The Stem of All Things (Or: This Life Behind Bars)

As Hoth conditions give way to Dagobah climate, it's been a bit slow-going (literally) in my spring training base miles for this 2011 season. No worries, for it is good to be in the midsts of the yearly routine and ritual of trying to "find my legs" again, after a winter of sloth, daydreaming, and wishful but inconsistent cross-country skiing whilst avoiding the occasional wampa.

More aggressive approach GROWL!

One thing that is different this year is that I seem to be more diligent in obsessing over my position on the bike, specifically, with regards to the height of my handlebars. While it is only the first week of April, I feel as though I've already switched back and forth, up and down, between a more "aggressive," lower, stem-parallel-to-the-ground position, and a more "relaxed," upright, easier-on-the-back-and-neck position.

I think such apparently mundane flip-flopping might offer insight to some psychological / self-concept issues that the bikes and I have to work out.

Italian champ Bartoli
on the hunt!

In our teens, twenties, and early thirties on this planet, it seemed that we bike geeks / burgeoning racers could not get our stems and bars low enough. We were going for "aero," or figured perhaps that the closer we were TO the bike, the more we'd become one WITH the bike... Like a Jedi, the Force, and his lightsaber... ("Strong on bike you are yet NOT," says Yoda)

Now, as I enter my first "Masters 40+" racing season, ("About to turn 40, better FLIP that stem!") I contemplate the implications of stem-and-bar position with the solemn gravitas that only a vain, self-important, delusional bike racer could conjure up... Wait a minute, vain? self-important? delusional? I suppose that'd be MOST bike racers!

The human body changes as we age. We become less limber, less able to maintain the (insert your favorite predator animal here) about to pounce stance we were able to posture around with in our more youthful trips around the sun. Fine, it does not take a Ph.D. in sports physiology to grasp this concept.

Please, add some fiber to my sports drink

In my case, it's not so much that my body was starting to tell me that the more aggressive position on the bike was uncomfortable... In fact, I don't recall any back or neck pain last season, or going into the current new season. What IS different, is that I seem to be more at ease and comfortable with the aesthetic and concept of the upright tilted, more relaxed riding position. Though, when I glance at the bike's silhouette and profile in its current relaxed approach, I cannot but help think about what is being "lost" by training and racing in a less "youthful" stance. Bike responsiveness? Intimidation of my rivals as they see me roll up to the line? (hear them quake (or quack?) in their duck-waddling-cleated cycling shoes)

It's more that I seem comfortable, not necessarily with my physical position on the bike, but with the abstraction of what it means to grow ever-so-slightly (hey!) *OLDER* even if not much wiser. One thing is for certain, it is easier to be in the drops (the lower part of the handlebars) for longer periods, and that IS more aero! So perhaps the whole thing is a ruse after all, and it's not about seeking two-wheeled creature comforts, but about speed, efficiency, and body mechanics at the expense of youthful velo-aesthetics.

I also suspect that I can more easily apply power to the pedals, in the more upright position... I just don't look as cool doing it. I *still* look cooler than some hippie-bearded Star Trek physicist on a recumbent flying a little day-glo triangle flag though. Hey, I earlier invoked Star Wars, not Star Trek! There IS a difference! And so too with the stem-bar-ego setup.