Finding ‘inspiration’ within cycling
Reality versus arrogance
We often talk about inspiration within cycling. At times, the meaning of inspiration gets confused and seems to operate across a huge spectrum. It’s this failure to truly understand the word ‘inspiration’ that seems to trouble the cycling industry. For me personally, inspiration can be defined by some of my friends: Ben Ralston, who passed away from Cancer aged only 44, and yet who fought like a Tiger, and took his 14 years of age son on a special e-Bike ride into the hills, only a few weeks before he left us. It’s defined by Nol Van Loon, from the Netherlands, who fights both the physical and mental challenges of remote bike packing events such the famed Silk Race across the roof of Euro-Asia, where the environment and the beautiful barren deserts are both enemy and companion.
It’s defined by my colleague, Nadezhda, who came back to sport from a truly serious and potentially life-changing injury; who still suffers bouts of regular pain, and yet who defies this to constantly travel and ride the mountain passes of Europe, with the warmest and brightest possible smile. It’s defined by my son, who has always challenged himself in life and sport, whatever the feelings or circumstances – his passion for cycling, for living with a sense of adventure and for bikes is infectious and unmatched.
It’s my friend, Fatima, from my early days as a cycling writer, who now finds more enjoyment in cycling with her young daughter and family, as she once did when racing as a pro rider. Now, making those sacrifices that all good and inspirational mothers make – dedicating themselves and their lives to parenthood. It’s about those special people who love cycling from the depths of the heart, and clearly love life and people, too.
False fame and fortune
And yet, I too often read the forums online – Facebook, LinkedIn and others – how inspirational is it to push out the most wattage and to be the person who finishes the ride first; or to be the person with the best and most expensive bike, or who simply poses like a stiff and stupid looking manequin, looking aimslessly up towards the sky. All of course, total nonsense and quite frankly, total bullshit.
Yes, this ridiculous fascination with wattage, being a Z Lister or aiming for aesthetic fame is what has caused the almost bacterial infection of ignorance, arrogance and stupidity within the cycling industry. Personally speaking, I’m fed up of people online who try to glorify themselves and continue in a pitiful attempt to milk a bygone era and long lost ability, in their search for a continued spotlight; when in truth, their light dimmed a long time ago and in truth, was never really that bright. They don’t inspire me. It’s frankly quite pathetic and sad; and yet, too frequently, these people end up in positions of influence in the cycling industry, purely based on being male (more frequently than not) and a past ability to turn a crank fast.
Accepting limitations
Now, you wouldn’t necessarily make Tiger Woods the head of sales at a global golf club brand, simply because he’s won a few events. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been watching him play golf since his amateur days and he’s a legend at golf… but still not very inspiring for me, albeit I admire him as a golfer. Admiration and inspiration or seperate things – we need to learn that. Ability in one area of life and sport does not automatically translate into God-given abilities across the whole spectrum of our sport and the associated industry.
That truly inspirational moment, may be when a quite ordinary person steps across a bike for the very first time in later life, purely because they want to get healthier and do their utmost to live longer. We’ve forgotten about the meaning of cycling, as we’ve become drunk on false fame and apps such as Zwift. And yet, those truly fine people at Zwift – and yes, they are – simply wanted to create an app that could help all cyclists to be their very best version, and to be able to develop enough to take on any challenge. To ride the Silk Road; to ride the Stelvio 2 days in succession, or to simply ride that local cycling pathway with your family.
At a pro cycling level, that inspirational rider may be somebody riding in the shadows, such as Alex Sabin, who spends his working days guiding youngsters in the mountains, and trying hard to fit his training in, between work and having a family life too. Or Kristi Kuldkepp, who again like Nadezhda, took to cycling late in her sporting life and after a super-serious accident that would have stopped most of us in our tracks. And yet, both Alex and Kristi dedicate their time to simply having fun and challenging themselves, and supporting others. Their passion is in being at one with the world and in enjoying an active life, as they inspire others through simply riding with the same sense of adventure and fighting spirit that carries them through life.
The purity of passion within cycling
Cycling is about passion and heart and human emotions; which is why the Italians seem to understand it more than any other country. It’s why so many Italian brands continue to lead the way within the cycling industry; and it’s why we all love to visit and to challenge ourselves on the mountain passes of the Dolomites or on the white gravel roads that lie like ribbons, across the Tuscan landscape. We do it becuase the landscape, the people and the ambience of Italy seems to fit within our hearts.
Cycling inspiration is simple in truth. It’s about that sense of adventure, passion and the spirit of exploration that we all had as children, racing with the wind in our hair and smiles on our faces. When we truly set ourselves free and explore the world on 2-wheels, we can all be inspirational in some way. You don’t need the most expensive bike, and nobody actual gives a flying f#ck if you can push out more watts than others.
Finding inspiration is about being true to ourselves. It’s about discovery: of ourselves and of the beautiful landscapes that we’re often priviliged to cycle in. However, don’t just cycle through the mountains and hills. Make sure that you press pause and stop; visit a cafe, have coffee and take it all in. Yes, it’s time for us all to have a renewal with nature and with the child that still exists within us, and who once pressed their face against the bike shop window, all those years ago, dreaming of that bike. It’s time for us all to join the new cycling revolution, where a passion for life is more inspirational that the power you can put out!
Image courtesy of www.bormio.eu/en
