substructure

Sux, every time you meet up with your riding buddies they ask you how the racing went. Then they knock you if you didn't win the thing or only brought home a little cash. They don't race and compete with each other for city limit signs.

Priggs.

I can't wait until the A rides start up here and I run their a55es in the ground.

Sorry. I had to rant. I'm over it. I forgive them. But it's still on!

merlinextraligh

Short simple response: When are you going to give it a go?

substructure

You mean, when are the A rides? Or are you challenging me?


"you talking to me?"

bdcheung

he's saying that's the response you ought to give your friends.

substructure

Oh.... See how riled I am? Sorry merlin.

Breath, relax, take it easy.

bdcheung

yeah man, i was about to say... you're really twitchy.

substructure

These test shots I'm taking. I mean, lack of sleep has gotten me all screwed up.

patentcad

Who wants to be friends with you? You're a bike weenie. In fact worse, you're a Road Nazi.

Good God man, your grip on reality gets more tenuous with every race. You're on schedule to ride right through the Looking Glass right around the time you upgrade to Cat 3. That's perfect.

merlinextraligh

I did mean response to your friends, sorry I wasn't clearer.

substructure

I know. I'm all pi55 and vinegar right now.

substructure

No you were on the money. My eyes are muddled with anger. Sorry again. No hards, huh?

cslone

Same **** here at the firehouse. "Yeah, I took 2nd in the field sprint for 7th overall, but I was blocking for my teammate in the breakaway most of the race." Them: "WTF, why did you not catch up and pass him. If you don't win, why do you race? Why do you ride a hundred miles a day just to give up?"

Sigh.

recursive

You don't need new friends, you just need to crush their souls.

dave99ag

Soul crushing = good.

carpediemracing 

I think this is all stuff that goes on before the hero worship starts up. After you demolish them in a few city limit signs the talk behind your back will be "Holy crap, he led out and he still beat me by a mile."

When you race it's for real. Don't worry about the other stuff.

I remember driving at a driving school (for racing). I got out of the race car with its tiny race wheel, insanely quick steering rack, unsychro'ed 4 spd, open wheels at eye level, and into my lowered, stiffened, modded Golf to drive home.

And I felt like I was driving a Mack truck. The steering wheel was huge, it took forever to get the car to turn, it was as mushy as a bowl of dough, the shifter felt like a spoon in pudding, and it seemed so very tall.

I drove pretty slowly for a while after that. 80 in a Mack truck is, well, 80 in a Mack truck. The slot car like precision of the race car spoiled me for many, many years. I've only come close to attaining it with the latest iteration of my "car" which is faster but handles a little below the race car. My eyes are not at tire level though, to my disappointment.

Racing for real is racing for real. The other stuff, although fun, really doesn't count.

cdr

patentcad

Particularly when it's your own.

Scummer

That's about the same feeling I got every time I climbed out of a go-kart. Insane handling and the direct steering is really amazing compared to a normal car. You just want to jump right back into the kart after you're starting to drive your normal car again.

Thomas

damocles1

See, I like doing it the other way. I have two boys under 3, so I can't take off for race weekends like I used to. I still ride alot, but only do a couple of races a year, plus our weekly training crit. I get sick of all the wannabe Cat3 ******s flapping gums about how much ass they think they kick in races. When the 'A' rides start up, I listen, smile politely, let them kill each other and then crush their souls when it counts.

One junior/Cat3 called me a 'has-been'...he got left out in the country...

Holyspokes

I understand your anger, but at least you got buds to ride with ... I on the other hand have none as a 19 y.o on long island.

substructure

Let it be known, there are plenty of guys around here that do not race - never have or will - that can make me look like I'm sitting still. I'm not a pompous jackass that thinks his farts don't stink. Mine really do. I enjoy talking about it when they ask. And they do. But. it's the same shid from the same guys every time. I smile and shrug.

jamiewilson3

Dont sweat it. It is the same everywhere. It is easy to be strong in hiding in a pack, training or racing. From your race reports, you are obviously doing well. Just keep up your hard work, exercise humility, and quietly enjoy your successes.

I run allot too, and it is funny when people blow by you when on a casual run. It doesnt mean anything until there is a race, official or universally understood unofficial variety.

Incidentally,I know how you feel. We have our local collection of CAT 3 and 4 guys looking for their rainbow stripes. While they can chew me up on flat training rides, I have to say that I take satisfaction bombing them on climbs. Giving them a head start so that I can pass them after they have cracked while at full speed admittedly feels pretty good.

damocles1

I've found that the guys who are TRULY strong...turn you inside out strong...don't thump their chests about it. It's the mid-pack Cat3 guys who train entirely too much for their results who yap about their 11th place finish and their extreme training.

I've been off the bike for almost 4 weeks (back injury) and honestly don't miss riding with those a-holes. You know what though, I'll hear, through secondary sources, how they are kicking my ass. None of them have the balls to say that sh*t face to face. It's okay...! I'll be back in the swing just about the time they are burning out...
As Aerosmith said, "Let the music do the talking!"

El Diablo Rojo

Your friends sound like my kids...I get home from the race my oldest says "Daddy did you win?" I say "No daddy didn't win baby" she says "where did you finish?" I tell her "insert really large number here" and she and her sister laugh and say "that's all?" One of these days I'm gonna take those kids the Rose Bowl and drop them hard....

patentcad

Aholes will be aholes, Road Nazis abound, here's how you identify them: if they don't take it with a grain of salt and laugh at this whole preposterous sport a bit, forget 'em. I have some types like that on my team, but a couple of the guys are good buds, and once the Pcad sponsor check cleared, my obligation was fulfilled. I like it that way. I've always been on 'clubs', my team now is a hard core team (they're as serious as a heart attack about racing), and I'm not good enough for them. But my money was. It's all good, it's really revving up my desire to race, they're getting the sponsorship $ they need between me and my pal (he's putting up most of the dough and he is good enough for these guys) and everybody's happy. Plus they have somebody to yell at (me) who enjoys it. I'll really have fun if I can get strong enough to help my pal Gary chase down the break he's after on the last lap in coming weeks. That's worth getting dropped for. The training and the racing have made me much leaner and meaner than I was @ this time last year. It really is amazing how racing kicks your ass into condition more than not racing.

It's astonishing to me how many amateur bike racers seem to forget that this is for fun. And yes, I know trying to get results is the idea and all that. I've been doing this for a long time, I was never very good, I got a few results here and there, but I'm largely pack fodder. But I like it. It's a rush in that peloton going 30mph in Central Park. At the end of the day bike racing on any level is hard, you have to be in great shape to even be part of the peloton, and it makes you a much better cyclist in every way, and you make some very cool friends. There's a mutual respect in the peloton that I really enjoy. Like 'if you're hard core enough to be doing this crazy **** you can't be all wussy'. And to some extent, that's true.

You have the right idea my little subby. There's always somebody faster, some Fred who doesn't give a **** about racing who could crush us all with a little training, etc. So this notion that your **** does indeed stink belies impressive wisdom.

Remember, the only BF member who's **** doesn't stink is Pcad.

mattm

at least your friends will sprint for the city-limit sign, i'm still working on that one..