Louie was especially interested in Professor Softride, about whom he had heard a number of things, both good and bad, which he hoped Red would sort out.

As he had done many times before, Red entered Louie's room without knocking. He saw the same familiar pictures on the wall - LeMond's sprint victory over Kelly and Konyshev in the '89 Worlds, Bartoli and Coppi sharing a mid-race bottle of wine, Museeuw storming the Muur du Grammont in '98, just a week before his tragic fall in the forest of Arenberg, and Jacky Durand, in his French national champion's tri-color jersey, off the front in a suicidal solo breakaway.

Red wasted no time: "If you're careful, Louie, you can learn a lot from whichever professor you take. In that sense, your choice of teachers doesn't much matter. An education is something you get, not something you're given. It depends as much on you as it does on your instructor. You won't always learn the same things from every prof, even though they cover the same course; but you can learn. If you don't learn, then blame yourself, not them."

Louie agreed, but he wanted more specialized information, especially about Professor Softride, whose class he was considering for the fall.

"First thing about him," Red said, "is that he's unconventional. He doesn't look or act like all the others. He's different, and that can be good. In his case, it usually is. Just don't let his looks put you off. You've probably got expectations about what things should look like. Forget them. From him you learn not to judge books by their covers."

"Unlike some profs," Red continued, "Softride isn't a harsh or unforgiving taskmaster. In fact, I could sit in his class all day without complaint - and I sometimes have. When he's on a roll, he's really good at smoothing out the bumps in the road. Areas that are really rough going with other teachers aren't nearly so hard with him. In fact, I sometimes find that my hands and feet get uncomfortable long before I start to squirm in my seat. And that's all to the good - or nearly."

Red explained his reservation, which was at least as critical of himself as it was of Professor Softride: "You get comfortable with him around, so much so that maybe you don't pay enough attention to the hazards that some courses actually present. I remember one day we were covering ground so quickly and smoothly that I got lulled into a false sense of security, becoming a little lazy and inattentive. I flew right over some things that just knocked me flat, if you get my drift. With a more demanding lecturer, one that keeps delivering one jolt after another, I suppose that wouldn't have happened. But it did. Of course, it was as much my fault as his."

Red elaborated: "Let me put this way, Louie. From Professor Softride I learned not to be afraid of things getting really rough; and I learned to keep my eyes open, even when things are going smoothly. In other words, just because Softride makes things more silky for you, don't think for a minute that you can be a slacker. No way. You snooze; you lose."

"And don't think either that just because he wants to make your progress a little more comfortable that he will be your servant. He won't. He's nobody's water boy, for instance. That's not how he's made. With him, you carry your own water. That's why, if you take Professor Softride, you'll be glad you took Doc Camelbak as well. They work really nicely together. But Softride's no pack mule. That's your job. Figure it out."

"I also learned from Professor Softride not to go about my business as if I were a politician, afraid of every changing wind. He's too slick for that, and too stable. He's really adept at knifing through things contrary. After some time with him, I learned not to fear either changing winds or the winds of change. He cuts through all that with a really admirable aplomb. Before him, I used to change my directions based upon such considerations. Not any more. Being with him settled me down a good deal. He taught me what amounts to courage - not to run away when the winds of opposition howl around you. He freed me up to think about other things. I can just put my head down and go where I ought. One less fear is a good thing."

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Red's evaluation moved forward: "I also learned from Professor Softride that I was better off keeping things even, level, smooth. He taught me to spin through my problems with a steady and regular rhythm to whatever I do. He calls it economy of effort, and he's really good at teaching it. In fact, in his class, if you're not really efficient with your efforts, the work load will bounce you all over. In that class being efficient and smooth is a matter of survival. Besides, it just looks better when you do it right. You're still a freshman, Louie; don't look like a geek any more than you have to."

Louie took advantage of the pause in Red's explanation to raise his chief fear. "Let me tell you what I heard," Louie volunteered. "They say he's not the kind of prof who climbs into the stratosphere, into the ethereal heights. He's not the sort who ascends when you want to ascend. He prefers to hold it down. Is that right?"

"It is," Red replied. "If you want a course that sails off into the dizzying heights, he's not your guy. For that, you want to take someone like Dean Castanza, or Mr. Merlin. Softride's not like them. He's got more substance. But I'll tell you one thing. If you want someone to bring you down again after somebody else got you up, he's about the best. Sometimes the more weighty profs are what you need."

"It's all about trade-offs," Red explained. "Softride is all about trade-offs. He requires you to make choices. From him you discover what should have been obvious all along, namely that you can't have it all, at least not all at once. So from him you learn to make careful and prudent compromises. I spent a lot of time and money with other professors before he helped me figure that one out. I should have taken him a lot earlier than I did."

Louie looked a little relieved. He'd heard enough.

"Go put in that "Breaking Away" tape, Red," he said. "I'm thinking of taking a course in Italian."

Comparison of Beam Bikes