last updated 12/16/2008
Writings
Q: What would your symbol be and why? (College Essay Topic)
"The bicycle enables us to escape many other machines: we use it for transportation, sport, recreation, and make it a way of life." - Jobst Brandt
As a symbolic and physical part of my everyday life, the bicycle is what I feel sets me apart from the other people in our world. Everything I do revolves around my bicycle. I make sacrifices in life so I can become a better, faster, stronger bicycle rider. My short and long-term goals are bicycle related. I even hope to one day make bicycling a central part of my profession, whether it is racing at a World Cup level across the globe, or using the skills I will learn in college working in the bicycle industry.
Ever since I first learned to ride a bike I have been fascinated with the idea of a device that allows me to travel freely and without restriction. Such freedom can be experienced ten to twelve years before the joy of driving a car is ever discovered! I have become addicted to the freedom and adventure that riding my bicycle provides for me. This wonderful animal, the bicycle, has taken me to the tops of the Rocky Mountains, to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, and into deep and dark forests that few explore. Without this wonderful device I very well could be stuck in the rut of everyday life where the closest you come to adventure is choosing whether or not to eat fast-food for dinner. I have been graced with such freedom, and it has given me a wonderful advantage over the “average Joe.”
I suppose it is hard to describe the joys of riding your mountain bike off road in the woods in a place like Carvin’s Cove State Park so I will simply take you there. Imagine yourself by a gently rolling trail along a river overflowing with tumultuous rapids. The woods cast a striking profile against the brilliant sun. The clouds take on beautiful shapes never thought imaginable. The wind passes through the trees making it seem as if the very plants and animals of the forest are talking to you. As you pedal your bike along, your tires stir up a layer of living that spirals skyward until it disappears among the multitudes of other sights and sounds that your brain must process. You do not need to process these stimuli however; you are in a subconscious state of exhilaration, yet feel almost nothing else. Your senses are hyper-aware, and yet you have no need for them. You can simply pedal and leave the World behind. This feeling, an exquisite natural high, is caused by the endorphins released in your brain. There is no need for definition. It is truly an experience to be remembered.
Riding a bicycle as a profession sounds like an oxymoron. Many children dream of becoming professional football players or professional baseball players. Very few even think of entertaining such an idea about cycling. “Ride your bicycle for a living?”, you might say. In my opinion this is one of the most honorable sports you could ever participate in as a professional athlete. Cyclists can be proud of the fact that they test the limits of their bodies and their minds like almost no other sport can. How many people in the world can say they have ridden their bike to the top of the mountain, across the plain or for 24 hours straight? To do so is truly a great accomplishment.
As the symbol of my life, the bicycle represents my life goals, my carefree attitude towards life and everything I find beautiful in this World. Someday a bicycle statue will grace the front lawn of my magnificent mansion to represent the ideas and philosophies that took me to that level of achievement. I truly love riding my bicycle and hope I never have to quit. The bicycle is but a simple object of metal and plastic, yet it represents everything to me.
-Wes Lamberson
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