Well, it’s been a few days since I wrote anything. My typical process of making mental notes about topics that have potential has been a bit slow. Maybe my mind has been too full of the Ancient Vine Zinfandel that I’ve been into lately. Either way, I am sorry for the delay.

Lately I’ve been riding with a small group of guys and it has been a really good time, do I see myself riding with these guys on a more permanent basis, maybe. The reason I say maybe is because it is a mix of skill and experience and quite honestly it reminds me alot of some other groups I have ridden with here in the So Cal area. It is a typical group of semi fit people who want to be fast but aren’t quite there yet. Their experience is found by reading the latest magazine articles on paceline work and the dreams of a fast bike split only come to them via the various web forums. Not that any of this is incorrect, it is just new to me. I still can’t understand how reading what so and so did or what equipment they rode allows others to truly decide that this is the way to improve. Maybe what I am getting at is, unless you experience the trenches of battle you’ll never know how you fight. There is more art to riding a bike than just watching replays of the Tour De France or Kona. But, all that aside, these guys I have been riding with have camaraderie. They try and try hard, they wake up and put in the time, bless their hearts that they shoot from the hip a bit too much. They have camaraderie and friendship and we have great rides because of it.

Camaraderie and respect are major aspects of riding a bike. Some may think it arrogant and many may even scoff at the idea. Well, if you are chuckling to yourself and thinking ‘this guy Matt is such a roadie’ well I recommend you stop reading now because cycling and bike racing is a sport steeped in tradition and camaraderie with respect and brotherhood as major ingredients that make the sport flow and continue to be a sport of soul and passion. It is a brotherhood or sisterhood that is born from suffering, and through this suffering one can truly find their courage and their fiber of being. Without suffering and success we just exist. Whether it be on a 100 mile death march of a race or 62 mile fun ride on the weekend it is most often best shared with some friends, buddies who can ride you into dizziness and oblivion and friends who you can tow around the roads with the strength of ten men. It is through this suffering we learn to be cyclists, and it is through returning every weekend to dish out and occasionally eat a few dishes of pain, that we really discover the brotherhood, camaraderie and respect of cycling.

So when you’re out on your next group ride and you are amongst strangers, realize that you may feel a bit out of place or lost. Don’t fret, be courteous and follow the group. Do not lead it. Show up week after week, pay your dues and soon enough you’ll be a part of the group. When you’re on a ride with the regulars, remember above all else you are amongst friends; friends and brothers who have suffered and survived. You are part of the brotherhood of cycling. Respect it and you’ll best know it.