Grumpy McTrumpy

In going over one of the numerous ridiculous threads here it occurred to me that I wanted to answer the question that was raised by one of them. I wasn't really crazy about interfering with a thread that has, for all intents and purposes, become a real BF winter love-in, hence this new thread.


Why Do You Compete?

Personally, I love to ride a bicycle and I love the way it makes me feel to ride one regularly. I love the physical and psychological effects that a lot of riding has on me. Competing makes me desire to ride more, to train more. I can think of no better motivation than to draw upon the memory of competition. I don't feel much of a desire to crush souls (and perhaps that is a flaw in some sense) but I do want to do as well as I can. Of course there are better racers, but I try to race against them as much as possible, to keep raising the bar. At the end of the day, I really just focus on one racer, me. That is why I compete.

What about you?

Machka 

When I raced ... and my last race was in 2006 ... it was the excitement of the challenge. I enjoyed Time Trials the most ... me against the clock.

thefatguy

Why do I compete?

Well, it would be kinda silly if I took all of this EPO and all of these steroids and DIDN'T rack up all of these cat 5 wins.

Kai Winters

To compete.

AngryScientist 

for me competition (in anything really, not just cycling) provides motivation to continually make myself better. i also love the way close competition keeps me honest, its easy to think you're great when doing something solo, but competition is a great way to gauge progress.

good question.

unbelievablyred

Because I'm 20 years old and a little voice in my head is constantly yelling GO GO GO! It's exhilarating, the biggest rush I've gotten since I hit puberty.

MrCrassic 

I enjoyed time trials because it was fun to compete against myself. Unfortunately, I don't do that many of them nor do I train to actually get to a competitive level.

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waterrockets 

For me, the gamesmanship and the soul crushing are the two biggest components. Going off the front like a mad man, but doing so just as a decoy for my team race leader is really fun. Launching out of the pack on a real attack, the thrill is great -- just all the fear that they might chase hard, or that I might not be able to hold a pace to stay off.

Then there's the kilo launch. I know there are six people in the pack who know exactly what I'm going to do, they probably know when I'm going to do it, and there's nothing they can do about it. I don't have a race-winning sprint, but the 1400W I can muster a kilo from the finish is more than the real sprinters are willing to match when we're that far from the line. The non-sprinters can't hold my launch, so I seem to always get that initial gap. Then it's just every pedal stroke as hard as possible.

The thrill of being chased down again 10m from the line is amazing. I feel like a rabbit trying to stay away from a coyote, and the hole is so close. I've had several wins where 2nd place goes flying past me 2m after the line...

The wins crush my own soul as much as anyone else's, but my recovery is much quicker.

My teammates' wins are as happy as my own. I blocked our state TT champion one day to help my teammate and main lunchtime training partner stay off the front in his two man break. This guy could pretty easily have caught them, but he knew better than to drag me up to them, so he kept trying to drop me. I camped on his wheel, refused to pull, and had to match attack after attack after attack. I was killing it at 650W for 15s through one climbing corner every minute.

It's all just so fun.

silversx80

I like to see my efforts pay off
I like to win
I like to see others win
I like to see other's efforts pay off and give me the next goal
I don't mind losing because it gives me that next goal
I'm goal oriented
I'm attracted to the comraderie in fair competition

I'm going to start racing this upcoming season because of the above and...
I like riding
I like riding with other people
I like riding fast
I like riding fast with other people

palesaint

I compete so that I have something to train for. I mostly lose (best I got was 3rd in a hill climb race last year), but I stay motivated while training.

A nice benefit is that I can mostly hang with the A club rides now.

umd

It's fun

jbhowat

It's fun. It gives me a reason to ride my bike consistently. I like the thrill of competition and the struggle to survive in a tough race.

jwible

because I crashed too many times racing motorcycles.

patentcad

I'm in it for the Self Loathing.


























It's working too.

jfmckenna

So you compete but have no desire to win

Just kidding but like you stated it is a flaw in some sense. I compete because I love inflicting pain. Both on myself and as a result of that anyone who chooses to come with me. IDK it's odd I guess but I enjoy it. Plus it's a personal test. To compare your training with those around you, lets you see were you truly stand.

clausen

Stress relief. Nothing like a good old beating to clear the head.

merlinextraligh

Depends on how you look at competition. Another way to look at this is to want your competitors to do well, so that the competition makes you even stronger. Thus your competitor's success drives your success.

In this view, you want to win, and you strive to do so, but the reward comes from achieving the most you can, not from vanquishing your opponents.

queerpunk

Some folks I know want to be the best person out there. If they lose it's because they came up short and they feel shame about not being the best out there. That's pretty foreign to me.

I like this notion of stewarding my body, trying to do things right in a challenging environment, applying what i've got to a situation full of variables, and seeing how much of an effect i can have on it. i know that in the grand scheme of things, what i can do as a lowly amateur is supernatural to most people who've never ridden a bike hard, but also that what i can do as a lowly amateur is, well, beyond lowly to the people at the top of the sport. in that huge continuum, any time i'm the best out there is probably due to variables, flat tires, accidents of attendance and geography, so i focus on trying to do things right and hopefully i'll be satisfied with myself. it comes down to me, not me versus other people.

but i love it. the speed, and the chess, and the difficulty, and the million things that do and don't go through my mind when i'm racing.

Brian Ratliff

To say "for the challenge of it" captures the words but not the feeling I want to invoke.

Racing stresses my body and mind in ways that are primal and untouched by experiences in the modern world. Letting go of the all the internal speed regulators that are used in every single aspect of life. That's why I race. Whether it's on a full out sprint where I let go of my need to regulate my speed and power, or trying to hang onto a wheel up a hill and letting go of the notion that I have to have energy to live after I cross the line. That's why I race.

roadiejorge 

Well I don't compete officially but I do like to be an MUP bully and drop hapless freds in my wake while shouting "WOOO!!" as I pass (very Rick Flair of me I know). I suppose I could join a race but then BF already has pcad so no need for self loathing threads from me.

patentcad

Just hanging with the 35+ field is challenging for me. For the last couple of years when I would show up in Central Park or Prospect Park and if the field was small due to weather conditions or what have you, I'd always get shelled in those races (field sizes of 40 or less). Not enough wheels to grab, and often if 30-40 guys show up, a lot of them are the faster guys. Then in the last Prospect race of 2009 (early October) I stuck with the main field until the finish (there were 7 guys off the front), followed wheels at the end and got 4th in that field sprint for 11th overall, so I just missed top 10. I was pretty psyched. Here's a photo from that race.



Look, I'm never going to be great @ racing, but I love mixing it up with the racing guys @ 25-30 mph, and I really enjoy the TTs too. It is Big Fun. And it gets you in better shape than you would be otherwise.

Daytrip

Looks good.

joe_5700

I have only done Duathlon and Triathlon events so I have yet to do a dedicated bike race. The reason I entered one was to see how I would do and my goal was to not finish last. Just beat one person and I would be happy. When I did 29/150 in the first one and 25/106 in the second it showed that at 36 I wasn't as broken down as I thought I was. I know I will probably not win an event out right, but it's a pretty good feeling to be competitive.

guadzilla

Dont compete in cycling but have been uber-competitive in most other things, and for me, it is a way of pushing myself. I dont have to win, actually - I just need convince myself that I could.

I like that reason!

V.

patentcad

I want the snarky comment back Daytrip.