Friday, June 27, 2008

well, what can i say? sometimes in life, good things happen. other times, not so good things happen. its hard (for me) to know exactly what happened because i wasn't there but the short of it was that one of our team mates, Jinx, was hit by a motorbike at a junction as he was riding home.

how the guy could miss seeing him, with his blinkers on, and see xihao, who had no lights on at all, is still a mystery and the irritating part was that the guy was apparently unrepentant (and unhurt as well i might add). so poor Jinx, who had already sustained a torn meniscus, now has a fracture on the same leg.

at the risk of sounding morbid, sometimes it does seem to me that we are merely waiting for our time to come on the bike. i mean, sooner or later everyone crashes, its just a matter of how bad and whether you live to talk about it. this isnt defeatist thought, it is merely reality; if you don't want to crash, then don't ride because at its root, cycling is an unforgiving sport. unforgiving to mistakes made, whether by you or by others.

i remember that very night, chi hao was asking me (after i very nearly crashed myself) if we would "confirm crash" during the trip itself and my reply was very simply "it depends". it could happen to anyone, from the rank amateur to the very best professionals. nobody is immune from the hands of fate.

i suppose another question that could be asked is "Why?". why Jinx? why me (if and when you crash)? why ride a bicycle in the name of a charity that a few months ago you never even heard of? how far does the love of riding (or the love of pushing your limits) go?

i guess if you ride a bike; for me at least, you could come to two conclusions. One is to be stoic, you know, ce la vie, that's life, lets go. The other is to ride with fear in your heart and that is a shame because you should never do something you love with fear inside you. Maybe the question could be phrased another way. Why not? Why can't I? personally, i would rather die and live a fuller life than one that is half lived in fear. people were meant to fly on the bicycle, fly away, break away from life.

i think there might also be a third option, which is not to think so much and just get down and do it. this is of course the best option (but one that i struggle with, unfortunately) because you lessen the existential angst. i hope as i get older, i get dumber, because i sure would be a lot happier =)

This kinda brings to mind one of my favourite poems (i promise my next few posts will not be so boring), which is the Charge of The Light Brigade, by Alfred Lord Tennyson. It really captures the essence of just getting down and Doing It. I hope you will be as inspired as i was when i read it last.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Half a league, half a league,
half a league onward.
All in the valley of Death
Rode the Six Hundred
"Forward! The Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said
Into the valley of Death
Rode the Six Hundred

"Forward! The Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred

Cannon to right of them
Cannon to left of them
Cannon in front of them
Storm'd at with shot and shell
Boldly they rode and well
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred

Flash'd all their sabres bare
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there
Charging and army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre stroke
Shattered and Sundered
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred

Cannon to right of them
Cannon to left of them
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well,
Came through the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell
All that was left of them
Left of six hundred

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble Six Hundred!



This is why we ride.

Posted by Anonymous at 5:02 AM