The Many Faces of Cycling

I created this comic after a ride on my local bike trail.

Bike trails are cool because EVERYONE rides them. Fast racer types, daily commuters, fair weather folks, kids... everyone.

During this particular ride, I couldn't help but notice the unique collection of riders and their expressions, each expression told it's own story.

The 3rd face, the booger one, rings particularly true for me. As a road racer I'm easily caught up in the aesthetic of cycling. I can't wait to arrive at the training ride with my gloves matching my tires, which correspond perfectly to the color of my brake pads. Neurotically, I maximize every aesthetic detail, only to be foiled by nature and my love of breathing.

Lance Mania

Lance Mania is a very good thing. After Lance won his first Tour De France, I started racing a bicycle, which was honestly just a coincidence. Regardless, over the following years the public opinion towards cycling changed dramatically.

I remember going on a training ride, in some far off, single stop light town. As I rolled past a trailer park, a kid came running out, screaming at me, "Who do you think you are, Lance Armstrong?!!"

I remember dodging the large metal object he'd also thrown at me, thinking, "Maaan... that's totally awesome! That trailer park kid totally knows who Lance Armstrong is."

That said, a tightened public opinion does little to lower the price of cycling equipment.

When I was a kid, the sport my parents first introduced me to was running. After running, it was soccer, then basketball... It was as if they were only willing to slowly up the investment ante towards my athletic pursuits.

"Okay, first we'll give the kid a pair of shoes. If he does good there, a ball. After that, maybe a hoop..."

I feel for the parents of junior Lance fans.

Perception

When I first began wearing cycling spandex, I always found it awkward to leave my bicycle's side and walk through a grocery store. My clicking and clacking shoes brought a level of attention I wasn't certain I wanted.

"What's that noise? A young lady in high heels? No. It's a big dude in tight, colorful spandex."

As the years passed, my self-consciousness slowly waned. Eventually, it completely reversed. My friends and I would CHOOSE to hang out in our spandex. We'd click and clack through grocery stores just to make people uncomfortable.

This comic is an attempt to peek through the other perspective, to see through the eyes of the people we tried to shock. But, when it really comes down to it, what a person finds shocking is all about personal perception... what they're comfortable with.

I tried to make the main character in this comic look as absurd as possible. However, looking at him now, he doesn't actually look all that absurd. He actually looks kinda cool.

...Which is probably an indicator that I should put on some spandex and ride my bike.