Diesel. Not Vin.

Two years ago, I went with my speedy friend Jeff to Colorado to ride Bicycle Tour of Colorado. It was 415 miles (668 kilometers) and 32,000 feet (9,754 meters) of climbing in the Rockies over seven days (one rest day.)

I think he and I rode together for 10 of those miles. You see, it started in Colorado Springs and immediately went up... and up... and up. Jeff's 110 lbs (50 kilograms) and 5' 3" (1.6 meters). At the time, I was 180 lbs (81.6 kilos) at 5' 6.5" (1.7 meters). This meant he was a rocket going up. It however also meant, I was a rocket going down. Gravity is funny that way. That whole acceleration, mass and force thing. You know physics!

So essentially, for three days, Jeff would arrive at camp first and set everything up. And I would do the same for the other three. It also meant that we rode with different crowds and essentially came up with different stories. So it worked out for the better that way.

One group of riders I (loosely) rode with fairly often that week, noticed my riding repertoire. I spun and spun and spun up the mountains. I sometime chugged along at a mere 6 mph (9.6 kph) up ascents of as large as 26 miles (41.9 kilometers.) However, on the flats, and more pronounced on the downhills, I was a rocket. At times, I was pulling lines for long periods without need of relief. The group of riders (who also called me "the rabbit" for other reasons most cyclist will understand) decided that my nickname for the rest of the week was going to be "Diesel."

"Why is that my nickname?" I asked.

Think of what diesel engines are most commonly associated with. Trucks and trains. Did you ever see a truck climb a pass? It's a very slow and steady thing to watch. Interrupt the truck's ascent and it'll take a lot of effort to bring it back up to speed. The diesel engine is really good for long hauls across the country. It's good on mileage and can go for a very long time in this way.

Once this was explained to me, I immediately agreed that it was a good nickname. That's me: extremely slow, but steady, on the uphills; steady and long lasting on flats and downhills.

This year, I have already been passed on an up hill by someone on a mountain bike. And I've pulled a group of riders that were in relatively better shape than I am.

I like this second aspect of the nickname. I'm working on getting over the first!