This Just In: New Outside Column!

If you live in New York then you're already familiar with the story of State Senator Marty Golden and how he pretended to be a cop to bully a cyclist out of the bike lane he was driving in, but for the rest of you I figured I'd recap the tale, for it embodies the synergistic entitlement effect that comes from mixing driving with political power:

He's still at it, by the way, even after the ensuing media shitstorm:

Spotted @SenMartyGolden parked in the crosswalk on 93rd Street during his workout at Harbor. It’s really getting too easy to catch T327SD in the traffic violation act. Also, his registration recently expired and he hasn’t paid the ticket yet. @NY1 @NYDailyNews @BayRidgeDrivers pic.twitter.com/FY6KGKZtR5

— Charlie O'Donnell (@ceonyc) December 31, 2017

In other news, have you ever pondered this question?

A 25-year-old Cat. 1 cyclist — we’ll call him Max — visited the University of Colorado Sports Medicine and Performance Center in November 2015 in preparation for the 2016 season. The previous year he won one race, placed on the
podium twice, and had 20 top-10 finishes.

Max had been self-coached for several years but did not have a well-structured training program. Desiring more structure, he began working with a coach. He also aspired to turn professional.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept of "base miles," it's Fred speak for what the rest of us call riding your bike.  Obviously the correct answer to the question posed in the headline is "Exactly how many you feel like riding," but the more crucial issue is that somebody needs to stage an intervention for this "Max" guy immediately, because he is wasting the best years of his life chasing a goal that, at best, will eventually land him a podcast once he reaches middle age:

And that's assuming he reaches the absolute pinnacle of the sport.  Seriously, Max, you live in Colorado for chrissakes!  Save yourself the time and effort and open that weed dispensary now:

Then you can just ride your bike in your leisure time.

Speaking of base miles, I'm headed out to lay down some since it's a downright balmy 20 degrees, but I'll report back in due course.  In the meantime, I invite you to contemplate this guy:

And now to curate the proper tire pressure with my Bluetooth tire pump:

Just kidding.