First of, let's be clear - that reads "EROICA" not "EROTICA". "Eroica" Italian for "heroic" and is a reference to the old Italian bicycle road races - "Strade Bianche" of the 20's and 30's.
For those who are curious... L'Eroica - Inspiration
The Eroica Grognard
This fellow is in his 70's and blew past me on a climb - on a 2-speed antique of a bike you can see here. To be fair, he was a road racer in his youth, has never stopped riding and seems to be the human equivalent of beef jerky. Whereas I am a middle aged, corporate employee with a slight weight problem. (I'm working on it!)
Why is this here - on a hobby blog?
Well, vintage cycling is also a hobby, albeit not the focus of this blog. However, I share it to show what competes with my hobby time - besides my kids and adult responsibilities. I see it as a counter-balance to a beloved but, let's be brutally honest, distinctly sedentary hobby. I am training to ride - with my CoC gaming buddy Nick - at the California version of Eroica down state amid wineries and the lovely California coast. Eroica California
Here's our cycling group at the start of the day last April. I'm the stout chap in the red cap. Compadre Nick is second from the right.
And here are me and Nick at the end of the ride. Smiling that I can finally get off that saddle, sit in the shade and drink a beer.
Today I got on my 1973 Motobecane for the first time in...half a year? Despite that, I rode 28 miles.
Consequently, I was just a little too pooped to haul out my gaming board, terrain and models for a photo shoot this afternoon. Maybe one night this week after work.
This will be a balance I navigate over the next few months.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled gaming content...
I admit I laughed about Yosemite Sam at the top there, but I've also had similar moments of inadequacy too. In the UK you can only tell seasonal changes by the temperature of the rain, so when I arrived in Andalucia it was so easy to get out at the crack of dawn and do something.
ReplyDeleteHowever not as easy as putting coffee on and firing up the laptop, which is what I've been doing recently. It's easy to get out of something, so much harder to stick at it.
Wise words, Jim. :-) That old fella is a remorseless cycling machine. More legs than man, he was...
DeleteOff line I'm very curious what took you to Andalucia. Maybe you have a blog post on the subject of your dramatic relocation? Cheers!
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DeleteCongratulations with the 28 miles and good to get the balance right between are hobby and something a little more active.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouraging words, Pat! Back to hobby project here shortly!
DeleteDoing something physical gives me permission to be hunched over my hobby desk. :-)