Finding the Line

I’m a poet and a rider, and the connections between the two activities are myriad. I enjoy discovering new links all the time. So when I saw this video, the concept of line came to me. The correct line that takes you along the trail (or in this case through the crazy hill town), and the line that sings with a completeness and musicality that flows and is beautiful all at the same time.

I once had a professor who put the necessary qualities of a poetic line very simply: a line of poetry should always have something interesting in it–whether a sound or rhythm, or an action or a thing. And the turn of the line should be in the right place, too, the place that builds interest or demarcates a point of tension–like a turn or a jump, or at a place that quantifies and regulates a beat–like a pedal stroke, or section of trail.

It’s simple to transfer these ideas to biking–especially while watching this video. There’s even a point where the line gets (end)stopped and the riders have to revise their flow. (Ah, don’t I know that process.)

Click on the image to watch. Enjoy!