Last spin with the Zhonguo peloton

The main difference I have found between my experience in China and my experience sailing (ok it's not the main difference (ocean vs land being the main difference (bear with me))) is that while on the boat there was no escape from the environment, while in China I can escape whenever I want to.

No, I don't go to Mongolia. See, this past week it finally got ridiculously cold in Beijing. It's not necessarily cold temperature wise (balmy day for Clinton, NY), but Beijing is the proud posessor of a wind that will cut through all layers, chill you to the core, freeze your ears off, and not even feel bad about it. It's easy to tell what direction the wind comes from. It's opposite of whatever direction you happen to be walking. But for the most part the wind comes from the northwest. Mongolia.

I don't ever want to go to Mongolia.

You can't make me.

By escape China I mean that I can go somewhere and have everything be familiar. Like I never left home or school or the states. I can go somewhere and establish a routine. For me that place has been Evolutions, the gym a few blocks from my dorm. It's kind of a funny place in that it's expensive to belong to by Chinese standards but ridiculously cheap for Americans. So my bud Rose was telling me all these Chinese movie stars, CEOs, and foreigners on expense accounts work out at this gym. So it's them and this random bunch of study-abroad students. Amusing.

Sometimes I worried that I was using the gym as kind of a crutch. How much of a cultural experience can I really be having if I'm pushing my research so I can hit my spin class?

But this is a cycling adventure. And while Fuzi (not "fuzzy") has been solid, he wasn't going to prep my legs for the work ahead. Plus when I'm so far from home, it's nice to have a place to go to everyday where I can get the same friendly familiar smiles and same "Ni Hao"'s.

And the same songs for every spin class. These instructors would not last long with the Denver Athletic Club peloton. I knew that when Laura the instructor answered her cell phone during warmup. A very J.V move. Then she also had the annoying habit of playing a song, scanning the cd for another song, deciding that she didn't want any of these songs, only to change the CD and go through the exact same routine, meanwhile I am starting to twitch. And each class it ended up being the exact same songs in the exact same order. What exactly was she looking for?

The instructors are kind of one-trick ponies in that they have one routine and use it for every class. And let me tell you, the techno version of, "A pizza hut a pizza hut kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut" is murder to get out of your head.

See, now it's in your head. Be strong.

And let's eat.

To the beat.

The cool thing about cycling is it is what you make of it. I remember Bicycling magazine once did a poll of readers. The question was, "What do you say to your bike?" I always thought that was ther wrong question. It's not what you say to your bike, it's what your bike says to you. And my bike always says to me, "Relax, I am only making you better."

So spinning my wheels in Beijing. Three nights a week. It was good, it was bad, but it served it's purpose. I stayed strong, I got rested, and I managed to get off the edge without losing the edge. Time for some real riding.

So, crew, it's been real. And if anyone asks?

I think
You're fine
You really blow my mind
Maybe
Someday
You and I can run away
And I just want you to know
I wanna be your Romeo
Hey Juliet!