Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Finishing last means nowhere to go but up, right?

I finished dead last in my first bike race a couple of weeks ago. So I have nowhere to go but up, correct? Or at least nowhere to go but Milton.....

http://www.miltonharvestfestival.com/races/bikerace.php

I don't think I can win even my age category over this distance, but I think I could finish better than last. The distance will be tough, since I normally take all day for such a thing. But I decided when Sayre Kulp suggested I enter my first race that I'd take it seriously. And taking it seriously means assuming I'm a winner.

So should I go for it, or am I making myself look like a fool (again)?

BTW, I blame Sayre for all this. I was content to be a cycle-tourist and utilitarian cyclist before Mr. 21.75 MPH put the bug in me.

There wil always be people bettter/quicker than yourself, so just aim to beat your previous time. Once you start to get better the times will come and you will find yourself beating people..

How you think you look should have little to do with it, Neil. If you enjoy competing, whether against yourself or others, go for it. Nothing beats race day atmosphere for fun and excitement. Heck, I like races just for the opportunity to throw my bike into corners as fast as I can. You rarely get to do that outside of closed, marshaled courses.

Go for it and enjoy yourself!

+1

I could sign up and then for sure you won't be dead last. :)

Neil -

Do it my friend!! Don't you for a second think I won't as soon as I get the time! I can't wait to get into the racing part of cycling, even if I lose and lose bad I'm still out there doing it! Let me know if you need a "team car"..I'll grab something fancy from one of our dealerships and follow behind you with water bottles and clif bars! You'll feel like your climbing the Alps!

:)

I'm tempted to do it too, looks like there is a pretty killer climb (at least in my mind) there as well. Might have to hit some hills in preparation.

Definitely do it. Everytime you do, you keep getting better.

Also, DFL is better than DNF which is better than DNS. :)

just go for it. For me, just signing up, going and finishing is a great feeling and all I need.

sounds fun...... i would love to try it.

You didn't finish last because you beat all those riders - like me - who don't have the guts to race. :thumb:

There wil always be people better/quicker than yourself, so just aim to beat your previous time. Once you start to get better the times will come and you will find yourself beating people..

I have no previous time for this. :-)

sounds fun...... i would love to try it.

Road trip? We could spend the night in Milton after the race and drive back the next day. Milton is 115 miles north and west of my home.

I'm tempted to do it too, looks like there is a pretty killer climb (at least in my mind) there as well. Might have to hit some hills in preparation.

Road trip?

Definitely do it. Everytime you do, you keep getting better.

Also, DFL is better than DNF which is better than DNS. :)

This pretty much sums it up.

I am sure that if I competed in a race, I would be last to finish as well. The way I see it, if you finished the race, you've accomplished a goal.

I have a couple friends that started running a year ago, and entered a 25 mile marathon, they both finished long after everyone else did, but they felt good about not giving up.

I am sure that if I competed in a race, I would be last to finish as well. The way I see it, if you finished the race, you've accomplished a goal.

I have a couple friends that started running a year ago, and entered a 25 mile marathon, they both finished long after everyone else did, but they felt good about not giving up.

This is especially true in the (mostly) crits I race. If you're off the back and in danger of being lapped by the field, the officials may pull you for safety purposes. In one race, me & another guy were working together to not get lapped, but the finish was coming up and the pack was 2-300 yards back, so they did pull us so we wouldn't get caught during the sprint. We gave it a try and even the announcer & some spectators applauded. Good sportsmanship :).

Also, DFL is better than DNF which is better than DNS. :)

So profound, I added it to my sig.

So should I go for it, or am I making myself look like a fool (again)?


A fool would simply assume it is not possible without even trying. I've been a fool too many times in my life to count, and I regret it.

Wow. If y'all decide to do this one, I may have to go do it after all.

Hope you know what you're getting into Neil. First you start racing, then (of course) you need aerobars and a new aero helmet, then you'll want an new Cervelo P4 and a set of shiny new Zipp wheels...it just never ends. ;) ;);)

Sounds like a fun party! Go for it! It'd be fun to watch and cheer you on.
I have a somewhat successful racing background but in my very first race I finished not just last but last by a very, very long ways. I got dropped less than a 1/2 mile from the start and never saw them again. The important thing isn't where you come in but whether you come back. ;) Can't wait to hear how you do.

This is especially true in the (mostly) crits I race. If you're off the back and in danger of being lapped by the field, the officials may pull you for safety purposes. In one race, me & another guy were working together to not get lapped, but the finish was coming up and the pack was 2-300 yards back, so they did pull us so we wouldn't get caught during the sprint. We gave it a try and even the announcer & some spectators applauded. Good sportsmanship :).

There's no danger of pulling me from the race. It's on a public road. I'll sue for false arrest if they try it. Note there's no smile emoticon when I type that.

Hope you know what you're getting into Neil. First you start racing, then (of course) you need aerobars and a new aero helmet, then you'll want an new Cervelo P4 and a set of shiny new Zipp wheels...it just never ends. ;) ;);)
.

Once I have bionic knees, then yes, the rest will follow.

BTW, I'm doing it. I'll start making arrangements tomorrow. wfournier, chefisaac, are you in? If Sayre Kulp joins us, we can bill ourselves as The Four Horsemen of the Clydepocalypse.

BTW, I'm doing it. I'll start making arrangements tomorrow. wfournier, chefisaac, are you in? If Sayre Kulp joins us, we can bill ourselves as The Four Horsemen of the Clydepocalypse.

Since Sayre is the thinnest of us, he gets to play Famine. :-)

kinda far from me so I am not sure.

I'm 270 lbs or so and about 5'4". I am doing my first triathlon in less than 3 weeks. I WILL finish last - I'm 99% sure unless someone breaks down, etc. I'll finish, though.

If I waited to race till I was going to win, I'd never do it. The training has been the fun part for me. Focus on that. If the training - where you spend much more time than the actual race - isn't fun, then you need to find out how to make it fun.

kinda far from me so I am not sure.

This of it as a road trip. You'll see a part of PA that's unlike any other. :-) And it will be with friends.

Yes this is true but have been traveling so much for work lately.

By the way.... I got something for you neil in seattle.....

Definitely do it. Everytime you do, you keep getting better.

Also, DFL is better than DNF which is better than DNS. :)

so true. I have been finishing DFL in bike races since 1990. I still sign up for any race I can. Wish I was closer - I would be there with you.

Good luck and do the C&A proud

Yes this is true but have been traveling so much for work lately.

By the way.... I got something for you neil in seattle.....

My own REI store? :-)

Neil, Looking at the title there are two other places behind the last place finisher... those that didn't finish (pick a DNF reason) and those that never attempted. So yeah, you could backslide.

Brad

Old saying "it's better to try and fail than not try at all..." Who cares if you were dead last. You did it. I'm not saying that to you in a "good Job" special olympics sort of way; what I am saying is look at your journey and how far you have come, and gosh already you are now entering races... you were last a long time ago; you did something about it and are now finishing way ahead of the pack in so many ways. I wish I was as brave and daring as you.

One of the reasons you finished last is because you had a flat.

Look at it this way, Whats the worse that can happen? You have a fun time?

Once I have bionic knees, then yes, the rest will follow.

BTW, I'm doing it. I'll start making arrangements tomorrow. wfournier, chefisaac, are you in? If Sayre Kulp joins us, we can bill ourselves as The Four Horsemen of the Clydepocalypse.

"The Four Horsemen of the Clydepocalypse"

I love it.

Since Sayre is the thinnest of us, he gets to play Famine. :-)

I've never been the thinnest of ANYTHING. Well, except in the comparison between Jupiter, The QE2, Spaceship Earth and myself. In that scenario, despite being mistaken for a planetoid myself, I was still the smallest.

I've never been the thinnest of ANYTHING. Well, except in the comparison between Jupiter, The QE2, Spaceship Earth and myself. In that scenario, despite being mistaken for a planetoid myself, I was still the smallest.

We all have our own gravitational fields. When light starts having a hard time escaping mine, I'll begin to worry.

We all have our own gravitational fields. When light starts having a hard time escaping mine, I'll begin to worry.

Is this dark humor or are you a little warped?

Is this dark humor or are you a little warped?

Ha! Stop, you're killing me!

Once I have bionic knees, then yes, the rest will follow...

When you get your new bionic knees you just might find yourself not having to worry about being the last finisher. ;)

I've never been the thinnest of ANYTHING. Well, except in the comparison between Jupiter, The QE2, Spaceship Earth and myself. In that scenario, despite being mistaken for a planetoid myself, I was still the smallest.

Hmm, and you yelled at me for making the joke that the three biggest masses in Reading were Mount Penn, Mount Neversink, and you. :-)

Darn. I can't make this. But the Amish Classic is the same day, and wfournier and Iron Chef want to do that. So I'll settle for a metric that day instead.

Hell with the metric. Will be doing the 23 miler if the hills suck.

If it's as hilly as I think it will be I'm in for the 23 or 40 miler but the metric is not happening for me.

Am I the only one who finds it amusing that the Amish Classic starts in Intercourse, PA?

And that Old Leacock Road takes you from Intercourse to Paradise?

No?

Am I the only one who finds it amusing that the Amish Classic starts in Intercourse, PA?

And that Old Leacock Road takes you from Intercourse to Paradise?

No?

You left out Bird-in-Hand.

If there is a t-shirt involved, I would sign up. Who cares where you finish, unless you are getting paid to ride? Nobody, that's who. Just you. Go for it. Then let us know how awful it was so I can plan how I'll weasel out of a race myself.

i will be holding my own on leacock road. please dont draft off me when I am cycling that road!

Am I the only one who finds it amusing that the Amish Classic starts in Intercourse, PA?

And that Old Leacock Road takes you from Intercourse to Paradise?

No?

Just make sure you check your que sheets. Don't want to end up in Blue Ball.

Finishing last means......you finished the race. I don't care if they timed you with a calendar, you still went the distance. Sporting events aren't about winning and losing (unless you're a pro). They are about having the courage to get in the game in the first place, doing your best, and not quit until you go the distance. It's about not giving up. There will always be winners. Someone has to win. But no one who gets in the game, does their best, and stays with it to the end is ever a loser. The only losers are the ones who quit......

You may bet beat again, but you can darn sure make them earn it! Go back out there and give 'em hell.