Ouch! That’s gonna hurt. John pulls over and discovers he’s lost metres, forgot to record them, on his bike computer. The disaster isn’t physical; it’s virtual.
Justified Self
It’s something that happens often and isn’t confined to cycling only. Debbie recently acquired a Garmin which she used on the Berlin Skate marathon. The monitoring chip distributed by organisers needed to be attached to the skates, but with a BOA system, this wasn’t going to happen. So the chip was popped into the jersey pocket, and wouldn’t you know it the sensors couldn’t pick up the data. The Garmin was the only thing to help her confirm she beat her PB from the year before.
Never Give up
Today, Helen goes for a run. This weekend is supposedly the time most people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions, but Helen has some admin to do and races up the High Street. It isn’t far, 3KM and Helen says her legs can feel it, but again, none of this would’ve been shared, or picked up by friends if it hadn’t been recorded.
Strava’s time has come
The BBC’s article on their ‘Get Inspired’ section identifies the possible advantages of intergrating social media and smart phones with our sporting lifestyles. It’s said that ‘inactivity’ is to be our next health challenge, and not obesity. The argument is that logging a run, swim, bike ride, or skate enables you to share your adventures with others who become your virtual teammates.
Does the tree still fall?
It’s all well and good tracking our exploits. The miles, the calories, the HBPM, all have their place on a visual dashboard, but as I look among my riding brothers and sisters, I notice the empty mounts on their handlebars. There are smiles in their place, and later I discover their secret: there is no ‘justified self’ – no recording; no GPS; no big brother; just the delight of riding a bike with friends, the good old fashioned way.
Rather than looking down, my friends are looking up.
Ah, there you are!
