it's all relative. right?

[fatfuck]

hello forum,

about 10-11 years ago, i bought my first mountain bike. my aim was to lose 30lbs. to make a long story short, over the course of the last 10-11 years i eventually got a hybrid (specialized sirrus pro) and very slowly worked up to a fairly regular 14 mile/day (5 days/week) routine. eventually, i lost the weight.

about 3 months ago, i got a new job that's 17 miles away from my home. so, i'm now able to kill 2 birds with 1 stone: my daily workout is also my daily commute to and from work. going from 14 miles/day to 34 miles/day was not that big of a stretch in my opinion. i pretty much take it easy, really. i don't (can't) go very fast; only about 13-14 mi/hr. in fact, i know i suck speedwise, but i don't care too much if i don't get any faster. i'm really only in it for the burning of kcals. and i burn plenty as it is.

the thing is though: whenever people at work find out i cycle 34 mi/day, they faint with amazement that a human being can cycle such an astronomical distance! to me - and i'm sure to most of you here - that's nothing. well, it's not "nothing", of course. but it's not excruciatingly impossible either or else i wouldn't do it. it's enough of a workout for me to be able to maintain my fitness goals though.

i watched a couple of stages of the giro d'italia last week. and i'm sure for those guys, 17 miles one way, is what a ride to the store to pick up a loaf of bread is to me!

i'm a pretty private kind of guy. i don't enjoy being the center of attention. i hate it when anybody makes a fuss over me for anything. that's just the kind of person i am. so it's really annoying to me to have to over and over tell everybody i talk to at work my justification for my workout. everyday, i get, "that's mental", "you're nuts", "why do you punish yourself like that?". and that's all anybody wants to talk to me about! i get more winded _talking_ about my workout than i do from the actual workout itself. and i'm thinking, "it's only 34 miles; with an 8 hour break in between!". there are at least 3 or 4 other cyclists that pass me everyday on my route, who i'm sure do 3 times the distance i do. they're certainly going 3 times faster than me as they pass me!

so, i'm wondering, do any of you folks get that? does it ever bug you when people react like you're some kind of freak of nature when they find out how far you ride? how do you deal with it? even if it was nice at first to have people "o-o-o-h-h-ing" and "a-w-w-w-ing" over your cycling prowess, surely it must get old for everybody at some point.

what are your thoughts? thanks in advance for your time.

 

[fatfuck]

come on! throw me a bone over here, why don'tcha!

 

[kdelong]

Well, nobody has ever asked me why I "punish" myself by commuting on my bike. First of all, I don't advertise that I cycle to work. If someone notices and comments, I just tell them the truth, it helps me get me going in the morning and helps me unwind at the end of the day, and I would rather be riding than jogging on a treadmill at the gym. Its also less expensive because my bike was a one time expense with very little upkeep, while the gym was a monthly recurring fee.

I think that if you answer your coworkers questions truthfully, they will eventually realize that you are just a cyclist and let it drop. They only reason that it is a topic of conversation right now is because it is new to them.

By the way, don't beat yourself up over your speed, or percieved lack thereof. You ride 17 miles twice a day and it is wise to take it easy so that you don't burn yourself out before the workday starts.

 

[fatfuck]

thank you kdelong,

i appreciate you taking the time to reply.

i don't "advertise" that i cycle either. but i work with some pretty smart cookies! so i suspect that the hi-viz jacket, biblongs, cycle helmet and courier's bag my coworkers see me wearing when i enter the elevator in the mornings and evenings, leads them to deduce my mode of transport ;¬)

when anybody asks me, i DO answer them truthfully (why wouldn't i, anyway?). i probably didn't make it as clear as i could have: pretty much the same people have been "grilling" me - asking me the same questions - over and over for the last 3 months! you would think that after 3 months, the "newness" has gotten old already. wouldn't you? but no-o-o-o-o-o-o! it's like friggin' groundhog day! and whenever any of them first asks me anything about it, the next day they ask me the same question again; and two days later, again; a week later, again! that's the annoying thing about it. if they'd just ask me one time and never asked me about it again - or at least asked me something different - it wouldn't be annoying. i can handle friendly chit-chat with the best of them. but come on, for crying out loud! change the subject! ha ha ha ha ha!

i appreciate that some people love talking about themselves, and will sieze any opportunity to tell you more than you want to know about themselves. but i'm not that kind of person.

but i will share with the forum this about myself: i meant it sincerely when i said i don't care too much if i don't get any faster. i'm really only in it for the burning of kcals. i don't see that as "beating myself up". on the contrary. i'm just saying, "i know what my body can and can't do, and i'm fine with that the way it is". knowing how out of shape i was before i started cycling, i'm super pleased with myself at being disciplined enough to do my workout everyday. i just hope i can keep it up.

i agree with you, kdelong, 100% on your point about burning out. i couldn't have said it better myself.

what i probably could have worded better though, is my question. while i appreciate ANY reply folks feel like they want to share, i'm not asking for advice on what to say to my coworkers. i really only want to know:

1. how have other cyclists reacted to people seeming awestruck when they find out how far (or how fast, or how whatever) you ride?

2. is 17 miles, twice a day actually a big deal, and i just didn't know that it was?

i watched another stage of the giro d'italia today. compared to how far those guys ride, i still find it hard to believe that a measly 34 miles would make anybody's jaw drop! hence, the subject line of this thread: it's all relative. right?

sincere thanks for any and all replies.

 

[swampy1970]

For someone who doesn't like talking about what they do and not trying to make themselves the center of attention you sure do alot of typing. Are you sure that the prefix for your username should be vain and not fat?

Just tell them that you're a sadist and love smashing your brains in on the bike or it's the only way to revel in a lycra fetish without being arrested. It'll probably stop all conversation dead in it's tracks. Taking off the high visablility jacket and wearing less "cyclist" looking clothes.

 

[fatfuck]

making an effort to communicate clearly makes me vain? ok. whatever you say.

 

[jhuskey]

Originally Posted by swampy1970 .

For someone who doesn't like talking about what they do and not trying to make themselves the center of attention you sure do alot of typing. Are you sure that the prefix for your username should be vain and not fat?

Just tell them that you're a sadist and love smashing your brains in on the bike or it's the only way to revel in a lycra fetish without being arrested. It'll probably stop all conversation dead in it's tracks. Taking off the high visablility jacket and wearing less "cyclist" looking clothes.


It's not the Lycra for me I just like having my testicles beaten up on a brick hard saddle for 3 hours.Make me feel alive.

 

[swampy1970]

Jhusky,

Didn't they teach you in "mod school" that you're supposed to type your bit outside the quote box

Personally, I have a very comfortable saddle that doesn't leave me feeling like I've taken a size 13 steel toecapped boot to the nether regions Each to his own.

I work the "pain" thing from a different angle. Just letting folks know that smashing yourself into oblivion and going so hard up the hills that you can 'taste blood' makes me feel "alive" first thing on a Sunday morning. It works with all but the most curious...

 

[bedwards1000]

You're right it's all relative. The people that are awestruck obviously think it is a big deal and to them it probably would be. I bike 12 miles each way most days and get a lot of comments but it's mostly when I ride in the rain or 10 degree weather. Personally I would take it as a compliment. I'd say 34 miles / day is pretty dedicated. FWIW.

 

[Jim Moore]

I think it kicks ass myself. Hell, that's 170 miles a week. good job.

 

[fatfuck]

thanks Jim Moore,

170 is a lot of miles alright :¬) i appreciate the compliment.

this isn't false modesty, but in my mind i've always thought that that kind of weekly mileage is in the lower end of the spectrum for an "average" cyclist's workout.

i've met and talked to 3 or 4 what i call "serious" cyclists over the years. on average, i'd say they each ride 50-60 miles/day (at least 5 days/week; sometimes everyday).

i was expecting to find a lot of folks that do that kind of mileage (50-60 miles/day) in this forum. the fact that there doesn't appear to actually be that many here has given me pause for thought.

thanks sincerely

 

[fatfuck]

thanks bedwards1000,

12 miles/day is not that much less than 17. you're pretty dedicated yourself :¬) keep on keepin' on!

the comments about riding in the rain and cold, that's the kind of insight i was hoping to get from folks. i can tell you know where i'm coming from.

thanks sincerely