There is a time in every road cyclist’s life when you realize you have become a hardcore roadie.  For most, it is the initial shaving of the legs.  Sure, Dave in Breaking Away, made it look easy, but you were far from singing in Italian the first time that razor cut into your skin.  Staring down at your clean, hairless legs, you convince yourself that you have just severed those virginal hairs to decrease road rash.  But, at a second glance, you see how defined your muscles are, you turn your leg to every imaginable angle and notice your blue veins protruding beneath the tanned lot of your skin, and you think, “Damn, this looks good!”  Congratulations, you just became a hardcore roadie.

I did not go through such an epiphany, however I do remember it quite clearly.  It was the third week of April 1998.  I had just purchased a Siamese kitten, and I couldn’t come up with a name for her.  I know it was just a cat, but a name means everything.  After several days of skipping class and several sleepless nights, this cute kitten remained nameless.  Then one day, as I lay on my bed playing with my new cat, her toy fell off the side of the bed.  Rolling over to pick it up, the current issue of Cycle Sport screamed back at me, “Ja Ja Rules!”  Aha!  There’s the name!  I know I was giving a female cat a man’s name, but Jalabert is a surname.  I didn’t call her Laurent.  Nor did I call her Fluffy, nor Misty, nor Sweetie Pie.  I thought to myself, “Damn, I just became a hardcore roadie.”

The funny thing about my roadie realization is that I am not a cyclist.  I am the girlfriend.   The longest distance I have ever ridden on a bike probably tops out at five miles, and I am being generous.  I have no desire to race or become a cyclist for that matter, but cycling is under my skin.  There are not many girlfriends who speak of cycling with the same conviction I can.  Hell, some could probably say, “Oh, he’s off on his stupid bike again,” not fully understanding that the bike is only part of what makes the machine.  The girlfriend is just as important as the wheel being true.  If that one spoke is off, it can be a tough ride.