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How do you justify the risks of racing?

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How do you justify the risks of racing?

Old 08-03-10, 10:39 PM
  #51  
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I googled cave diving.

holy ****

I certainly feel better about racing
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Old 08-03-10, 11:43 PM
  #52  
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Hey Shiz, sorry to hear about the year you've had after we met at the early birds. I've fallen out of racing as the rest of my life got in the way of training, but like you, I wondered about the risk of crits, but came to the conclusion that I've heard of many more bad situations with folks I know just riding around public roads on the weekends; whereas at least a collision in a race is with a bike (and then the asphalt) at 20-30mph, vs head-on with a 2ton piece of metal.
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Old 08-04-10, 05:19 AM
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A friend of mine is a small plane pilot. I consider getting into something that is smaller than a Honda Civic that flies a gazillion feet (i.e. at least 100-200 feet) above the ground to be close to suicide. I know, it's not that dangerous. But being scared of heights, not understanding a lot about the plane's safety features...

He told me that a lot of guys he talks to who fly "got approval" from their spouses by starting the discussions with motorcycles. They "compromised" by taking flying lessons instead.

I suppose it's all relative. I'm just glad that I can choose not to race (or ride) at my own discretion. I'm not a pro, and I don't do it for a living.
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Old 08-04-10, 05:24 AM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by kudude
I googled cave diving.

holy ****

I certainly feel better about racing

This was one of my favorite dives. Crawl through a small tunnel barely big enough to squeeze through for about 600', then drop out into something big enough you can drive an 18 wheeler through (the "18 wheeler tunnel" isn't in the video, you just get to see the crap to get to it)

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Old 08-04-10, 07:44 AM
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Cool video, that's some crazy claustrophobic ****. Puts racing in crits into perspective.
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Old 08-04-10, 07:55 AM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by Beaker
Hey Shiz, sorry to hear about the year you've had after we met at the early birds. I've fallen out of racing as the rest of my life got in the way of training, but like you, I wondered about the risk of crits, but came to the conclusion that I've heard of many more bad situations with folks I know just riding around public roads on the weekends; whereas at least a collision in a race is with a bike (and then the asphalt) at 20-30mph, vs head-on with a 2ton piece of metal.
This is how I see it. There is less risk racing then riding on public roads. The beauty of racing around here is closed roads. Really if you have to justify it, perhaps it is not the thing to do.

ALso the Winters Road Race is another good one.
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Old 08-06-10, 05:05 PM
  #57  
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This was never about the money...this was about us against the system.

That system that kills the human spirit.
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We are here to show those guys that are inching their way on the freeways in their metal coffins that the human sprit is still alive."
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Old 08-06-10, 05:19 PM
  #58  
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Old 08-08-10, 12:12 AM
  #59  
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Old 08-08-10, 02:24 PM
  #60  
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I too have a hard time justifying the risks of racing. Two weeks ago we are on the bell lap of a masters race (should be safe right?). A guy dive bombs the final turn and takes out the top three riders. Luckily, I didn't hit him as he skidded right in front of me at nearly 30 mph, but I did have to lock them up and my race was done.

I don't plan on doing many crits. I will do an occasional road race (we have no big hills in Illinois), but plan do hard group rides as falls there are quite rare.
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Old 08-11-10, 09:47 AM
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"Justify" implies logic. We are but primitive animals that are strongly motivated by emotion. Check that, emotion governs our very existence.

Everything about bike racing is fraught with emotion--despite all the tech, structured training and our best efforts to apply any sort of logical basis for doing it.
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Old 08-15-10, 01:51 PM
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I, too, have been hesitant about racing again (I raced over 30 years ago). Then again, I'm now almost 50 and married. I used to race bikes, kayak, climb 5000M peaks, lead 5.13 climbs with poor protection, and explore new caves in the middle or Borneo (Mulu caves - sliding between two horizontal plates of rock 18" apart for 100+ meters). Now I'm scared to road race? One factor is the expense (race fees, replacement bike parts), and another is the time commitment. Maybe it's just a rationalization, but I'm thinking of racing TT's next season. Perhaps this is a segue back into racing.
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Old 08-16-10, 02:12 PM
  #63  
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I crashed twice this year. The first race back was about conquering fear. Then I realized I still like bike racing. The second crash was not as bad as the fist, and still the first race back was about conquering fear. I realized I still like bike racing.

I don't justify the risk; that takes too much energy. I simply do what I enjoy. Well, that and I have a deep inner desire to crush your soul.

If what I enjoy changes, and I somehow come to terms with whatever the hell is wrong with me, so be it...
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Old 08-19-10, 05:47 AM
  #64  
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Its funny. Racing seems faster from the sidelines, than inside the pack.

Time must undergo some weird shift that allows some odd focus of people and events because even in tight crits, everything seems to happen relatively slow for me.

I chuckle as I type this. One of our local races is at a real race track, on which I have also raced cars and m/cs. Bombing into a corner at 30 vs. 130 can seem about the same amount of risk/drama.

I justify it because aside from boxing (which I am done with), there is no bigger rush than the straight up head to head physical competition of bike racing. The combination of mental / physical chanllenge comes from nowhere else in life. Its what humans were meant to do, but this world has become so pussified, there are few outlets.

-Z
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Old 08-19-10, 06:00 AM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by ColorChange
I don't plan on doing many crits. I will do an occasional road race (we have no big hills in Illinois), but plan do hard group rides as falls there are quite rare.
be careful to drink those shots of fallacy s l o w l y.
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Old 08-19-10, 06:23 AM
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Originally Posted by gsteinb
be careful to drink those shots of fallacy s l o w l y.
+1. i rarely do group rides because i think it's hard to justify the risk of doing group rides on open roads.
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Old 08-19-10, 06:37 AM
  #67  
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Originally Posted by gsteinb
be careful to drink those shots of fallacy s l o w l y.
Agreed. I've been very lucky there. Several team/club mates have gotten seriously hurt on group ride crashes. This season, I've been on one group ride and, were it not for my (race) crash, I'd be in better shape this year than last year at this point in time.
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Old 08-19-10, 06:52 AM
  #68  
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Originally Posted by shiz702
How do you justify the risks of racing?
Is the pain of occasional road rash worth the adrenaline rush every time out? If not, perhaps racing is not for you. (I know it's not for me.)
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Old 08-19-10, 06:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Athlete, Joe
emotion governs our very existence.
Hopefully you use logic at least occasionally....
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Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
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Old 08-19-10, 07:34 AM
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If you think racing is to dangerous, then maybe it is not for you. I find it addictive.
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Old 08-19-10, 12:33 PM
  #71  
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Addictive and dangerous are not mutually exclusive.

It's definitely dangerous and risky. Some of us just find that addictive.

Ever notice the sentence on the form you sign every week that says "I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CYCLING IS AN INHERENTLY DANGEROUS SPORT AND FULLY REALIZE THE DANGERS OF PARTICIPATING IN THIS EVENT"
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Old 08-19-10, 01:00 PM
  #72  
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Originally Posted by gsteinb
be careful to drink those shots of fallacy s l o w l y.
Originally Posted by MDcatV
+1. i rarely do group rides because i think it's hard to justify the risk of doing group rides on open roads.
Originally Posted by bostongarden
Agreed. I've been very lucky there. Several team/club mates have gotten seriously hurt on group ride crashes. This season, I've been on one group ride and, were it not for my (race) crash, I'd be in better shape this year than last year at this point in time.
ColorChange may want to check out my video...
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Old 08-19-10, 01:17 PM
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Originally Posted by ColorChange
I don't plan on doing many crits. I will do an occasional road race (we have no big hills in Illinois), but plan do hard group rides as falls there are quite rare.
Interestingly, I've never crashed on a group ride. How's your track record?
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