In an effort to get back into shape, I’ve gone into training doing the Central Park Loop a couple of times a week. I’ve worked up to riding the Loop twice, with two hill repeats (a total of three ascents), the last one standing on the pedals. Other than my quads being a little “noodley” after that last ascent, I’m feeling pretty good about my come back.
Until I run into this guy:
Until I run into this guy:
I’ve just done two hill-repeats and am headed around the loop for the last killer ascent, when he draws up next to me.
“Did you know you’re not sitting straight in the saddle?” He asks.
“Um, no,” I reply, “How’m I sitting?”
“You’re veering off to the right”
“Interesting,” I say trying to defend myself against this unexpected criticism while at the same time making sense of it.
He rides off.
“Did you know you’re not sitting straight in the saddle?” He asks.
“Um, no,” I reply, “How’m I sitting?”
“You’re veering off to the right”
“Interesting,” I say trying to defend myself against this unexpected criticism while at the same time making sense of it.
He rides off.
That’s the thing about New York. Everyone has an opinion.
I confess to feeling slightly deflated. Who is this guy anyway? And what business is it of his how I ride? He wouldn’t have said anything if I’d been a man.
But after blaming the messenger for awhile, I decide to evaluate whether his comment has merit.
The fact is, I’m still making a come back from a Tibial Plateau injury. My right leg, while adequate for walking, is still not as strong as the left. Is it possible my body is compensating?
I continue around the Loop and make my final standing-on-the-pedals ascent.
I confess to feeling slightly deflated. Who is this guy anyway? And what business is it of his how I ride? He wouldn’t have said anything if I’d been a man.
But after blaming the messenger for awhile, I decide to evaluate whether his comment has merit.
The fact is, I’m still making a come back from a Tibial Plateau injury. My right leg, while adequate for walking, is still not as strong as the left. Is it possible my body is compensating?
I continue around the Loop and make my final standing-on-the-pedals ascent.
But my heart isn’t in it. I get back on the saddle ¾ of the way up…
Notice something? No, not the pot holes.
The photo is not level – none of them are level. My camera has slid way over to the right.
Now that I think about it, it’s been doing that almost since I began using it – way before my injury. I used to think it was a problem with my helmet, and even got a new one, but that didn’t change anything; my footage often came out right-slanted, forcing me to edit it back to level. Since then, I’ve worn my helmet tighter, but still this keeps happening. If my riding posture is the cause (and I’m forced to admit that’s the most likely culprit), maybe this is a more intractable problem than I realized.
And a more dangerous one. When I had my fall in LA, I was turning left but I fell right. I’ll never know exactly how it happened, but wouldn’t be surprised if my right-slanted posture had something to do with it.
And now an invasive New Yorker has pointed out the problem.
In Buddhism, this guy would be known as “A Good Friend.” A Good Friend can be someone who’s kind and supportive. It can also be someone who acts as a mirror or catalyst for actualizing our higher self. It’s not always pleasant. It wasn’t pleasant for The Buddha* and it’s not pleasant for me. But correct cycling posture is a vital component to riding.
Friends come in all shapes and sizes. Some are kind and some are cruel. All of them are useful.
*http://sokaspirit.org/1354
The photo is not level – none of them are level. My camera has slid way over to the right.
Now that I think about it, it’s been doing that almost since I began using it – way before my injury. I used to think it was a problem with my helmet, and even got a new one, but that didn’t change anything; my footage often came out right-slanted, forcing me to edit it back to level. Since then, I’ve worn my helmet tighter, but still this keeps happening. If my riding posture is the cause (and I’m forced to admit that’s the most likely culprit), maybe this is a more intractable problem than I realized.
And a more dangerous one. When I had my fall in LA, I was turning left but I fell right. I’ll never know exactly how it happened, but wouldn’t be surprised if my right-slanted posture had something to do with it.
And now an invasive New Yorker has pointed out the problem.
In Buddhism, this guy would be known as “A Good Friend.” A Good Friend can be someone who’s kind and supportive. It can also be someone who acts as a mirror or catalyst for actualizing our higher self. It’s not always pleasant. It wasn’t pleasant for The Buddha* and it’s not pleasant for me. But correct cycling posture is a vital component to riding.
Friends come in all shapes and sizes. Some are kind and some are cruel. All of them are useful.
*http://sokaspirit.org/1354