Thursday, January 16, 2014

An Analogy

Let's imagine I have responsibility for taking care of a cycling team's bikes and kits.

And I have a staff of, say, ten people who work on various aspects, mechanical stuff, driving, laundry, and so on.

Of these ten, a couple talk a lot about how much they love the work, and how important it is that the bikes they take care of get the best care and treatment so that they're perfect for their riders.  And there's one person who theorizes about the relationship between bikes and riders and says that's central to hir existence.

Why is it that these are the people I have to constantly remind to check tire inflation?

Why is it that these are the people who forget to lube the chain after they wash the bike?  Or maybe they didn't bother to wash the bike yet, because they figured it could wait until the next race was about to start.

The people who don't wring their hands about riders training in wet ruining the carbon, who don't wring their hands about having the new brake pads and the best paint scheme, those are the people who show up on time with the bikes in perfect working order, tires properly inflated, chains beautiful, brakes cleaned and checked, shifting smooth and light.

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