The Bike

You know you've got something good when your own mom says to you, "Why do you think you need women in your life when you have your bike? These are the best days of your life and you've given yourself something that no other person can give you."

The best part is, she's right. Sure, I end up at my fair share of 3AM-drive-to-the-fucking-velopromo races. But there is no doubt I ride my bike for myself.

It's not solitude, it's not a work out, it's not to "get fit." It's not about the bike race, but it is definitively about the bike. For me, the bike gives me a confidence I never had. The bike gives me a sense of purpose but without a sense of responsibility. It's an addiction and my drug recovery in one bag of tricks. My best friend once said to me one afternoon before I was set to go out on a blind date, "Jeff, all you have to do is pretend you're on the bike all the time. If you can get that sense of confidence you have out here all the time you're golden, nobody can touch you."

I've always been that odd guy out, you're either intrigued or totally offended. On the bike though, I'm different. Everyone has that clique, that situation, that person they feel totally comfortable with. For me it's a machine.