As a high school underclassman I walked to school.
For more than a year I’d see him, he was like clockwork. I could base the time off his position.
I had a few metrics based on him to judge the time, when did I spot him?
Did I look over my shoulder as I passed that tree?
Did I see him a few houses in front of me?
That tree metric was almost perfect, if I was to check my watch the sighting had an accuracy to within 2 seconds every day.
Who am I talking about?
I’m talking about this guy that would bike by every morning on that same route, but unlike most on bikes it was at a blistering, breakneck speed.
Not quite 100% all out sprint, but close to it.
The pace had to have required serious lungs. The guy had huge anaerobic endurance.
How fast he went and how long he sustained it for (I never saw him slow down) was very impressive.
Hands down it was the most impressive biking cardio I’ve ever observed, and this includes seeing packs of regular training cyclists and triathletes.
The best part?
He was an 80s trailer trash throwback. A reverse time machine.
- Long brown mullet? Check.
- Couple day scruff? Check.
- Cigarette hanging out (always the right side) of his mouth? Check.
- Stained wife beater, seemingly the same one daily? Check.
- Very short cut off jean shorts, seemingly the same pair daily? Check.
- Highish socks? Check.
- Work boots? Check.
- Old regular bicycle? Check.
Every morning this 80s guy would blaze by on his near decrepit bike puffing that cigarette hanging out the right side of his mouth dressed in the same attire as I said above practically to the second.
I remember some of my first thoughts as I saw him being “holy shit, for a smoker he has cardio”, and “why is he sprinting while smoking, isn’t that contradictory?”
Funny shit.
Haven’t seen him biking in years.
-J