Friday Group Ride #51
This is a time of year when people celebrate. Whether you enjoy Christmas for religious or secular reasons, remember the eight nights of Hanukkah, party to Kwanzaa or save it all up for New Year’s Eve, some holiday very likely has you in its sights, and hopefully, it, you. It’s a time for gifts both large and small.
If there’s anything more fun than finding the perfect gift for someone I love and seeing the look on their face when they open it, I’ve yet to experience that pleasure. The other pleasure that I am familiar with, though, is getting a killer gift.
My personal belief on both getting and giving gifts is that they should speak to the recipient and their loves. The very best among them are extravagances, maybe not in price, but the object is something the recipient might not buy on their own. My wife once purchased a limited-edition CD by one of my favorite artists. The sleeve was autographed. I’d never have purchased that myself.
Getting a gift of anything cycling-related is one of those special treats. It’s an endorsement of one of our great loves and let’s us know it’s not on the chopping block of our free time for the foreseeable future.
Some of you will be opening presents tonight, some tomorrow morning and others have had it complete for days. No matter. We’d love to hear what cycling treasures you received—or gave.
RKP will be taking a short hiatus between Christmas and New Year’s. I’m going to be working on a book and some of the first entries for a new department on peloton magazine‘s web site called “Artisans.” It starts with the new year.
Peloton has an additional treat in store for you. There will be another new department on their web site, also beginning in January, this one called “Wisdom.” It will feature excerpts from my book “No Drop Zone,” to be published by Menasha Ridge Press in May. It’s a how-to aimed at new roadies. It’s my goal that any reader will find something useful in its contents.
I hope you’ll bear with the absence while I try to get some serious base miles in my writing legs on these two fronts.
Padraig your writings help soothe the inner beast all year. Grazie.
Well, the Craft bag that highlighted the group ride on bags found it’s way indoor my tree. Apparently, Santa is an RKP reader.
A Craft Coach bag… that’s so cute! Merry Christmas, Robot.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all.
Mom bought Souleur and our daughter ski equipment this year, and we are very happy in that.
I hope you all get the best yet, perhaps a Campagnolo prototype electric shifting grouppo.
A pair of my favorite tires, Vittoria Open Pave’s. A very cool hand made winter cycling cap from the Local Fixee hipster shop, Mephisto. Stylish both during the commute, and at the coffeeshop. 2 cycling related books. I love my wife! She is the best for enabling the addiction.
From my awesome spouse: an old school long sleeve wool jersey from Oregancyclewear.com; three 2009 PI “Training Hats” (discontinued..best cold weather training hat EVER) that she was able to find on the web (I couldn’t) in a won’t-lose-next-to-other-black-stuff-again-color (neon green).
I will miss your musings, but look forward, excitedly, to your new work in the New Year.
Also, don’t sell yourself short on the gift giving.
I forgot to mention, also an alcohol breathalizer (percent blood alcohol by blowing). Not sure if this qualifies as a cycling related gift…and I THINK it was meant for fun.
My sweet wife got me the new Sping Classics book (and an ipad) she got a set of EA90SL wheels for windy spring days. I am a lucky guy!
Wife gave me a little Novara (REI) top bar bag for centuries, since I don’t like using jersey pockets for used gel and fuel bar wrappers.
Thanks to Padraig, Robot, et al. for the great writing on this site.
My wife bought me a pair of RKP socks. Or she says she did, but then she couldn’t find where she hid them. Now she’s thinking maybe she threw them out with the recycled wrapping paper. Bah, humbug.
For Christmas, the family gave me a GoPro camera to record to some rides. Should be fun.
I always enjoy this site – looking forward to checking out your other writing projects as well.
Santa stashed a steel framed Raleigh singlespeed under the tree for me.