The roads speak to me

Here I am now, mounted to my steel steed of transport and play.  As I spin circles I feel as though I am gliding over the surfaces of the earth while maintaining a direct connection with what rests beneath.  Looking down reveals a vignette of things both long past and soon to come: Road.

Reading the road is like understanding an intimate language that transcends verbal communications of any sort.  To both feel and see while simultaneously adapting to the contours of the landscape strikes me as the equivalent of a sailor navigating the unknown vastness and uncertainty that is the sea.  You can only know it truly by approaching it and embracing it for what it is.  With unexpected ramps, winding switchbacks, varying terrain and seemingly endless flats with rolling hills, the land tells its story through innumerable subtle nuance.

 Great roads tell tales of conforming to the curvature of the plains, mountains, valleys and straits.  A path chronicles history over the decades past and suggests things such as an appreciation for nature (and often time a lack thereof), overzealous ambition, and both patience as well as hastiness. The plowing of bulldozers and digging of excavators inevitably differentiates the natural flow of continents from expedient routes of transport.  In turn the road reveals itself as unit of measure that is directly proportional to our willingness as humans to traverse the planet as it is.  Such aforementioned roads are the ultimate conveyors of our planet's current state.  They speak a language that has either a highly industrialized and mechanized dialect, or a gentle, admiration induced compassion for nature.

Although a blasted sliver of highway dissecting a colossal mountain pass may indeed facilitate quick movement, the greatest roads are indeed those of least resistance.  Simple in nature though they may be, the best paths speak volumes as they allow us to follow in the footsteps of those who paved the way with grace.  With respect and admiration, I now continue onward, feeling the textures translate through my bicycle and into my muscles, nerves and bones.  A direct translation is understood as I continue forward with receptivity being my key to movement, thus allowing me to bend and stiffen with the ebb and flow of the ride.  The road will only continue to afford me a wonderful journey so long as I am capable of speaking its language.  

Continue on road, and I will be here to listen.

The Pro cycling/Formula 1 parallel

It doesn't take much investigation to stumble upon the realization that in the bicycle world, what wins sells.  The direct correlation between UCI, ASO, RCS Sport and USA Cycling overall/stage race wins and revenue generated is empirically observable.  The amount of R&D that goes into sending racers out into the Peleton with the most advanced metallurgic, electronic, aerodynamic and lightweight machines is second to none.  Technological, nutritional and bio mechanical  analysis is studied, contemplated, reworked and deliberately implemented into something that from an outside perspective seems more like a meticulously orchestrated DARPA project than an act of people simply chasing one another around on bicycles.  Paradoxical though it may seem, both the previous and the latter could not be closer to the truth.  The bottom line here is that modern bicycle racing is a cohesively strategized science project that is equally dependent on the psychological and physiological performance of 8-9 racers working in tandem (team mates) as it is on the utilization of the highest technological development.  So you might be asking yourself what the hell any of this has to do with Formula 1 auto racing.  The answer in a word: everything.

Some of you might remember this marketing scheme courtesy of Specialized
sometime in 2014 that circulated magazines and blogs the world round.
It wasn't their gimmicky attempt at likening a bicycle to a Formula 1 car that
got my attention as much as it was the evocation of underlying parallels
that exist logistically between the FIA's F1 auto racing division and the
world of pro level cycling.

Aerodynamic drag, fatigue life, ultimate tensile strength, moment of inertia, gyroscopic effect, suspension loss and friction induced drag are just a few of the key variables that either facilitate or hinder the overall performance of both Formula 1 cars and professional racing bicycles.  Equally scrutinized though these aspects may be, its the laser like precision with which the teams operate with that seems to be the most paralleled here.  With auto races being one by fractions of a second over the duration of an hour and 21 day bicycle stage races being decided sometimes by less than a minute, marginal gains become paramount in importance.  From constant, real time radio communication, to the heads up style display of critical aspects of the automobile and cyclist alike, both the Formula 1 and cycling team move in a different, yet similar fashion.  Weather patters, racers behavioral habits, physiological data and external wild card variables compose an ear full for a racer who is simultaneously attempting to focus on not only his own riding/driving, but that of his rivals as well.  With multi million dollar sponsorship deals on the line, every second of podium time, tv coverage, positive pr and name dropping comes at a serious price.  This is the life of a pro level cyclist, mechanic, seigneur, chef, director sportif and team car driver.  To eat, breathe sleep and spell anything otherwise is synonymous with failure.

Here we have former Tour De France winner "Sir" Bradly Wiggins
getting super-aero on his new age cycling rocket ship.
An equal amount of r&d went into developing the aluminium
and carbon fiber that rests between his legs as did the most modern
iteration of a Formula 1 racing machine. Skin suits,
disc wheels and aero helmets.. Pushing the aerodynamic envelope F1 style.