Who would you propose as the king of cycling?
08-01-05, 11:55 PM
#26
serenity NOWWW!
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sheldon brown
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In his surreal surroundings among the clouds, this was his flight! Until, he saw the master caution light.
In his surreal surroundings among the clouds, this was his flight! Until, he saw the master caution light.
08-02-05, 07:55 AM
#27
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As Maelstrom said, there is no definitive way to determine"the king of cycling". A fun exercise maybe, but not possible to form a firm answer.
I would actually nominate the "bottle lady". She is an elderly woman who rather than whine and complain about her station in life, rides her bike everyday picking up the numerous bottles that folks have discarded. She rides whatever beater she can and is always pleasant. She is my choice. For someone in her 70's and who rides cast off walmart bikes, I am amazed at the pace she can keep on the flats. When I fix her bike, she insists on paying. A class act all the way.
I would actually nominate the "bottle lady". She is an elderly woman who rather than whine and complain about her station in life, rides her bike everyday picking up the numerous bottles that folks have discarded. She rides whatever beater she can and is always pleasant. She is my choice. For someone in her 70's and who rides cast off walmart bikes, I am amazed at the pace she can keep on the flats. When I fix her bike, she insists on paying. A class act all the way.
08-02-05, 10:20 AM
#28
enormouslock
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The "bottle lady" you describe is perfect in every way. I hope she stays warm in the winter and gets indoors to sleep at night.
08-02-05, 01:56 PM
#29
enormouslock
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I hadn't heard of Sheldon Brown but with three votes I figured I'd check him out and what a great person! I told him about this thread and he answered that now his helmet it too small. I said we could take up a collection for a new one (haven't heard back from him on that one. I'm sure his helmet fits fine.)
Mr. Brown as king speaks to the contention voiced here that racing isn't everything in cycling and perhaps should be counted out. I have a bias in that I never raced but toured, in Europe and the US, solo. Even so I empathise with those who get excited about great racers like Merckx and so on. I think everything that distributes mankind into a spectrum of achievement ends up being hyped with some competitive nature, and it is often there that history is made, if only for the duration of one civilization. I caught the bug for competitiveness in high school with wrestling and was on the team at 120 pounds. I'll never forget the match I won by one point in the last two seconds. The team jumped to its feet cheering and met me coming off the mat. We won the meet by one point. When I got to college I got into personal athletics, including rock climbing, and finally, solo bike touring. I kept the edge deep into homelessness from 1981 to 1988, and it kept me alive--against a gang attack that I parried successfully, getting me welcomed to Santa Cruz by an onlooker. I had a bike twice during homelessness. You're all welcome to visit my other thread here in general cycling, entitled "legend", and some of those issues are treated there, including homelessness itself. I met a guy as an undergraduate at Yale, Bill Waltzer, who was a distance solo cyclist. He and I took a bunch of gung-ho freshman on a little trip by bike out to Sleeping Giant park in Connecticut. I mentioned on a rest stop that I heard about how cross-country skiers like to goof around competing to see who can sit against a wall the longest. Bill challenged me to sit against a tree right there with him. So we did. It went for some time, tension mounting but in silence. Then I made my break for it by saying I could hold out another minute and Bill succumbed and dropped out. I sat there another five seconds for my win. The guys got a good laugh out of it. I think the competitive nature is deep in all life. A king definitely will have it, more than most, but always with more than most in good sportsmanship as well. Now to tell the truth I've never even seen a real bike race. I did see an alternative bike parade once here in Chicago, in 2002. I was beaming like a Christmas tree before I saw it (I started beaming when I got on the bus.) I kept beaming for an hour and then as I was waiting for the return bus suddenly the bike parade came by. Somebody saw me and shouted, "I found the King!" That's how my grenade exploded. All it takes is someone who knows his people, someone who knows that, to quote Paiyili, "Kings need wisdom and insight. The large view. Experience of age." And someone who knows some of the places and byways where it can be found. I am not the first nor last king you will hear about or know, but I am here for now, and I seek all that is good in us, and will always do my best for my people, formally or informally as you wish. Visit the thread "legend". There is something there I think you ought to see.
Mr. Brown as king speaks to the contention voiced here that racing isn't everything in cycling and perhaps should be counted out. I have a bias in that I never raced but toured, in Europe and the US, solo. Even so I empathise with those who get excited about great racers like Merckx and so on. I think everything that distributes mankind into a spectrum of achievement ends up being hyped with some competitive nature, and it is often there that history is made, if only for the duration of one civilization. I caught the bug for competitiveness in high school with wrestling and was on the team at 120 pounds. I'll never forget the match I won by one point in the last two seconds. The team jumped to its feet cheering and met me coming off the mat. We won the meet by one point. When I got to college I got into personal athletics, including rock climbing, and finally, solo bike touring. I kept the edge deep into homelessness from 1981 to 1988, and it kept me alive--against a gang attack that I parried successfully, getting me welcomed to Santa Cruz by an onlooker. I had a bike twice during homelessness. You're all welcome to visit my other thread here in general cycling, entitled "legend", and some of those issues are treated there, including homelessness itself. I met a guy as an undergraduate at Yale, Bill Waltzer, who was a distance solo cyclist. He and I took a bunch of gung-ho freshman on a little trip by bike out to Sleeping Giant park in Connecticut. I mentioned on a rest stop that I heard about how cross-country skiers like to goof around competing to see who can sit against a wall the longest. Bill challenged me to sit against a tree right there with him. So we did. It went for some time, tension mounting but in silence. Then I made my break for it by saying I could hold out another minute and Bill succumbed and dropped out. I sat there another five seconds for my win. The guys got a good laugh out of it. I think the competitive nature is deep in all life. A king definitely will have it, more than most, but always with more than most in good sportsmanship as well. Now to tell the truth I've never even seen a real bike race. I did see an alternative bike parade once here in Chicago, in 2002. I was beaming like a Christmas tree before I saw it (I started beaming when I got on the bus.) I kept beaming for an hour and then as I was waiting for the return bus suddenly the bike parade came by. Somebody saw me and shouted, "I found the King!" That's how my grenade exploded. All it takes is someone who knows his people, someone who knows that, to quote Paiyili, "Kings need wisdom and insight. The large view. Experience of age." And someone who knows some of the places and byways where it can be found. I am not the first nor last king you will hear about or know, but I am here for now, and I seek all that is good in us, and will always do my best for my people, formally or informally as you wish. Visit the thread "legend". There is something there I think you ought to see.
08-02-05, 06:50 PM
#30
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Originally Posted by cydewaze
55/Rad
