Dave Stoller Am I
I am Dave Stoller.I have become Dave Stoller.
Dave Stoller was the lead character in one of my all-time favorite films, Breaking Away. I am not Dave Stoller just because he was a cyclist, like me. He was obsessed with the Italians, more specifically the Italian bike racers. Dave Stoller did everything that he believed to be Italian. He listened to Italian opera. He renamed the family cat Fellini and he spoke with a faux Italian accent. Obsessed, definitely.
So as I perused the aisles of Target I came upon the row that housed breakfast foods. You know, oatmeal, Cheerios, Muesli, Nutrigrain bars. I stop my shopping cart with the chattering front wheel. Muesli? Didn't I read somewhere that Le Tour cyclists make that part of their morning routine? Quickly I grabbed the box and tossed it into my cart.A friend asked me once why I shaved my legs for cycling. I told her that the "official" reason was that when cyclists crash, not having hair on our legs make clean up and healing better and faster. The I leaned into her and whispered as if I was giving her the evil family secrets. The real reason was that when I struggled up a climb on my bike, I could look down to my thighs and see my muscles better. It gave me a source of psychological strength.
Now, if my friend only knew the real reason my legs are sans hair. Simply, the real reason is that cyclists are supposed to have smooth legs.
Yeah, yeah, the corporate spin is just in case I crash and leave a portion of my thigh on the tarmac. But the reality is that it has been months since I last crashed (Knock on wood!)When friends kid me about the farmer tan I cultivate each Spring, I chuckle feining embarassment. The truth is that I actually am proud of my funky brown limbs with the pasty midsection. These are my code of arms that signify that I am part of the clan. I am one with the bike dorks. Cyclists are supposed to have a farmer's tan for each limb.
As usual, I am obsessed. Not only am I enthralled with pushing the pedals on my bikes as many times as I can, but I am becoming obsessed with the lifestyle. The Muesli, the legs, the tans, they're all part of the bike cult. I have thrown myself into the cult. Yes sir, may I have another sir?
I am Dave Stoller. Dave Stoller am I.
posted by LoneCactus @ 7:39 AM
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