Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit: July 2007

Today, July 7^th 2007, marks the start of the 2007 Tour de France, and prompted a new blog to give everyone a background on how and why I got so hooked on cycling!

To start off, if you hear "Tour de France" or "cycling" and immediately think of thin, maniacal masochists in Lycra jabbing needles full of EPO in their veins for a shot at a glory only Europeans really give a crap about, then this blog is going to be good for you! You may just start your enlightenment to what cycling is really about! On the other hand, if "Le Tour" and thoughts of cycling have you remembering Lance's achievements and how he overcame insurmountable odds to achieve tremendous success and inspire a nation, you're gonna love this blog and these videos! Because love him or hate him, Lance Armstrong took control of his life and lived with focus and confidence while working like a dog to wring out every last ounce of his ability. I don't mean for this post to be a big Lance love-fest, but he is a terrific example of someone who succeeded under the most intense scrutiny possible while performing on the biggest stage at the highest level of his profession. To the athlete in me, that is absolutely inspiring. To the human being and humanitarian in me, that is absolutely inspiring as well.

So backing up now, I remember being 5 or 6 years old and having a recurring dream where I would be walking down a sidewalk in my neighborhood, and when I would concentrate really hard, I would slowly levitate and start floating along the way, building up speed until I was cruising pretty quick 3 feet above the concrete, with a huge grin on my face, having the time of my life! That was a thrilling dream for my little kindergartener self! Here I am around that age, with my little sister Jamie--who was the one who pushed me to buy a road bike in the first place! (and don't ask why I'm wearing my shorts on the outside of my pants. I was young.)

And here's me again around that time, showing my early need-for-speed by absolutely BOMBING a green run at Brighton! Check out that snow-plow!

So it started way back then. I loved when I would fly, and if you ask anyone today who rides bikes with me, or goes skiing with me in the winter, or even anyone who's been in the car when I'm driving, I still love flying! GOING FAST in general, in every sense, is something I think we're all in love with on some level. Think about it. Who here doesn't like to feel the wind in their hair as you cruise across a lake in the open bow of a boat? How great does it feel to cruise down an open freeway? How nice is it to FINALLY see that opening in traffic and just blast right through it and blow by everyone while you're listening to your favorite song? For the skiers and snowboarders out there, how perfect is your life when you're floating down a fresh powder bowl, bombing out big wide turns?

WE ARE ALL GET WIRED WHEN WE FEEL THAT FREEDOM! It's what America was founded on, baby! Freedom is a live wire emotional connection with your spirit, and when it zings you it can't help but feel incredible!

So remember at age 16 when you took the car out with your friends for the first time? Remember the last day of school? Remember riding your bike out of the neighborhood for the first time? That was FREEDOM RINGING!! And I'm laughing as I'm typing this, because no matter how cliché that sounds, you and I both know that we loved it!

Thinking back on that dream I had….. The joy in that dream came from a combination of knowing that my own will and intention was what made me fly, that the better I focused the faster I flew, and that tremendously cool feeling of flying along the ground. I'm brought that up because in 2005 I'd already been following cycling for a while, and once Jamie convinced me that buying a road bike was the answer to many of my fitness and recreational ambitions, I've flying three feet above the ground ever since!

In this Nike commercial no words are spoken, but it captures the spirit of cycling better than anyone could ever explain it:

I swear, watching that video takes me to a better place spiritually. I love it. The feelings associated with that video take some of my stress and removes it, opening some channels for a free flow of creativity where its just easier to take action.

So, changing gears now......

Part of the cool about cycling is the freedom, the sense of accomplishment, and the fun at high speeds.

The other part of the cool is how cycling feeds the human instinct to pursue perfection and constantly improve and evolve.

In late July of 2001, Lance Armstrong had just won his 3^rd straight Tour de France in a dominating manner, and I was an NFL rookie headed into my first training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lance-mania was starting to spread across America. His comeback from cancer was a big-time inspirational story, and in one of our team meetings our coach Tom Coughlin used Lance's story as a motivational tool for our team. He had compiled a bunch of videos showing clips of Lance with cancer, Lance behind the scenes while recovering, then Lance in training busting his ass to get back to professional form. Then there were some clips from the Tour de France of Lance putting it all together to become a (then) three-time Tour de France winner. EVERYONE on our team LOVED IT! For an athlete, for any athlete, and for any human who pushes themselves to their limit over and over again to see what they are made of, this video session was like mainlining inspirational crack!

Here's another Nike commercial that was running on ESPN a lot at the time. I LOVED and STILL LOVE THIS CLIP!

What am I on?? I'M ON MY BIKE, BUSTING MY ASS SIX HOURS A DAY!! What are YOU on? That line speaks volumes.

So how did you get good at what you do best? YOU PUT IN THE WORK!! While regular people are working at their jobs all day then get home and put in their couch time, athletes of every kind are working the same hours, then spending their free time busting their ass to compete at the highest level they can. And even to a room of NFL meatheads who weigh twice as much as an elite cyclist, there is the common bond between athletes. There is a RESPECT that binds them. We all recognized the effort Lance had put in to be where he was. And all of us on that team KNEW the effort and long hours of training that we had all put in to have EARNED the right to be sitting in that room together. The surface differences between the sports were eclipsed by the underlying common bond of human people working their tail off in pursuit of their dreams. THAT is the connection I made that day. And THAT is when my 260 lb. football-playing self started following cycling. And thanks to cycling, I'm now 240, on my way back to 235!

Here's a similar clip to what I saw that day: LANCE IN TRAINING, REFUSING TO STOP.

And here's another clip like I saw that day, of ALL the pieces coming together at the time when it matters most. This is what all the blood, sweat, and tears are about! This clip is Lance Armstrong putting the hammer down on the competition in the late stages of the 2001 Tour de France. This stage ends with an epic climb up the infamous Alpe d'Huez, where Lance does his famous "look" back at main rival Jan Ullrich prior to leaving him in the dust. This shows what is possible when you never compromise your focus and train like a champion. (IF THIS DON'T MAKE YOUR BOOTY MOVE!!)

SWEET, HUH?? I wish you could see the grin on my face right now! So is cycling starting to make sense? Hopefully you've feeling the same thing!

So what do you think? Anyone up for a ride out to the canyon and back? I'll have the latest Tour stage on Tivo and we can check it out when we get home……

-Ryan

PS. Thanks Havi for supporting me and being the best wife ever