bags27
03-05-2004, 07:46 PM
Alone on a long ride with lots of puddles and a grey sky, I got to thinking today of what I'd like to be doing in ten years. My fantasy ran from accomplishment to futuristic gear. Hope you have some good thoughts, too.
I'd be 64 (would she still need me, would she still feed me?), now training for my third consecutive successful Paris-Brest-Paris. I'd be in even better shape, after all that weight training, pilates, and slow-burn base-building. And I'd be set mentally, having finally figured out how do be less perfectionistic about my work (teaching and writing).
I'd still be riding my Peter Weigle brevet bike, pretty much decked out with the same fenders and NOS Shimano 36-speed STI, but I've ditched that Schmidt dynohub in favor of a single Cateye laser guided night sensor that runs for a 100 hrs. on a single neutron battery. And when I wanted to feel fast, I'd still be riding the Spectrum Superlight, recently repainted, and now with Honda automatic shifting. All my tires, of course, are 100% flat resistant. Saddles are still Brooks B-17. Revue helmets (http://www.i-m-a-world.com/index.htm) are now legal in the U.S. and are under 240 grams, so no more Third Eye and many, many fewer accidents. Sunglasses finally fit so that I don't have to push them back up my nose every 5 miles. I'm still wearing mainly wool, including that great retro Armstrong/Postal jersey, celebrating his 11th straight TdF win. I'm laughing about the fight on the Serotta forum about whether their new multi-alloy frame is worth $47,000 (most say it is), and my own seven year wait for a Richard Sachs lugged frame is finally about to be over. People are beginning to realize how bad Bicycling Magazine is, and are threatening to cancel their subscriptions. Grant Petersen is in a snit about all this new stuff; dbrk is busy restoring a 2002 Trek 5200, claiming it's the best frame ever; and dnovo has just completed his purchase of every bike in his size ever produced in Italy.
Okay, so I am pissed off that Dubya's twin daughters have just been elected co-Presidents of the U.S and that Dick Cheney (despite being on life support) is vice president again. But I'm still thinking that being out there, biking with no where else I have to go or be is just about the most wonderful feeling in the world (although it does seem that I'm stopping to pee a lot more frequently).
I'd be 64 (would she still need me, would she still feed me?), now training for my third consecutive successful Paris-Brest-Paris. I'd be in even better shape, after all that weight training, pilates, and slow-burn base-building. And I'd be set mentally, having finally figured out how do be less perfectionistic about my work (teaching and writing).
I'd still be riding my Peter Weigle brevet bike, pretty much decked out with the same fenders and NOS Shimano 36-speed STI, but I've ditched that Schmidt dynohub in favor of a single Cateye laser guided night sensor that runs for a 100 hrs. on a single neutron battery. And when I wanted to feel fast, I'd still be riding the Spectrum Superlight, recently repainted, and now with Honda automatic shifting. All my tires, of course, are 100% flat resistant. Saddles are still Brooks B-17. Revue helmets (http://www.i-m-a-world.com/index.htm) are now legal in the U.S. and are under 240 grams, so no more Third Eye and many, many fewer accidents. Sunglasses finally fit so that I don't have to push them back up my nose every 5 miles. I'm still wearing mainly wool, including that great retro Armstrong/Postal jersey, celebrating his 11th straight TdF win. I'm laughing about the fight on the Serotta forum about whether their new multi-alloy frame is worth $47,000 (most say it is), and my own seven year wait for a Richard Sachs lugged frame is finally about to be over. People are beginning to realize how bad Bicycling Magazine is, and are threatening to cancel their subscriptions. Grant Petersen is in a snit about all this new stuff; dbrk is busy restoring a 2002 Trek 5200, claiming it's the best frame ever; and dnovo has just completed his purchase of every bike in his size ever produced in Italy.
Okay, so I am pissed off that Dubya's twin daughters have just been elected co-Presidents of the U.S and that Dick Cheney (despite being on life support) is vice president again. But I'm still thinking that being out there, biking with no where else I have to go or be is just about the most wonderful feeling in the world (although it does seem that I'm stopping to pee a lot more frequently).