Fixed Gear

Rode the fixed gear down to the train today. it's been a while... and i almost died coming-down off the step-as hill i live on... but it was worth it.

in the early '80's my mom nabbed an aluminum trek racing bike from a sponsored grad-school friend of hers. she and i used to ride together when i was a kid - her on that sweet old trek and i on whatever bike i was currently beating the piss out of. for years it sat in my folks basement in Georgia until i liberated it in 2002. i didn't really know what to do with it at first - the frame is only 47cms, but i also couldn't let such a piece of biking art sit unattended to in my folks basement... i brought it into the boys at western cycle and one kinda insane, but solid bike commuter turned wrench, convinced me it needed to be a fixey for commuting 'bout the city. and so it was.

that first winter, i was scared to ride it in traffic, so i'd roll about my neighboorhood late at night, feeling every inch a part of it, the ride... the winter beers i'd swill before rollin'-out probably helped aid in my feeling so a-tuned, but that's all part of "winter training." i'd go to sleep at night and feel the bike in my legs. after attempting to ride on it with the home team during some early season training romps, i realized it wasn't the best tool for a racer, but it sure is fun to ride. so, it sits in my basement for 10 months of the year, waiting for the fall, when training is done and riding is just about what i want to do, not what i have to do.

the weather in beantown is absolutely perfect this week and here i am, resting, riding the couch for a couple-few weeks before getting busy on next season's training plan. the couple miles i'm pedaling on the fixey can't be considered training... man, i feel weird. not riding. not thinking about riding or at least trying not to think about riding. not thinking about what race i need to be ready for. last fall it didn't hit me like this, but this year i'm kinda freakin'-out. i'm burned-out enough that i don't want to train, but i'm also having a hard time losing that part of myself - even if it's only been 2 days! i got problems. not real problems, just selfish, irrational, bike-related problems. not the worst kind of problems to have...