Friday Writings for Randos - Descent

{Friday Writings for Randos - A weekly post that features pieces from other writers that touch some facet of the Randonneuring experience, even if that was not the author's intent. It's stuff that's best read out loud - slowly.} This week it's an excerpt from:

Descent

By Keith Snyder*

Boy, do I love descending.


I laugh when things are funny, and I smile when one of my children does something that opens my heart. But basically, I’m not a smiler. In my experience, male smilers are mostly salesmen.

But around 35 miles an hour, downhill, my heart’s beating faster, and by 40 there’s a grin. At 45, it’s full-out, flushed, eyes-bright glee, the way people look after a really awesome roller coaster.

I hate roller coasters. But I love descending.

When my stomach’s flat and my hairy butt’s got no lard on it, I’m between 190 and 195. In the small print for bike parts, I’m “For our heftier riding friends…” And I climb like a banana slug. You’ll have time to call your friends to help cheer me on.

But descending? If everything’s lubed and packed, and I’m not too exhausted to hold the position and trust my reflexes? Newton was wrong. Gravity loves me.

* * *

 ACTS OF BEAUTY don’t get much more senseless than zooming downhill at 49 miles an hour with your jersey rippling and your gloved fingers on the levers. It’s pure. There is no manifesto, and you can’t get theoretical. Some beauty is simply itself.

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*Keith Snyder blogs, rides and writes from New York City.  You can read the entire blogpost here.