My cycle and the cyclist in me
7th Standard, during the weeks between Dashain and Tihar was the first time I got my cycle, A mountain bike (during those time every bike with gears used to be called mountain bikes). I took so much pride on having it. I still remember my struggles trying to learn to ride. How I couldn’t reach my bike’s pedal and used higher slopes get moving while learning to balance. The bruises between my legs from the bike’s frame still breaks me into laugh. But they were good old times, very precious and memorable.
Since then cycling has been be a part of daily life. I don’t remember since when my daily cycling turned out into a hobby. A true hobby, where I find a missing part inside me when I am riding it. The cyclist in me is growing ever since, so is my cycle but to the best I can afford.
It sickens me how people tend to judge me, just because I ride my cycle to college, to office, to even dates(O.o). But hardly any one tries to think even for a single second, it is a desperate attempt of a man who is trying to do what he loves out of his busy schedule.
For a man to succeed in anything, there has to be a motivational factor, but sadly the only one who is motivating me towards cycling is just me. I got no team to ride off with, no support from my family (I am still considered stupid from spending 18,000 on a cycle), nothing what so ever.
Here is a funny flashback! I remember at my college, when one of my buddy Bishal brought a cool looking new bike, and one of my other friend Anju, was laughing about it. Her very words were “13000(less than $200) on a cycle, what a stupid”
I have few contacts on the pro line and get some chance to go on with them for some rides, but when I am there the first line I hear is “You are going to ride that??? That cycle is not going to work!! Try to hire this and that… blah blah blah” and so on. So irritating and frankly a lot demoralising.
I ride Motache CSJ 795 currently. If you search for that cycle in Google, I don’t think you will find any links on it. If you do, I am a lucky man. That cycle has no reputation at all on the pro cycle world here in Nepal, I cannot even imagine whether it is also regarded as a rideable bicycle on other nations. But Nepal is pretty renowned for off-road cycling, so may be I am just underestimating my country/my surname(:D). Either way, I think I have made my point.
Pro cyclist, cycle shop owners look at me on a very awkward way as if they are saying “Look at that guy, riding on such a piece of shit, and thinking he is a cyclist”. Now, comes another part. After, I am away from those mega stars and onto my daily routes, guys walking by the streets, now look at my bike and say “Wow, what a bike, look at how fast is he going!”. This world is such a funny place you know. Sometimes, it keep on wondering, am I the stupid one, or is this world completely loco.
There is a guy at my area, who dresses up like a pro and rides Trek 7200 (worth Rs: 1, 20, 000). One day after my office I met this guy at little bit ahead of TB Teaching hospital, we raced from there to the temple. We had a stiff competition, sometimes me ahead of him and vice versa. At the very last slope of Budhanilkantha temple, he pushed up and won the final round. It was a good race, he was more skilled on the uphill and sprinted faster. The next day, I was surprised to see this guy again. It was this time, I came to know he rides Trek 7200 and he came to know I ride Motache. The guy who was going neck and neck with me, suddenly drops behind me and never challenges me or be challenged since then. What a pathetic discriminative loser, even with a normal bike, I was making that guy sweat his *ss and still I am worthy enough to race with with 7 Series.
I have rode cycle that cost up to NRS: 320,000 also, but when will I own such a bike is really a surprise. I do not want to spend so much on a bike, since I am not quite involved on professional racing. Still my next cycle will probably be Cannondale Trail SL 3 and I am really looking forward to it.
