Cutting the Gap

Enlightenment came by the first mile. There is your reason. IT IS HARD. It requires effort greater than that which I am capable of producing. Out of the subjective realm of the perceived and into the objective reality of the here and now. I simply cannot create the combination of aerobic output and muscular force required to turn these pedals faster. As hard as I might try, there is a limit to what I can produce.

And therein lies the rub.

We sat and turned the pedals with one goal. We had one hour to see how far we could go. The most basic and most understood protocol in all of cycling. We are at Point A and you have EXACTLY 60 minutes to test yourself and determine how far down the road lies your own personal, and current, Point B. The record, set on an indoor track, on a fixed gear bike, by a professional cyclist, thirty years our junior, with an army of assistants and a huge cash purse on the line, is 30.88 miles (49.700k). By mile one it was readily apparent that none of us was going to come close. Not by a mile.

Realizing this, I spontaneously blurted, perhaps to keep interest in the form of motivation as high as possible, that this isn't about breaking the record (and winning a million bucks) as much as it is about cutting the gap between the existing record (The Best) and where we are right now (The Best Us). We engaged in a brief discourse between gasps of air citing the above mentioned differences between them (the pros) and us (the ams), and continued down the the hour path, slowly, yet somehow more connected. Because we were now making progress on an altogether different track. We weren't chasing the record, we were cutting the gap. Shortening the distance between. Getting closer. Inch by inch, in non-stop pursuit of a better us. The attempt as goal.

I am NEVER going to break The Hour record. I will NEVER ride a TT like Fabian. I will NEVER win a mountain stage like Eddie, Lance or Miguel. Remember two years ago when Crowie cleaned my clock in Boise by two hours? He couldn't do it agin today, not because he is slower (he isn't) but because I am faster. I closed the gap, however slightly. If I have the good fortune to race against him in Kona this year, as I plan, and where he is reigning champion, it will be as a result of training with his racing prowess in mind. That inspiration drives me. I will NEVER win Kona. I will NEVER beat Crowie or Chrissie.

I will also NEVER give up the pursuit of cutting the gap between us.