I should write from the mere yearning and fondness I have for the Beautiful even if my night’s labour’s should be burnt every morning and no eye ever shine upon them.
That’s Keats — Johnny Boy — who died thinking pretty much that no eyes had shined upon him. Like Blake and a lot of my other favorite poets, he left thinking he’d been a failure. I try to write not about bikes or biking but about the beauty that I see there, and that I, we, can find through biking, and, of course, most of the time what I’m actually doing is writing about the properties of carbon fiber or something. No illusions for me, yet still the striving. And, hell, at least someone learns how to fix a flat at the end of the whole thing. Beckett might appreciate that. Keats, I don’t know. He probably never changed a snakebite in his life.
3 Comments
July 10, 2008 at 11:16 am
Hi,
I emailed through the bicycling website but figured I’d try here. First off, I love reading your column in the magazine. Otherwise, is it possible not to put the stage winner’s name in the subject line of emails from bicycling’s newsletter as I TIVO the races and want to watch that night or the next day. You guys are spoiling the race outcomes before I can watch!!!!!! I can’t be the only one with this problem! Thanks,
Mike
August 7, 2008 at 1:49 pm
First off, you most likely have a gift for writing the way most people hear their own inner monologue, and second; I really have a gut feeling you are not such a mediocre biker. Your self – deprecating angle works well – only because most would tire of hearing your most glorious exploits. I am looking forward to reading your book – you seem to be a very interesting character Mr. Strickland.
I do believe you have most captured the essence, most eloquently, of why some like to suffer on a bike.
So how did you do on “the crazy bet”? – I have another gut feeling you came close methodically and in your own harmless way ripping their legs off.
Superb writer – but no slouch in the saddle either.
Best of life to you sir.
Jose
October 9, 2008 at 10:15 pm
[...] – bookmarked by 6 members originally found by ernohannink on 2008-09-18 capital B, i guess http://billstrickland.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/capital-b-i-guess/ – bookmarked by 3 members [...]