Most of what we read about this sport we love never comes close to that love. We read tons about gravel cycling—because we’re fanatical about bikes, but not because that writing’s usually very good.
If we’re honest, a lot of what’s written about cycling behaves like a crappy bike. The sentences are flat. The voice squeaks, untuned. You can’t trust it to take you anywhere. And the shifts suck.
When there’s dirt in this writing, it’s the petty kind. Or it’s fake. It’s not the kind of dirt that goes with you. Not the honest dirt you feel later behind your ear, or see after a long ride, swirling between your feet on the shower floor.
Dirt Tan Bike Club exists because we believe good bike writing can come closer to the feeling of good bike riding. It should capture that love we have for this beautiful sport of ours—or at least glimpse at it once in a while.
Eric Wendt is a writer, editor and cyclist in his mid-40s. He lives in Lincoln, Neb., with his lovely wife and three teenage kids.
He rides, trains and races with a local team of friends, the Lincoln Abrahams. He’s generally willing to train and ride past the point of comfort because he sees benefits across his life in his health, grit, perspective and happiness.
Dirt Tan Bike Club 