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It looks silly when...

Old 06-09-08, 03:20 PM
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It looks silly when...

...you show up for a Cat 5 race on a protour-caliber bike. It looks a little silly if you actually win, and it looks amazingly silly if you don't make it to the podium. Wait until upgrading before buying any piece of equipment with a decal that says "Zipp," "Record," or "Bora Ultra."

...you are on a team that comprises almost half the field in a road race and yet can't put a single rider on the podium. If you are on a team, learn and apply some team tactics; otherwise, you are merely a bunch of people in matching jerseys.

...you sit mid-pack and complain about the slow pace, about having to feather your brakes on the descents, etc. Please understand that a bike race isn't about riding fast -- it's about crossing the finish line first.

If I think of any more silly things I saw this past weekend, I'll let you know.
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Old 06-09-08, 03:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Coyote2
...you show up for a Cat 5 race on a protour-caliber bike. It looks a little silly if you actually win, and it looks amazingly silly if you don't make it to the podium. Wait until upgrading before buying any piece of equipment with a decal that says "Zipp," "Record," or "Bora Ultra."

...you are on a team that comprises almost half the field in a road race and yet can't put a single rider on the podium. If you are on a team, learn and apply some team tactics; otherwise, you are merely a bunch of people in matching jerseys.

...you sit mid-pack and complain about the slow pace, about having to feather your brakes on the descents, etc. Please understand that a bike race isn't about riding fast -- it's about crossing the finish line first.

If I think of any more silly things I saw this past weekend, I'll let you know.
Kinda in response to point #1: Not all Cat. 5 racers are novices to the sport of bike racing – a good friend of mine is a Cat. 1 sponsored CX racer and very accomplished Expert MTB racer, but when he wants to do the occasional road race, he's in the Cat. 5's with all the squirrels and weekend warriors. Same goes with triathletes, who are generally big equipment geeks, who do road races for training – they have nice stuff, are generally pretty fast, but they're in the 5 Hell just like everyone else.

I hate doing it, but I tend to raise my eyebrows at the dudes who show up with $6,000 rigs to a bogus criterium. Being judgmental doesn't really reap in the rewards, honestly. But when said dude on a chi-chi bike is OTB or takes out the field, well, any derision that I can muster up is usually well-deserved. Of course, if I had the money, well, you can bet that my bike would have Record as opposed to Centaur and that my wheels would be a bit nicer than the Ksyrium Elites that I roll on now. It's all hypocritical, sure.

As for the team thing – well, it's been said that team tactics are really hard to make work until one gets to the Cat. 3 races. Cat. 4/5 races are usually just wars of attrition from beginning to end, with whoever hasn't been dropped or crashed left to fight for scraps.

BUT, what do I know – I've bagged-in my road racing season in favor of time-trials and CX in the fall.
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Old 06-09-08, 04:01 PM
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Expensive bikes?, at least they are being raced. I've seen people on $6k bikes who get dropped on group rides during the warm up lol. That being said, if i did have a nice bike (which i don't) i wouldn't ride it in crits (i'm cat 5) for fear of needlessly smashing it.
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Old 06-09-08, 04:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Coyote2
...you show up for a Cat 5 race on a protour-caliber bike. It looks a little silly if you actually win, and it looks amazingly silly if you don't make it to the podium. Wait until upgrading before buying any piece of equipment with a decal that says "Zipp," "Record," or "Bora Ultra."

...you are on a team that comprises almost half the field in a road race and yet can't put a single rider on the podium. If you are on a team, learn and apply some team tactics; otherwise, you are merely a bunch of people in matching jerseys.

...you sit mid-pack and complain about the slow pace, about having to feather your brakes on the descents, etc. Please understand that a bike race isn't about riding fast -- it's about crossing the finish line first.

If I think of any more silly things I saw this past weekend, I'll let you know.
God not again...go away. Look if you don't like what the guy rides then don't f'n look. Maybe he the bike makes him feel good, for gods sake he's not only riding it he's racing it. This subject comes up all the time, next time do search for stupid threads about what other people ride and contribute there.
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Old 06-09-08, 04:37 PM
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Originally Posted by El Diablo Rojo
God not again...go away. Look if you don't like what the guy rides then don't f'n look. Maybe he the bike makes him feel good, for gods sake he's not only riding it he's racing it. This subject comes up all the time, next time do search for stupid threads about what other people ride and contribute there.
Seems my post hit a nerve.
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Old 06-09-08, 04:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Coyote2
Seems my post hit a nerve.
Yeah the redundancy nerve. This dead horse has beaten a hundred time over. It never ceases to amaze me how what someone rides/drives/wears brings out the small minded.
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Old 06-09-08, 04:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Coyote2
Seems my post hit a nerve.

I used to get pissed at the expensive bikes/slow riders phenomenon.

I think it was because I was/am jealous.

Now that I've been racing a season, it seems I could care less.


Just curious OP, what category do you race in?? How many seasons have you been racing??


L
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Old 06-09-08, 05:18 PM
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Originally Posted by ldesfor1@ithaca
I used to get pissed at the expensive bikes/slow riders phenomenon.
It isn't the $'s involved with the bike that irks me, but the decision process of the bike rider in question. I have seen countless out-of-shape-and-will-never-be-in-shape riders on uber expensive road racing machines on supported century rides that would be much more comfortable on Giant OCR's, Trek Pilots, or the like. It's their money, though.
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Old 06-09-08, 05:30 PM
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[QUOTE=mollusk;6850023]It isn't the $'s involved with the bike that irks me, but the decision process of the bike rider in question. I have seen countless out-of-shape-and-will-never-be-in-shape riders on uber expensive road racing machines on supported century rides that would be much more comfortable on Giant OCR's, Trek Pilots, or the like. It's their money, though./QUOTE]

Bingo! Someone wants to buy an expensive bike and race/ride it, thats their choice. Who cares! I couldn't care less what people are racing on. What I do care is how they race.

P.S. Nice troll Coyote2.
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Old 06-09-08, 05:57 PM
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and regarding the guys in matching jerseys... it's a cat 5 team, that's exactly what they are. The standard cat 5 team has members of wildly varying abilities and experience. They may just be there because they like to race with their friends. I don't really think that's silly.
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Old 06-09-08, 05:59 PM
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It looks silly when you have quotes from other forum members in your signature. Nobody on this forum is that funny.
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Old 06-09-08, 06:09 PM
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...you show up to race with knee high white socks with big stripes.

But everyone looks even sillier when you win wearing those big socks!
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Old 06-09-08, 06:19 PM
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Old 06-09-08, 06:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Coyote2
...you show up for a Cat 5 race on a protour-caliber bike. It looks a little silly if you actually win, and it looks amazingly silly if you don't make it to the podium. Wait until upgrading before buying any piece of equipment with a decal that says "Zipp," "Record," or "Bora Ultra."

...you are on a team that comprises almost half the field in a road race and yet can't put a single rider on the podium. If you are on a team, learn and apply some team tactics; otherwise, you are merely a bunch of people in matching jerseys.

...you sit mid-pack and complain about the slow pace, about having to feather your brakes on the descents, etc. Please understand that a bike race isn't about riding fast -- it's about crossing the finish line first.

If I think of any more silly things I saw this past weekend, I'll let you know.
Sounds like you're....

1) Jealous of someone else's equipment
2) Jealous that you're not on that well represented team
3) Angry that someone kept yelling "Braking!" whilst riding behind you during the race (because you were braking on the descents)


It's elitist attitudes like yours that keep people away from the sport. If I were a n00b and ran into someone with your attitude at my first race I probably would not have returned for a second race.
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Old 06-09-08, 06:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Coyote2
...you show up for a Cat 5 race on a protour-caliber bike. It looks a little silly if you actually win, and it looks amazingly silly if you don't make it to the podium. Wait until upgrading before buying any piece of equipment with a decal that says "Zipp," "Record," or "Bora Ultra."
What do you suggest all the new-to-racing doctors, lawyers, etc. do with their $10,000 bikes? Seriously, you just called out like half of the pack in any So Cal cat 5 race. Most of those guys are on nicer equipment than the 1s and 2s because they have day jobs that allow them to afford it... but does not allow them the time to train and upgrade any time soon.
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Old 06-09-08, 06:38 PM
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OP Troll:
Judging by your first paragraph, you are very, very jealous. Like DCbikeguy used to always say (paraphrasing): don't be angry because you are poor. Keep working hard and maybe someday you could have a nice ride too.

Judging by your second paragraph, you are on a small and/or crappy team and have never had the opportunity to try to work with others in a cat 5 race. If your team's riders are in cat 5 long enough to learn to work well together as a team, you are doing something wrong. Look for those guys working together and kicking your a55 in cat 4 and cat 3 in the next few years.

Judging from your third paragraph, you have read The Rider. So has everyone here. When you quote it, you should probably admit that the work is not yours.

Last edited by TheJackMove; 06-09-08 at 06:42 PM.
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Old 06-09-08, 06:40 PM
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Originally Posted by urbanknight
What do you suggest all the new-to-racing doctors, lawyers, etc. do with their $10,000 bikes? Seriously, you just called out like half of the pack in any So Cal cat 5 race. Most of those guys are on nicer equipment than the 1s and 2s because they have day jobs that allow them to afford it... but does not allow them the time to train and upgrade any time soon.
The classic conundrum... those with the time and talent to upgrade rapidly may not be able to afford the nicest equipment, but those that can afford it do not have the time to upgrade rapidly.

Me? I definitely "waste" my bike by using it primarily as a means of conveyence to and from work. Really, I am going to at least do a few training races this summer.

And the way I look it, buy a $10,000 bike as your first bike if you want to. Many spend that much on other hobbies -- I used to ride a $20,000 motorcycle, for example. My $2300 commuter bicycle is a downright bargain.
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Old 06-09-08, 06:43 PM
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Originally Posted by ericcox
The classic conundrum... those with the time and talent to upgrade rapidly may not be able to afford the nicest equipment, but those that can afford it do not have the time to upgrade rapidly.
I don't suffer from that problem. I'm a school teacher, so I have neither the time to upgrade myself nor the money to upgrade my bike.

I also commute on my race bike, which is also my training bike, my crit bike, my rain bike, and any other use I may find for a bike.
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Old 06-09-08, 07:07 PM
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i used to care about stuff like this but then i started racing more and didnt have time to notice what everyone else was riding.
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Old 06-09-08, 07:13 PM
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Lith, I find that hard to believe. I stared at the seatstays of a blue paketa and an orange jamison for the last 30 miles of my last race. It went like this:

Blue, orange, road, blue, orange, road, blue, orange, road.. etc.

I knew exactly what they were riding.
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Old 06-09-08, 07:28 PM
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Originally Posted by urbanknight
I don't suffer from that problem. I'm a school teacher, so I have neither the time to upgrade myself nor the money to upgrade my bike.

Yeah summers off must be hard for a racer to deal with.

What do you get 13-14weeks/year vacation?
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Old 06-09-08, 07:35 PM
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Originally Posted by brianappleby
Lith, I find that hard to believe. I stared at the seatstays of a blue paketa and an orange jamison for the last 30 miles of my last race. It went like this:

Blue, orange, road, blue, orange, road, blue, orange, road.. etc.

I knew exactly what they were riding.
good point. I should have said stopped caring instead
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Old 06-09-08, 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by El Diablo Rojo
God not again...go away. Look if you don't like what the guy rides then don't f'n look. Maybe he the bike makes him feel good, for gods sake he's not only riding it he's racing it. This subject comes up all the time, next time do search for stupid threads about what other people ride and contribute there.
+1

OP needs to shut up and ride his bike. Stop looking at everyone elses' bikes.
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Old 06-09-08, 08:10 PM
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Yup, must've hit a whole bunch of nerves.

According to the responses, I am an elitist who will keep people from the sport or I am jealous because I can't afford fancy equipment and am on a small and/or crappy team. Or perhaps I am both: an impoverished elitist? Yeah, that makes sense. It's funny just how much you folks can glean about me from a little post. 'Course, you're all incorrect, but I won't trouble you with facts.

And by the way, I didn't quote anything from The Rider, TheJackMove. Perhaps you should actually look something up before accusing anyone of plagiarism.
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Old 06-09-08, 08:12 PM
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you are a cat 5 right?
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