Mark B
Zen MBB Master
I have been part of a local bicycle club since the late nineties, a good portion of that time riding one recumbent, or the other and a spattering of uprights. After about a five year hiatus from riding and especially the club, I have returned. Yeah, I know, big deal.
I've taken time off the bike before. Maybe a few months, maybe a year, but never this long. In the time I've been away, the club has grown a lot; there are many new faces in leadership and in the general riding population. I'm the "new guy" to a lot of people and a new guy riding a really weird bike. I'm also a 57 year old gray beard, so nobody really takes me that seriously. I'm OK with that, it's just a little weird to adapt to.
Technology has changed, too. GPS was a thing when I checked out, but battery life was a problem and they still had a lot of bugs to work out. Bikes are lighter, I see more and more disc brakes and the rides have changed. It used to be that rides were a destination, either for coffee, or lunch, then the return. Sometimes, they were just messing around rides, where you would head off aimlessly, following an individual that knew his/her way around and you'd discover new routes. Now, everybody wants a GPS route they can follow (some get a little tweaked if the ride leader varies the route) and they want to be back by such and such time so they can wash their cat, or whatever. The rides are rushed, now, where they used to be all-day love affairs with your bike. Again, I'm OK with it, I just find it different and note the changes.
My comeback began in late January last year and was interrupted in late May by life and then a broken bone in my foot. I got back on the bike in October and still managed to get 1200 miles in for the year. I shake my head a little, because I know that at one point in time, I was riding close to 1000 mile months. Not ever month, of course, but there were some.
The old familiar faces, friends from days gone by, are just fine with me. They all know I can ride and just expect me to ride the way I ride and they know where the "sweet spot" is to get a little bit of a draft off me. That part has been fun. Catching up with old friends and spending time on the road has been really rewarding.
The new guard of club members has been a different experience, for me. Sure, I've experienced the bikeism that a lot of you speak of, but not to this degree. I've always been on the inside as they come from the outside. Now, I find myself as the outsider, looking to get in. You all know the drill, I'm sure. People don't trust you to ride on your wheel. They don't want to ride alongside you. Just getting them to talk to me has been trying and I know that part is because I am unfamiliar and part is because of the bike. Weird, but I think true. Having been around the block a time, or two, I expected it and I also did my work before joining in on club rides, making sure I wasn't "that guy", holding up the group.
I feel like I have to prove myself on one hand and yet, on another, I really wonder why? I've had to rethink how I approach people and spend my time on the rides. Since I'm still finding my own groove, to some extent, I've made a routine of starting at the back and after a bit of visiting with old friends, riding up to the front. I will sprint ahead for a while and then let the group catch and pass me, then doing it all over again. It's a little bit like interval training, so really good in that regard. I realize it may seem a little anti-social on the surface, just doing my own thing on a group ride, but the conversation is sparse and the silence is deafening. So, I make use of the time and slowly, but surely, the folks I ride with most are starting to come around. The questions and comments about the bike are beginning to level off and people are growing less likely to freak and geek when they get passed on a hill by a recumbent. A few, though, still remark about seeing feet flying past them out of the corner of their eyes!
The comeback has been an interesting time, for sure. It's taken about a year, with the 4-5 month break due to the broken foot, but I'm beginning to feel like I'm accepted. Sometime this summer, I'm sure, I will be jumping groups to the faster pack and then I might be starting again, to some degree. They see me around, though and they'll know I can ride, so I'm not too worried about it. In fact, I'm looking forward to it.
I love group riding, even mixing in with uprights. I believe there is a "safety in numbers" aspect that is important and I'm also a big fan of the fellowship one enjoys being a part of the group.
Sorry for the lengthy nature of this post.
Mark
I've taken time off the bike before. Maybe a few months, maybe a year, but never this long. In the time I've been away, the club has grown a lot; there are many new faces in leadership and in the general riding population. I'm the "new guy" to a lot of people and a new guy riding a really weird bike. I'm also a 57 year old gray beard, so nobody really takes me that seriously. I'm OK with that, it's just a little weird to adapt to.
Technology has changed, too. GPS was a thing when I checked out, but battery life was a problem and they still had a lot of bugs to work out. Bikes are lighter, I see more and more disc brakes and the rides have changed. It used to be that rides were a destination, either for coffee, or lunch, then the return. Sometimes, they were just messing around rides, where you would head off aimlessly, following an individual that knew his/her way around and you'd discover new routes. Now, everybody wants a GPS route they can follow (some get a little tweaked if the ride leader varies the route) and they want to be back by such and such time so they can wash their cat, or whatever. The rides are rushed, now, where they used to be all-day love affairs with your bike. Again, I'm OK with it, I just find it different and note the changes.
My comeback began in late January last year and was interrupted in late May by life and then a broken bone in my foot. I got back on the bike in October and still managed to get 1200 miles in for the year. I shake my head a little, because I know that at one point in time, I was riding close to 1000 mile months. Not ever month, of course, but there were some.
The old familiar faces, friends from days gone by, are just fine with me. They all know I can ride and just expect me to ride the way I ride and they know where the "sweet spot" is to get a little bit of a draft off me. That part has been fun. Catching up with old friends and spending time on the road has been really rewarding.
The new guard of club members has been a different experience, for me. Sure, I've experienced the bikeism that a lot of you speak of, but not to this degree. I've always been on the inside as they come from the outside. Now, I find myself as the outsider, looking to get in. You all know the drill, I'm sure. People don't trust you to ride on your wheel. They don't want to ride alongside you. Just getting them to talk to me has been trying and I know that part is because I am unfamiliar and part is because of the bike. Weird, but I think true. Having been around the block a time, or two, I expected it and I also did my work before joining in on club rides, making sure I wasn't "that guy", holding up the group.
I feel like I have to prove myself on one hand and yet, on another, I really wonder why? I've had to rethink how I approach people and spend my time on the rides. Since I'm still finding my own groove, to some extent, I've made a routine of starting at the back and after a bit of visiting with old friends, riding up to the front. I will sprint ahead for a while and then let the group catch and pass me, then doing it all over again. It's a little bit like interval training, so really good in that regard. I realize it may seem a little anti-social on the surface, just doing my own thing on a group ride, but the conversation is sparse and the silence is deafening. So, I make use of the time and slowly, but surely, the folks I ride with most are starting to come around. The questions and comments about the bike are beginning to level off and people are growing less likely to freak and geek when they get passed on a hill by a recumbent. A few, though, still remark about seeing feet flying past them out of the corner of their eyes!
The comeback has been an interesting time, for sure. It's taken about a year, with the 4-5 month break due to the broken foot, but I'm beginning to feel like I'm accepted. Sometime this summer, I'm sure, I will be jumping groups to the faster pack and then I might be starting again, to some degree. They see me around, though and they'll know I can ride, so I'm not too worried about it. In fact, I'm looking forward to it.
I love group riding, even mixing in with uprights. I believe there is a "safety in numbers" aspect that is important and I'm also a big fan of the fellowship one enjoys being a part of the group.
Sorry for the lengthy nature of this post.
Mark
