WHO'S WORLD OF FANTASY WILL YOU DIVE INTO NEXT?

ONE OF THE questions I have come across in my cycling life so far is: Who is the best cyclist in the world and why?

Reading some responses, Froome was the best because he once attacked with 80kms to the finish and won; Sagan was the best because he’s the best sprinter, or he’s flexible; Tony Martin because he’s a great Time Trialist;….

That’s awesome, and for sure they do deserve that title. But I do have a differing opinion…

I think that the best cyclist in the world is that person who takes their bike and rides. It could be to the shop and back; or a long-distance ride; or a commute to the work/school place; or even a race be it local or otherwise…

Riding is not for the faint hearted; it requires not just thinking about riding, but also literally going out and riding! And that is what sets a cyclist apart from a couch potato.

Then the riding is not just looking at the bike and riding in your mind, because there might be those that could argue that they ride just by looking at the bike…weird. Anyway, riding implies getting onto the bike and pedalling away.

Let’s look at riding a bike:

The saddle is nowhere as comfortable as say a car seat or a leather sofa; it’s a hard, thin thing that is sat on. Okay, you might occasionally have the padded saddle which makes it feel like you’re sitting on a pillow. Still, the point is, the saddle is definitely not where you’d want to spend your entire day, yet you still sit on it while riding.

The peddalling motion causes your upper thighs and bum area to rub with the saddle, resulting in saddle sores. Now, trust me when I tell you that saddle sores are no joke; they are killers! Especially if it is your first time developing them. They are so painful that you develop a new walking or sitting style when you get off the bike…

And the crashes? Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced cyclist, crashing is a word in your vocabulary. There are obviously the soft and hard crashes, but at the end of the day, a crash is a crash. One of the best things to witness is someone getting back onto their bike after crashing be it immediately, or a day later or even a month or year later. Falling off a bike is traumatising and pretty scary because you might end up breaking something, even the bike! But getting up and continuing? That is not for the seven billion people in the planet…

I could go on and on, but what I’m trying to say is that everyone who leaves their comfort zones to ride a bike is the best cyclist ever. I mean, think about it, where do you think the big names started from? They were just like you, riding in their neighbourhood, riding to go buy groceries, falling off while they were learning….

The main difference between you and them is that the world knows their name, but at the root level, you both ride bikes.

So, who is the best cyclist in the world, and why?