I'm fairly certain you're able to parse out the nuance of what I'm saying. It isn't a guy against a weak or strong team, but all 200 guys for themselves. I don't know what year the team era took over the grand tours or the sport as a whole, but even with a weak team a guy has a team.

This started talking about national champs and olympics, why did it devolve into talking about amateurs? I don't even think anyone but pro/1/2 fields should have cash prizes, so no I don't care about a $10.99 trophy. But I do think pros that help a teammate win nats should get a little flag or something put on their jersey for the year. That would be nice.

I think every Category should get paid out - you are paying to enter a race, so some of the fees should come back to you. There is a race next weekend in Central Park - paying out $8,500 to the P/1/2/3 categories, $1,100 to Cat 3 and $750 to Cat 4. Cat 5 only gets medals. I think it's a decent amount of cash to win something that you enjoy to do, that's not your primary source of income. I like riding, and would love to podium and take home a few hundred bucks one time.

I think everyone in all races should receive ponies.

Even people who thought about racing, or want to, but just haven't made it out yet.

Ponies for everyone!!!!11

Maybe some sort of staticly stuck thing that they could remove when their year is up. That way they don't have to shell out for a brand new jersey. Or maybe I'm the only cheap one who thinks that way.

I agree with this. The guy who wins the race is the national champion. Without question. I just think it sells the sport short to say it wasn't a team effort.
Yes, if Ted King had somehow won nationals as the lone rider for Cannonwhale (1980s reference) this year, he would have done it without a team. (Forgetting, for the moment, the idea of a combine with other single riders.) And therefore, he would have to share the glory with no one. And it's certainly possible to win with almost no team. Timmy Duggan in 2012 is a good example. It was just he and King riding in the Liquigas colors that year. If at some point in that race Ted King's efforts helped ensure victory for Duggan, then it was a team effort. No matter how small the team.

That's about all I was getting at. Almost a sub-title for national championships, worlds, and Olympics in which there's a title held for a year or four.

I had to fill 50 seconds. It was a challenge to shorten intros such as Jens' and a bigger challenge to lengthen intros such as the entire Bissell Devo team. They had nothing on their resume`.

I have my intros written out in advance. And I save them because I'll probably need them again in Colorado.

You racing the Dave Jordan? He was the brother of one of my really good family friends who was actually trying to get me to come race it this year. I told them I would come out in 2015 as I don't think I would do too well with the P12's this season.

Most every recreational endeavor costs money to participate in. There are inherent flaws in a model where folks get paid for racing. Huge purses for park races, in a city with quite a large number of drug positives, incidences of cheating, and general recklessness seems to me a prescription for continued difficulties. I'd be happy with the $10.99 trophy, a medal, or a jersey. Cat 5s opining that they want to get paid out a few hundred bucks for winning a race is ponderous.

I honestly don't really feel like I deserve a cash prize any more in a P12 race than I would in a masters race, or that I should have a cash prize now vs. when I was a 3 or a 4.

my kids couldn't care less about any cash I win racing, but when I bring home a medal, i'm a superhero. if I brought home a trophy, they might actually start listening to me!

A bunch of years ago, in order to do a particular early morning series, my son needed to sleep over someone's house. Since I felt bad about it I have him my prize money throughout the series. He got a pretty good chunk of change.

Its to cover our medical expenses.

What's the problem here.

If I had to base my opinion on my abilities on my results, my opinion wouldn't be nearly as high.

"winner of multiple Tuesday night world championships, regular participant on his shop ride, and here to support [insert other domestic pro], we have so and so..."

Somewhere during the Amgen, I did see Tom Boonen referred to as a stage x winner of the 2010 Amgen (or whatever year it was), but nothing else from his cycling history. I can't imagine he'd have anything from the Tour of California as one of his personal race highlights.

I think this is a great question, Jamie. I like the idea of teammates having a small icon on their kit, like a striped shield or something with the date in it.

Team tactics most certainly play a part in pro criteriums. Just watch Bissell or UHC chop their way to victory.

Once you were selected to ride in pro team, became part of the team and worked with the team, you will understand that pro cycling is totally a "Team" sport.

Unless I have missed something in the English dictionary, defining the word "Team"

Getting far afield from the OP's stupid rant, but here are my notes from the Folsom TT for Boonen.
I think all I said was "Ladies and Gentlemen, it's Tom Boonen!!" and the crowd filled the other 57 seconds with cheering. Less is more.

#21 Tom Boonen
age 33 Mol Belgium
4x winner of Paris Roubaix

3x Winner of Tour of Flanders

multiple stage winner in all three Grand Tours

2005 World Champion

TRIVIA: 2x World Champion. Road and….. TTT in 2012

TRIVIA - Has ridden for just two teams: QuickStep and USPostal


So far in 2014. Winning Kurne Brussels Kurne
 7th at Flanders
 10th at Roubaix
 2nd overall, the sprinters jersey, AND 2 stages at Tour of Qatar.



Thus far this year, he has 5782.1 kilometers of racing According to procyclingstats.com




And talking about what constitutes a TEAM and who gets a piece of the trophy...
Even the NFL practice squad players get a Super Bowl ring.

The comparison dealt with a leader receiving credit for doing what a leader does. That I have to break that down and explain it to you says enough on its own.

Your asinine comment was just that. It wasn't a rebuttal, it was just you regurgitating vitriol because you had nothing else to contribute. Work on it.

Are you serious?

You can take whatever glory you need to take to make you feel like you're doing something worthwhile. At the end of the day, the only glory is the one bestowed to the guy that crossed the line first. That's why we have "winners". That's why we have "titles".

No, your example perfectly makes my point. Those players get the ring because it is a team sport.

Cycling isn't so they don't. That's why cycling isn't a team sport in that vein, it's an individual sport. My point all along.

Yeah, silly me, thinking a RACE is about something other than the fastest person getting across the line first. As if bike racing is the only sport utilizing such a "non-organic" system of rewarding the first person to finish the glory.

How crazy we humans have been throughout history.

Why?! If half the peloton has it then what's the point? It loses all value.

A teammate that doesn't win nats is NOT the winner. This is a ridiculously simple concept and I'm having a really hard time figuring out how anyone can think that a person that does NOT win a race should be rewarded in the same vein as someone that does.

No, apparently you just missed the definition of the word "winner" and how it's used in the context of bike racing.

But let me know the next time the entire team steps on to the podium after winning the weekend race/NRC race/Giro stage, etc.

The rider crossing the line first did it in the least amount of time, but that does not make him/her the fastest person. The winner may have had the best team working to put him in a better position than the fastest person.

I know this might be a bit deep for you.

Really?

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