People ask me all the time, “Tobi, why do you ride a road bike?” I can get into long winded discussions describing all the emotions I feel on the bike. It’s more than just a hobby, or a sport, it’s a passion, a passion that pours through my veins 24-7. The first time I felt this emotion for the sport was in 5th grade when I zoomed down my first hill on a road bike. I was hooked! I was not a fan of helmets then, however, and was caught going down this very hill without my helmet one day and had my shinny red road bike taken away. Now, almost 17 years later, I am again on my bike reliving all those emotions again that made me fall in love with cycling in the first place. It’s not just going up and down hills, it’s the exploration of the unknown. A road bike is capable of traversing many surfaces if you have the determination and the skill. The most gratifying days on the bike are days spent playing in the dirt and gravel, and then throwing in a few steep climbs to top it off. If you have ever climbed Redwood Retreat Rd to Mount Madonna in Gilroy you know what I mean! The perfect 3 mile climb, with the first 1.5 miles steep and brutal on paved road with the sun beating on you the entire time. Then, you hit gravel as the road becomes a fire road and gets covered by redwood trees. The cool air and the reduction in gradient is welcome after the first mile and a half.
As you can see I really can keep going and going! Rather than doing that I will let you feast your eyes on 17 minutes of pure beauty, or The Rapha Continental Movie. Everything that I feel and try to describe through words about cycling is captured perfectly in this film. It’s why I get on my bike, it’s why I get excited when someone asks, “Wanna go for a ride?” Watch and maybe you too will be inspired to go out for a ride.
Rapha Continental – The Movie from RAPHA on Vimeo.
