Because of a bad knee and a sensitive lower back, I took up cycling about a year ago. I figured being hunched over a bike for an hour was better for my body than the constant pounding and jarring of the pavement. I knew I would face some of the same physical and mental challenges as I would have on a nice long run. That’s actually what made it exciting for me. All the same life centered themes still applied – Patience, diligence, enduring to the end, etc.
The more I rode my bike, the more I became interested in the professional sport of cycling. I’ve always been a big Lance Armstrong fan, but I started to keep up on other athletes and professional teams on the pro circuit. The more I learned about the riders and team, the more I learned about the sport itself, the tactics and the strategies.
Just like any other professional team, there are specific positions and roles on a cycling team. There are climbing specialists that set the pace on long sustained inclines, and specialize in “attacking”, or creating a gap between opposing riders. Time trialists are the speed specialists. During time trial stages of a race, they do a lot to lower the overall team time. Sprinters are your end-of-stage specialists. Their job is to be in the mix until the very end, and then hash it out in the last several hundred yards. They go after points for winning, not necessarily with time in mind. Then you have the famed “all-rounder”, the team captain, the team lead. This is your Lance Armstrong rider. Proficient in all aspects of riding. The face of the team. All the other roles are designed to support the captain and help him earn the overall victory.
There is one aspect of a professional cycling team that sticks out to me the most and continually fills my thoughts on long grueling days. He is the Domestique. He is the ultimate role player.
The domestique (domes-STEEK) works for the benefit of the entire team. He sacrifices personal fame and achievement for that of his teammates. He will drop back to the manager’s vehicle to fetch additional food and water to bring back to the rest of the team. Often times he will lead his teammates through certain points of the race, allowing his teammates to draft behind him. This eliminates wind drag for his teammates, and well as protects him from being boxed out of a desirable position in the group. Domestiques launch “attacks” on opposing riders, causing them to burn energy to give chase. And “counter attacks”, helping his own bridge the gap to the leaders. If a mechanical malfunction should occur to the captain, the domestique will wait until the issue is resolved, and then draft the captain behind him back to the lead group with the use of as little energy as possible from the captain. Great domestiques make great riders. They make winners.
I’m a pretty avid sports fan, and I can’t think of any role position on any other team, in any other sport, that sacrifices oneself for the benefit of the team as the domestique does for its riders. As a Christian, I naturally compare the world around me to my understanding of Christian principles and doctrine, even if it involves sports and competition.
As my understanding of the domestique has grown, so has my appreciation for the role that Jesus Christ plays in the lives of society as a whole and us individually. When our circumstances are too much for us to bear, or when we’ve asked in faith, Christ is available to each and every one of us to block the heavy winds, provide nourishment and pace us back to where we belong. He does not seek praise or riches or attention. His entire purpose is to get us across the finish line.
After Jesus had spent the day teaching on the shores of Galilee he summoned his apostles to cross over to the other side with him. During their seemingly short trip, a great storm arose and soon threatened to overturn their small vessel. As his apostles were fighting the storm, and in fear of their very lives, they began to cry “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” The book of Mark recounts that he “arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.” Upon his divine command, the very elements obeyed his voice and the storm ceased so much that there was a “great calm.”
While this is a powerful display of the divinity of Jesus the Christ, it is also a comforting reminder that He is on the sea with us. He is not standing idly on the shorelines while we fight the storms of life. He is not yelling advice to us from afar. He is with us. Even when we do not believe he is aware, or even interested, in our small vessels, he is our most faithful and determined teammate.
Much of cycling’s rich history comes from France. In the French language, domestique translates as “servant”. In the truest sense, Jesus was, is and will be the greatest domestique in our individual races of life. He came to “lift up the hands that hang down” and strengthen “the feeble knees.” His works and power are all around us. If we do not see him in the immediate, just be faithful. Keep pedaling. He’s probably back at the team vehicle getting something for us to drink.
Steve Bitter is a marketing manager for Bulwark Exterminating in Phoenix, AZ. Originally from Southern California, Steve enjoys cycling, basketball, eating out, movies and watching lots and lots of sports. He graduated with a communications degree from Brigham Young University and spent his internships working for a few professional sports teams. At Bulwark, Steve handles pay-per-click advertsing, social media and public relations for all 11 branches nationwide. If he's not on his bike then you can find him on Twitter. Steve and his wife, Emmy, have 2 kids, Max and Leia.
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Thank you Steve for sharing what God has revealed to you through your passion for cycling, what an encouragement to us all!
I follow Steve on Twitter, and you should too, so check him out!!
