She Rides Like Lance

During my third week in Japan this past Spring, my host Seiiya persuaded this fellow to take the "cute American girl" riding. I was thrilled to ride with someone fast and smooth who knew the territory. He met me at Seiiya's bike shop, and led me on a 70-mile spin on bike paths and country roads through Tokyo's outskirts. The elegance of his cadence and handling complemented his understated pearl-white bicycle. It was a windy along the rivers we paralleled that sunny afternoon. At the halfway point we stopped at a charming bakery to devour pastries and tiny cups of complimentary coffee. I'd discovered by then that most Japanese--even serious cyclists--are far too civilized to eat while riding (or maybe they were just being polite for my sake). We returned to the shop just as the sun was setting. Recounting the outing, he said that I ride like Lance Armstrong. I thought that was funny--sure, the American rides like Lance. But when he explained I was humbled to realize this comment came not from gross generalization but from attention to detail: Europeans, he observed, sit back and pedal at a high cadence, while Americans shift their weight more forward, and push a bigger gear but still spin. Sure enough, I ride like an American.