Why we ride

A few weeks ago I saw the death of a man I didn’t know. My connection to him is very thin but I was connected, and his passing gave me pause and reason to think. You can read about the death of Wouter Weylandt here and read a reaction from someone who has met him here. I have never met Mr Weylandt but we shared a few things. We both have new babies on the way, we both feed our family with support from Trek Bicycles and we both love riding our bikes. I’ve never ridden as fast or as far as Weylandt but I know how I feel when I reach speeds that some think are crazy, I know what it feels like to win a race and I know what it feels like to lose myself in an activity that takes all of my mental and physical ability to maintain. I also know that it only takes a split instant for it all to go sideways. Undoubtedly he understood this, yet he took that risk every day. Whether training, racing or just riding to the store the chance is there that you might not return to your family from your ride. So why do we do it?

Just after hearing the news a few co-workers and I were in the locker room getting ready for our lunch ride. The talk turned to the tragic news of his death. We mentioned a few facts that we’d heard and we quickly became quiet. We were, after all, kitting up to go for a ride of our own. We all knew in the back of our head that even our small lunch ride on perfectly groomed trails could claim us. These thoughts, while morbid, are a part of the game. You think them in the safety of places like a locker room so that you don’t think them while you are riding. There’s no better way to crash than thinking about a crash.

So, again, why do we ride? There are so many reasons… Fitness, fun, travel, freedom, thrill, competition, sustainability, companionship, beauty, scenery, family, friends, food, challenge, winning, losing, self-improvement, treatment, sanity, serenity, solace, solitude, scenery, the burn, recovery, community, love, respect, connection… the list goes on and it’s never the same for any two riders. There are risks involved. There are risks involved in everything. There aren’t many activities out there that return the reward that cycling does when compared to the risk. So why wouldn’t you ride?

While I never knew Mr Weylandt I’m betting he understood this. To put the training in to get to the level he was at there had to be more than a paycheck involved. There had to be a deep understanding or connection with the sport and all that it gives. With that understanding came the acceptance of the risk involved. Godspeed.