Daily Peloton Essay Contest: Grand Prize Winning Essay
I glance down from the sights of Tallahassee's countryside and a pack of the fastest riders in town to notice my cycle computer jump from twenty-six to twenty-eight. I fall to the back of the group. Twenty-nine. Several of my teammates drop off. Thirty-one. I can’t hang on. I reduce my speed, pull over, and realize that I have no idea where I am and there isn't a soul around me. I ask myself; why am I here right now, dressed in a ridiculous outfit, straddling a two-wheeled self-torture device?
I find myself staring at the decals on my mismatched rear wheel and think; if Rick hadn't loaned me a replacement, would I even have the opportunity to get dropped? My focus shifts to my rear derailleur. I wonder; had I not straightened Gabe's hanger last Wednesday, would he still have came in first this past weekend? Would he have been able to push Rick and I hard enough on training rides to help us achieve our first top-ten finishes? I look at the wrinkles on the enormous jersey I’m wearing and remember that getting destroyed as I did today helped me lose twenty pounds this season. I suck up my defeat and head home.
From atop one of the steepest hills in town, I notice the pack blaring through a major intersection at what must be thirty-five miles per hour. I think about how only as a group is the peloton able to achieve such a high top speed, and come to the realization that only as a member of a collegiate cycling team have I been able to find the willingness to push myself as far as I can, a healthy hobby that keeps me in shape, and the best sense of camaraderie I’ve felt at my university.
I find myself staring at the decals on my mismatched rear wheel and think; if Rick hadn't loaned me a replacement, would I even have the opportunity to get dropped? My focus shifts to my rear derailleur. I wonder; had I not straightened Gabe's hanger last Wednesday, would he still have came in first this past weekend? Would he have been able to push Rick and I hard enough on training rides to help us achieve our first top-ten finishes? I look at the wrinkles on the enormous jersey I’m wearing and remember that getting destroyed as I did today helped me lose twenty pounds this season. I suck up my defeat and head home.
From atop one of the steepest hills in town, I notice the pack blaring through a major intersection at what must be thirty-five miles per hour. I think about how only as a group is the peloton able to achieve such a high top speed, and come to the realization that only as a member of a collegiate cycling team have I been able to find the willingness to push myself as far as I can, a healthy hobby that keeps me in shape, and the best sense of camaraderie I’ve felt at my university.