Episode 18: Dr. Jules Benson is an enthusiastic cyclist

Veterinarian Dr. Jules Benson does not compete crazily at cycling, but he loves all the other aspects of it: the choice of how and where to ride each day he goes out, the acquisition and enjoyment of a new bike with a new frame (hopefully lighter?), the touch of masochism that comes with pushing yourself hard physically. 

He tells himself, like all the other less-than-perfect cyclists, that speed doesn’t matter, but, y’know, it always does. Because isn't that some of the fun of bicycles, whether you’re cruising down a road to the beach, hoofing it to work, careening and bumping down a mountain trail, or staying off pavement and on gravel to avoid cars? Zoom zoom. 

Jules sees biking as so multifaceted, “it’s anything you want,” he says.   

Early on, I drag Jules into talking about the details of tire choices (he’s not kidding about the deep discussions on tire width and air pressure), but then he properly drags me back to talk about more interesting ideas behind cycling: the why, the how and the who of it. 

He talks a few times about the “clannish” world of cyclists, like other hobby communities (I know the music world’s well), that talk about insiders and outsiders. 

“I can live without that,” Jules confesses. “I’ve never felt the need to have sharp elbows [in competition]. I’d rather be a collaborator and be someone who is part of something bigger.” 

Of course, we talk about the pandemic, because Jules explains, with bike shops closed for months, “he’s had to work out a lot of things himself” when it comes to maintaining and changing things on his bike. (Now he’s back to his local bike shop, and he encourages you to visit yours.) 

Jules sounds a balanced view of his hobby, and I learned a lot from it. You will too. Dig into the kinds of fans in hobbies and how Jules uses the bike as a tool not a torture device (“not flagellation, but how hard can I go and how much can I push myself,” he says) as well as how cyclists navigate the dangerous world of city commuting. This and more. You might be inspired to get back on that bike for some fresh air, pump your legs, and lean into the wind: "The cadence of turning the pedals and knowing that’s all you have to do,” Jules explains. “That’s a nice place to be.” 

 

WANT TO KNOW MORE? 

> After the podcast, Jules shared these websites and cycling personalities for reference and further learning: 

>>> Benson name-drops Selene Yeager in the podcast. He also mentions efforts like this by the cycling community to get more women in on the fun of the sport. 

>>> “Marrianne Vos is the most dominant living cyclist on the planet in terms of medals and palmarès (cycling lingo for a cyclist’s achievements and wins).” Also, talking about diversity in cycling, Jules name-drops an organization for another issue of diversity in veterinary medicine, Pride VMC (Veterinary Medical Community). 

>>> "Phil Gaimon is a retired professional spreading the good word on cycling and being kind to each other,” Jules says.  

>>> Nerd it out with this glossary.  

Here are my notes: 

>>> Jules’ No. 1 tip in dipping into cycling for the first time? Make sure your bike, however cheap or expensive it is, has been put together properly by a professional: brakes in the right spot, things tightened properly, etc. He’s even seen the fork the wrong way around. 

>>> British immigrant Jules tells us it’s pronounced “al-you-MIN-ee-yum,” like it’s spelled “aluminium.” It is, in the Queen’s English. In America, we jettison the second “i.” Huh. Who’s weird? You decide. I like both pronunciations, and I like people always arguing about it. 

>>> Benson drops a quote: “Riding a bicycle is the closest you can get to flying.” That was attributed to Robin Williams in a Wall Street Journal story (gated content). Williams loved cycling ...  

>>> Types of fun, Jules tell us? Yeah. Jules says 1, 2a, 2b and 3. This one breaks it down as 1, 1.5, 2 and 3. Tuh-may-to, tuh-mah-to. 

>>> Jules lays out some of the lingo and familiar names from the online cycling community: A nuanced view of “Freds” and “Dorises.” Congratulate another cyclist with “chapeau,” from cycling’s French influence. Rollers and punchers. Weight weenies and MAMILs. 853 steel, Spirit for Lugs, aluminium (!) Cannondale and big bike maker Tom Ritchey. 

>>> Dost thou dare to explore the secret workings of the Velominati? (Jules says this started as a joke poking self-referential fun at cyclists, but the rule-makers eventually took the rules a little more seriously.) Hate it and want to see push-back? Bam. 

>>> Jules has stopped to talk to car drivers who’ve unsafely (and illegally) passed him too close on the road. He name-drops the humorous look at this, Portlandia’s "Bicycle rights!”-yelling character, Spyke (first on the list of clips at Thrillist.com). 

>>> Curious about Race Across America, which Jules’ friend did and needed a year to recover from? Well, the hyperlink already came earlier in this. It’s right. The name of the thing. Just … just click on it.