Inspiration on the Big Screen

I think when you try to do just about any big sort of feat, getting the inspiration together to pull through sometimes is a little hard to come by.

'Gumption' they call it.

Now I'm a movie buff and there are always a couple of movies I come back to when I want to feel some very good vibes, especially before a competition.

1. The World's Fastest Indian starring Sir Anthony Hopkins.

The story is about a 60-something Kiwi named Burt Munro who has a love affair with motorcycles and dreams of racing on the salt flats of Utah for the annual Speed Week.

Based on a true story, Munro ships himself out with his trusty Indian motorcycle which he built up and broke the record for fastest time for built sub-1000 cc motorcycle.

If you aren't out of your seat, cheering on Burt in the final scene, you are pretty cold.

2. Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.

There is always something lovely about seeing the underdog make it through. I think people can relate to a story where someone has everything going against them. But for some insane reason, they keep believing that they can.

And they do.

That was the story of the Springboks, the South African rugby team. Last in the rankings, newly elected Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) decides that the country needs unification and looks for it through this sport and its capitan, Francois Pienaar, played by Matt Damon.

3. The Pianist starring Adrien Brody.

I only saw this movie just recently and it blew my mind. Anyone who has watched this movie will understand why I chose this image as the most representative one.

All I kept thinking was that this man was starved, witnessed death, had become sick, scrounged for food and was in hiding all those many years and the one thing that kept him alive was his music.

You have to be a very strong person to be able to survive. And then, want to survive after all was said and done.

4. The Peaceful Warrior starring Nick Nolte.

I've always hated showboats. People who have no respect nor care for the world and only search for praise and adulation.

That's how our hero, Dan Millman, starts out: cocky, daringly stupid and seemingly invincible. That is, until his motorcycle accident.

Socrates, played by Nick Nolte, gives him a few philosophical knocks on the head, some good advice and does some really cool magic tricks to boot.

5. Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa.

I saw a documentary on the director, Akira Kurosawa, and it was amazing for me to learn that 23 years after making this masterpiece, he had attempted suicide because there was a tremendous lull in his career.

The title of the movie is the Japanese verb "to live".

It is rather slow for the modern-day viewer of movies but it is a story that is pretty common: a bureaucrat has lived his life stamping documents and living estranged from his wife and son. When it is discovered that he has cancer and only months to live, he goes on a desperate journey to find meaning in his life. And much to the surprise of his co-workers and family, he finds it.

I always cry like an absolute bastard whenever I watch any of these movies so if you prefer not to hear my Kleenex-shuffle, watch these on your own and I'll see you on the track!

Casual Biking

I have an American-made Cannondale CAAD 4, my noble little race bike.

Most triathletes will not use their race bikes in any other condition unless they are:

a. training or

b. racing

That said, most have two bikes. The other would be to ride about town on.

A while back, I remembered seeing something that amazed me. Women in Denmark, I believe, who went about their day-to-day on bikes, wearing skirts and high heels.

The top tube comes all the way down so that you can discreetly lift your leg up and over without pulling a Britney Spears.

So I got curious and wanted to see what was out there.

Madsen Bucket Bicycle in yellow

This is the Madsen Bucket Bike. It's made out of steel and it comes in black, blue and yellow. The most noticeable feature of this bike is the 40 gallon bucket in the back. Throw in your groceries, books or small children (I'm not kidding) in there.

The back bucket actually has seat belts in it so that your kids are strapped in safely for the ride. I'm not usually a fan of kids in a kid seat on a bike for the same reason that I don't trust lots of drivers out there.

Interior of Madsen Bicycle Bucket

This, however, looks like a safer option. The lower center of gravity as well as the kickstand make it a more sturdy choice.

Another option is the Yuba Mundo Cargo Bike. This has various modalities you can add to it like two panniers for about 6 large grocery bags. You can also put a regular rack, a kid's bike seat and can seat up to two kids on the back.

Like I said, not a fan of the kid's seats but there you go.

Yuba Mundo Cargo Bicycle

If you are looking for something that is more like a "normal" bike, Breezer makes a whole series of options for both men and women.

Their Transportation bike line offers ergonomic frames that have the Town Bike style (with mud flaps and racks) and the Range Bike style, which is more "normal" bike like.

2012 Breezer Uptown Infinity - LS

Whatever your bike of choice, ride safe.

Meanwhile, I'll be dreaming of riding up and down the Champs Elysees wearing some things I put together, perhaps in part, picked up from a vintage shop and from a couture house.

Always, of course, with a hat on nicely coiffed hair.

Fashionable Hatted Women with a Bike