Better Than on Paper

I’m really excited today. It’s not just because I had a great six-mile run to start off my day, although that was definitely a plus. I got excited because of what I saw laying on the floor under the mail slot in our house, seconds after the postman’s hand clattered through, delivering a gift I look forward to every month:

My issue of Bicycling Magazine.

Now, I should say that even though I am a big Bicycling fan and a cyclist myself, it’s not that particular magazine that makes me happy every month. In fact, there are three or four days a month that I am so excited, because on those three or four days, one of the many sports magazines I subscribe to comes clattering through the mail slot.

I know what you’re thinking: Dude, it’s just a magazine. But for me these magazines are more than glossy pictures and blabbering text about a sport I am interested in. For me, such magazines are a connection to the outside world of experts and pro athletes who have taken these sports to another level. It is between these covers that the best of the best spill their training secrets and share what they think about their sport, staying in shape and just about life in general and how they connect to it. The best part for me is when I can connect with what they think and realize that sometimes our thoughts on sports are almost the same.

I, like most people, probably won’t grow up to be a professional athlete and my morning ride through the hills may be as close as I get to the Tour de France, physically. But mentally, I can feel closer the pro cyclists just by knowing what they think. That makes all the sweat and grind of being a biker worth it in the first place.

What sports magazines do you read and for what sports? Tell us about athletes you’ve enjoyed reading about and what they thought of the game so we can share too!