Originally Posted by
Heathpack
Its about trying for excellence. Racing makes sense to me. I'm not a racer but what racers are doing makes sense to me because they are always trying to be better. Their yardstick is different than mine, that's all.
And look at Bunny, just started, went out there as a newby and did something very hard, and did it well. I have nothing but respect for that.
Me too. What my comments were about was the need to excel to be happy. Coasting was taunting the oldies for getting whupped by a youngster. I know very well he was joking, and it was all in fun. But the whole exercise was based on the common premise that they should be ashamed of losing. To me shame isn't consistent with happiness. Since I choose to be happy rather than let it depend upon my performance in athletics, I can't buy into the need to win as a means of enhancing self worth. Hence my comments that it is foolish to pursue the possibility of glory rather than the security of happiness. QED
Lest you think that my attitude would be different if I were a more accomplished cyclist, just look at him whose name shall not...never mind, just look at Lance Armstrong. No one is ever good enough to guarantee that their competitive results will satisfy them. I choose to be satisfied no matter what happens on the bike. And to bring the conversation full circle, I would recommend that to the oldsters that coasting was taunting, too.