A Summer of Irregular Cycling

The cycling season is almost over and this year I barely cycled for three reasons. The first of these reasons is that during the cycling doldrums I took up running. The second reason is that the cycling group that I very often cycled with stopped organising such regular rides and the third reason is that after an intense summer of cycling last year I experienced a solitary winter.

Cycling is a great sport, and I really enjoy it, but to cycle with groups you need to be at the same level as they are. This means that you need to be very fit, because usually people who cycle as a group are exceedingly fit. The second reason is that cyclists often invest in light, aero wheels, and efficient group sets, and aerodynamic bikes, and light bikes. This means that for the same effort, on a 1000 CHF bike you’re going to exhaust yourself compared to the person on the 10,000 CHF bike. Cycling rewards financial investment. Scuba diving has the same issue but that’s another topic.

The second reason is cycling group regularity. When a group rides every Wednesday morning, every Thursday evening and every Saturday you live on the bike during regular slots of time. There is no question of “Should I run or should I ride” because riding is automatic.

Related to this is that cycling and running often clash with each other. When I get up at 4am to run at 6am I don’t want to get up at 6am to ride with the Geneva group at 8am. I want to sleep, or at least recover a little. I can’t do that if I’m riding a century on Saturday.

The third reason is that as social as rides are, and as tight knit as the community is, during cycling season, it faded over winter. I didn’t see some people from the group for months in a row. I do sports because I want to be part of a community that lasts for the entire year. I feel that running offers more stability, because running can be done, all year long. It can be done in the rain, and the wind, and the cold, and in a variety of environments.

And finally, the real reason I took a break from cycling with certain groups is that I push so hard that I have a coughing fit half an hour afterwards, and sometimes come close to throwing up. Clear signs of overdoing it. In contrast with running, I almost never get to that point. On Monday I did, after trying to keep up with a professional runner. I managed for a few seconds before blowing up.

I still enjoy cycling, but I don’t have a group that cycles at my comfort level, whereas with running I do.