Eggnog Tide
Yawp Cyclery
As you may know, we North Americans are basically in the throes of 30 Days of Insane Traffic and Rapid Weight Gain. What I mean to say is that I don't want to deprive myself of even one chance to drink too much eggnog, so this blog will be going on hiatus until Monday, January 5th, when it will return with lots of pictures of eggnog and and probably not much else.
Before we uncork the bourbon and warm up the eggbeater, this blog wants to talk briefly about that sluggish feeling you get when you find yourself off the bike for too long, as a proponent of a holiday-time anti-lethargy buddy system. There are many reasons why a committed cyclist may be off of his or her bike for a longish period of time. All sorts of definitions of the word "longish" are appropriate here, as even a couple of weeks without a ride--especially if those weeks include multiple Thanksgiving meals--can leave a person feeling gross and lethargic.
The problem with getting floppy bear to get up off his flop and go do something is that nobody wants to be the person to approach floppy bear with a sharpish stick and jab him, because the thing that he will get up and go do is take your stick away and snap it over your head and stare menacingly down at you whilst popping his knuckles and etcetera etcetera.
The thing about being off of the bike for awhile is that, for some reason, it's easy to forget how easy and enjoyable it is to ride. It seems to cold out, or the trip too far, or the destination too formal, or The Nothing is coming, or Jurassic Park is on TV, or etcetera etcetera. Maybe this doesn't happen to everyone. Maybe it happens only to those of us who, as children, would be afraid to jump back in the swimming pool if we'd been out of the water long enough to dry off because the water might be too cold. Despite very concrete, personal experience that involved hours of play in that very same water only minutes before, the possibility that the water would feel cold was often overwhelming.
Of course, the water was always fine, and it's not too cold for a ride, and the trip is not too far, and Jurassic Park is always on TV. After half a mile, you will be happy you rode. Sometimes you just need someone who leaves you no choice. Someone who is not afraid to tell a grumpy bear to get up and get moving.
"Who needs a thermometer? That's what nipples are for."
Or you can not ride and risk winding up like this:
So as the days get short and the food gets fatty and the nog gets eggy, remember that friends don't let friends enjoy the heated homes and modern conveniences that they've worked so hard to pay for.
Don't forget you love your bike, and perhaps I'll see you out on the frozen road or trail. If not, see you back here in the new year after too much of this: