What's the most shallow reason to be with someone? For their looks? For their money? Because they have cool friends? Because their pedal stroke is just soooooo smooth and sexy?
If you think about it, when you're riding behind someone in a peleton, there are only three things you can judge: (1) the size of the derriere (2) the type of bike and clothes (3) the quality of bike handling and pedal stroke. Height is definitely difficult to pinpoint. I know I'm not the only girl who's had this experience: you're riding along next to a cute guy, having a great conversation, and you're thinking: "this guy is really cute, and we're having a great conversation." You wonder if he has a girlfriend and, if not, the guts to ask you out. You round a corner, pull into the convenient store, get off your bike, and accidentally bump into this very same guy because you were looking right over the top of his head. Height is definitely out.
But the quality of the pedal stroke tells you something. It tells you how good he is at cycling. If it's smooth, he's good; If he understands finesse on the bike, it might carry over to finesse off the bike.
Alright here it goes:
I was home in Orlando after nationals. I was pretty burnt-out, so I decided to take the "do whatever I feel like doing" approach to training. I did one of the local group rides, and ended up behind this guy who had the most fluid pedal stroke I've ever seen. Before I knew it, I was going on all the group rides just so I could sit on his wheel and drool (yes, I'm a nerd). Did he ever notice how I followed him around the peleton? But it was more than that. When I was on his wheel, I felt like nothing bad could ever happen to me. The fluidity was calming. I was safe.
It wasn't long before he asked me out on a date. With a pedal stroke like that, how could I say no? He picked me up at my house, and we went out for dinner. First impression: his car definitely wasn't as sexy as his bike. With regular clothes on, I almost didn't recognize him. Was this really the same guy? Walking was an awkward task for him, like he didn't know what to do with his feet when they weren't attached to pedals.
We went to a fairly nice place with dim lights and a nice wine list. We talked, but we didn't have much in common outside of cycling. I spent the majority of the evening trying to figure out if he shaved his head just to shave it or to cover up the early onset of male pattern baldness. The lights were dim and I'd only ever seen him with a helmet on.
We went out twice and, needless to say, nothing ever came of it. Actually, he turned out to be kinda creepy. Even so, I'll never forget his pedal stroke. So, tip to the guys: if you wanna score points with a female cyclist (or me, at least), work on your one-legged drills.
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15 comments:
This is one of the weirdest cycling blog I've read. You must be either really creative or really have nothing better to do. It makes me laugh though.
hah that was extremely entertaining...
so true
all I gotta say is at least your honest!
thanks for the advice.
JPR
this entry is why you are designated as "fairly decent". jk.
Morgan trains with me, even though she's faster than me now. That's why she's amazing.
Get over yourself.
hahah...I love it.
Poor person, whoever it is. Sorry Jacks, good job this weekend by the way, cutting it a little close though. Getting there 15 min before race start?
so thats why you always rode behind me...your blog layout looks a little familiar to someone else's
funny story!
Hmmmm...the old one-legged drill, eh?
Dang it! What I meant was: I got your one legged drill right here.
This is great! Do you mind if I post this at EnduranceSportsBar.com with a link to your blog?
i can truly relate to that. I AM NOT A CYCLIST BUT.... been going out with a hard-core cyclist (330 miles a week, races etc) for 7 months now. met him in mundane wear, we were going to spend a day museum hopping. he took the wheels off his bike to stow it in the trunk of my car. i thought that was the sexiest thing i'd ever seen. a few weeks later, he got me on a road bike and took me out for a ride, 16 whole miles. [now we do 40 miles most sundays and thurs] OMG, watching his legs go up down up down up down, that smooth cadence, the even stroke, the clicking of the gears, the way he can do that for a century or more.... he is exactly the same on the bike as he is off the bike.
well, like i said, we've been together for 7 months now. he's corrupted me. totally, completely.
ps: i live in kissimmee. he lives in jacksonville. and yes, he's ridden his bike here.
Hi, Jackie, thanks for the post. Ir eally enjoyed it.
What was it about his car? Was it old? Beat up? Dirty?
Thanks!
it wasn't a scion XB.
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