An Open Letter To Wives

Posted by Grizzly Adam on Feb 28, 2012 in Bike | 18 Comments

To the wives of mountain bikers; from the delusional, dirty, oft-distracted men you married.

First thing first. Thanks. We ask a lot from you. You have been our crew at races, our nutritional experts, our sponsors, and our sounding boards. We know that such things were not always high on your list of Things-I-Want-To-Do-When-I-Get-Married, but nevertheless, here you are. Your understanding and support means the world to us. The only thing better than crossing the finish-line of a long-anticipated race is seeing you (and the kids!) at that finish-line. Thank you.

We men are strange creatures. Our intuitive instincts demand that we conquer the world around us. For thousands of years men have engaged in dominant behavior; we farm, hunt, build, and when that isn’t adequate, we make war. War is in our very nature. Our paradigm of the world is clouded with the fog of war.

Part of that warrior mentality is an innate desire to provide for ourselves, and our families. Until about 70 years ago doing so was fairly straightforward. If we needed food, we killed an animal or worked a farm. If we needed a house, we built one. Luxury and comfort were far subordinate to survival. Life was difficult, but fulfilling.

Modernity changed everything.

Today we are trapped behind desks. Food comes from well-lit grocery stores, heat comes from a thermostat, and our homes are more advanced and comfortable than any human dwelling in history. That need to conquer and provide has been replaced, warped. Instead of providing the essentials of survival with our hands, we perform menial tasks in an office, and are given a paycheck that simply buys needed supplies. This is hardly a bad thing, but it is a remarkably different (and new) method of earning a living. Life is soft, and not always fulfilling.

Our culture has changed. But our warrior gene has not.

And that is why we race our bikes.

We need something to conquer. We need adrenaline and uncertainty and risk. We need rivalry. We need to know that if we had to, we could physically conquer the world; that we could be the alpha male. And so we race our bikes. And in doing so, ward off enemies, and the effects of age, disease, and mid-life crisis. We are more emotionally stable, physically healthy, and culturally engaged because we race our bikes. Our introverted nature is reversed, forcing us to socialize amicably (once the race is over) rather than constantly spar with one another in the perpetual and destructive rut that has defined manhood since the very beginning. Despite its primal foundations, bike racing has turned men into sophisticates, capable of respectable, normal lives. We have beat our swords into wheelsets.

You know this is true. You know that we are better men because of the bicycle. We are distracted by carbon-fiber instead of secretaries. Our “poker-nights” are spent in yurts or on singletrack. Our mid-life crisis is an expensive bike, rather than a sports car, hair plugs, and a DUI. Our legs are the envy of women everywhere.

We know that sometimes we become overly focused on our fitness, our bikes, and our races. We know that you know that we’d much rather be training than be at your second-cousins’ dress rehearsal of Death of a Salesman. And we know that bikes and races and carbon soled shoes add up. Maybe you are right that that money would be better spent on new carpet, a car repair, or food for the kids.

But consider the alternative.

If we didn’t race, we’d be overweight and diabetic. We’d be ornery. We’d complain about our station in life more than we already do. Our legs would be hairy, pasty, and ambiguously defined. Instead of a $5,000 bike in the garage, there’d be a $450,000 Mercedes SLR McClaren.

If we didn’t race our bikes, we’d be forced to repress our warrior ancestry. An explosion would be imminent. One day you’d wake up wondering how your husband, pudgy and pasty, turned up in a high-roller casino suite in Las Vegas with 3 call-girls and a kilo of cocaine; the FBI, DEA, ATF, and mafia shilos chasing him.

Indeed, when you consider the alternatives, it is you who owes us your gratitude.

Bike racing has kept us out of jail.

You’re welcome.

18 Comments

Tennille
February 28, 2012
Um, thanks. I think.
Cycle the Earth
February 28, 2012
Great letter! You forgot massage therapist at the top. I’m sure the wives will be able to craft an open letter to their bike crazed husbands.
Layne
February 28, 2012
My wife never tells me thanks. I think I’ll have her read this. Great writing!
Kevin
February 28, 2012
…. And then we write or say things like this, with a smirk, convinced that we are clever and charming. Well done as always.
Ryan
February 28, 2012
Dear Life Cereal,

Where do you get off? Part of a balanced breakfast and delicious? Who do you think you are? By now you may have guessed I’m speaking ironically and have nothing but good things to say about what you do. Life Cereal, do not change a thing.

Signed, Peter Griffin

Dictated but not read.
Kristin Ogden
February 28, 2012
You nailed it! Great writing!
Lucy
February 28, 2012
Or maybe, just maybe, your wives are glad you are out of the house racing your bikes because you are too egotistical to be around. “It is you who owes us your gratitude”? Give me a break!

I believe that most of the wives you are referring to play the support role because they believe that is their most important function in life. Maybe it is, and I am really happy for them if playing the support role makes them happy. Really. I am all about happiness and finding what makes you happy.

But I know plenty of women that are out there racing with (or against!) their husbands. Sometimes the husbands are the support crew, and the husbands are happy to do it because they know it is what makes their wives happy and, therefore, sexy. I don’t know if I race because I have a female warrior gene; I know I race because it is fun and makes me happy. Plus, it just feels damn good to beat a boy!
Gary M
February 29, 2012
Thanks for this it’s a great read, and was fun to share and discuss. It’s all about finding the balance, and of course communication.
Brandon Banks
February 29, 2012
Pure awesomeness………….nice one!
Eric
February 29, 2012
I’ve just shared this with the Wife. I’m thinking some nights on the couch are in my future.
Aaron
February 29, 2012
If I was born 70 yrs earlier I would have a wife; but then I wouldn’t have a mountain bike. Hmmm.
Today’s Sharing (2.29.12) | The Life and Times of Me
February 29, 2012
[…] An Open Letter to Wives – A pretty darn good post about why men like mountain biking. This entry was posted in Life by Andrew. Bookmark the permalink. […]
mark
February 29, 2012
The nice thing about a three car garage is that there is room for four bikes AND a BMW.
Jill
March 1, 2012
Awesome read. I have a similar letter-style post to the guys I wrote for my blog a while back but haven’t really had the guts to post it. Not nearly as clever and funny as this, nor is it a direct response as I am not a wife or mother, but this motivated me to put it out there now. I think.
steve
March 6, 2012
Adam. This is the best blog post I have read on the net in weeks or more! I got the same feeling but never brought into words… Thx!
Dan
March 10, 2012
Im sayin to me right now… ” now heres a guys guy that gets it!”
Keith
March 11, 2012
Remember, to a guy a night on the couch is camping out.
Ligia
March 23, 2012
You are one lucky dude…my boyfriends have never supported me while I go out and race/ride/play. Actually I was told last year that I didn’t need support for a 12 hour solo race, and went solo….hmmm. Maybe I should date women.