How did you know it was me?
I was given the book The Time-Crunched Cyclist by a friend who already had a copy. It sat on my shelf for about half a year. I knew it was there and I even planned on reading it as I made plans for the 2012 cycling season. I finally picked it up when the guilt of putting it off finally got to me.
By the time I finished the first chapter I knew that the book was for me. That chapter describes to whom the book was written. Maybe it was even broader than I was perceiving, but the parts that stuck out to me fit me to a tee. “Wow, how did he know me like that?”
He described the cyclist who has found that life is squeezing the bicycle out. The idea of just taking off for hours at a time to train simply isn’t possible. However, at the same time that cyclist doesn’t want to just soft pedal around. There is still a desire to participate and be in the mix of things.
“Who, me?” Yes. Me. So I continued reading with interest. Perhaps if Chris Carmichael understood my plight so well then perhaps his solution is one that will work for me.
At the same time, he doesn’t over-promise. He isn’t saying that I will be racing at the same level I was a year ago. This is primarily a plan that puts you in the competition. It isn’t going to put you in front of the competition.
That is the tradeoff. That is the balance that it offers. If you have your sights on being the big-dog or to return to your glory days, this isn’t the book or the plan for you. This is a plan for those riders who enjoy competition mixed in with their cycling, but who find that to go “all-in” would not be fair to their families and other responsibilities of life.
That is me. Is it you?
Tags: Time-Crunched Cyclist
