you spend a day sitting on the couch, somebody you race against is out on the bike, right?

Well guess what. That person you race against? I can guarantee you that they have those days where they don't want to ride hard. And they may give in to that urge to sit on the couch. And suddenly, it's you out riding your bike, and not them. All of a sudden, you're the one building up an advantage. In my book, shutting your brain off, and training hard counts for double miles. Not only are you getting the miles of training into your legs, but you're practicing not listening to the one person who can really shut you down: yourself.

Like I said, if you're in a race, and you don't do as well as you'd hoped, it boils down to one of three things: 1) you have a mechanical. 2) you were a victim of outside influence (such as a crash). 3) you held yourself back. You. But by training on those days when your scumbag brain wants to hold you back, you learn. You learn to not only cope, but to break through the wall you put up in your mind. Like Miley Cyrus, you come in like a wreaking ball.

So the long and the short of it is: those days when you just don't feel like it. Keep that up, and those people you keep having trouble with will soon see nothing but the back of your wheels as you ride away from them. Train hard. Race hard.

Tell me guys. Do you have any methods you use to break through the mental block when you don't feel like riding? What is it? If you don't train on those days, how come? Lemme know in the comment section below!

Till the next one guys, keep the rubber side down, and your skin off the ground!