I bought my spin bike when I lived in New York sometime around 2000 or so for $350.00. It sounds like a lot for a torture device but a reasonable price for an piece of exercise equipment. specially if you bought one of Tony Little’s piles of crap.

This thing has a 30 lb. flywheel that doesn’t do a lot other that make you drag it around and around. It isn’t bike riding no matter what you think and no matter how much you ride it, won’t make you a great bike rider. You have to cycle in real world.

I don’t like riding in the snow, ice, sleet, wind,freezing rain or general cold and this is one of the easy options. I have grown to like the spin bike and the tour de france videos I watch on youtube.

I have almost launched myself over the handlebars onto my computer table a couple of times learning that I can’t stop pedaling when the pack does. Fantasy racing can be dangerous. I ride along with the “peloton” on my spin bike. The main difference is that I have my hand on the “pain” dial and can reduce the effort at any point. Who really knows how hard I try?

Today was a real. I rode my bike to the bank in Spfld (as I like to call that town to the north west) and back to the shop. It’s a pretty challenging trip largely due to the never ending altitude change. There really are no flat roads in VT.

I made the ride out as easy as I could taking RT5 north and banging a left on Charlestown road and riding the short bit to the bank on main street. The return trip was a bit different. I jumped on south street and rode past spfld high school and onto Parker hill for the ride home.

If you look it up you will find one serious climb out of spfld. I pulled off main and rode through that crazy intersection at the end of the decent. Just as I downshifted I spied my my buddy who is a local chef. We chatted and I let my HR drop to the double digit range before hitting the climb. I managed that screw up by just going slow. I am running compact doubles with a 27 on the back and it was painful. I survived and recovered as I rolled across the highlands and down to Brockways Mill.

They put a four-way stop and hardscrabble corner. I had recovered completely by the time I got there. I could have blown the stop since it’s at the bottom of the hill but it wouldn’t make much difference. I was now on Parker hill where I was to be justified.

It’s not a big hill, It’s just been a long winter.

Spinning is exercise without a doubt but more like like those nutrient gell products. It’s the chemicals without the texture. Riding is like eating.

I was eating it, so to speak when I noticed moisture on the ground in the form of drops. I was pushing the pedals just as hard as I could to maintain 6 mph when I saw it again. It looked like something dripping. Another minute or so went by and more drops on the ground. It was 70 today for the first time in months and I was sweating. like the poor bastard in front of me.

This hill is steep, I could look below myself and see where I had already been. Riding an incline is weird. When my heart rate is 170 bpm for more than a few mins. the world changes. my eyes are like cameras that can see any direction. Right through my eyelids. May be you know what I mean. I looked down and wanted to turn and run. I have done enough.

I saw the drips again and I checked to see if I was dripping sweat in the the same place. I was like a bombardier with buckets of salt dropping them from way above. I had wanted to quit up to this point and was only partially committed till now. The sweat was like blood and I pressed on letting go of what wasn’t needed and keeping only the good.

The steepest part was over and there was enough air to shift up a cog or two as it flattened out. I felt the pull of a leash I couldn’t see but I was a dog and I went again.

I didn’t see such a great ride ahead when the day started, I only knew I was going to ride. It’s best not to look too far ahead. You need to be able to resist the urge to turn and run.