Originally Posted by RiPHRaPH
am i missing something here? it is never beautiful when all your hard work....all the early mornings....all the pontificating over diet and bike weight and training....ends up for naught, and you are rearview mirror candy.
i know....i know.....you get better when you ride with better riders>keep plugging away and you'll eventually hang on....
but i am a no excuse guy. it temporarily drains me of my love for biking and competing. it is mentally draining as it is physically so. i don't care if i am riding with the USPS guys or another quick ride with local legends.
there are several moments of truth on these rides. are you in it to win it?
I know it's not the end of the world, but I've gotta agree; I'd be devasted. Maybe I've gotta broaden my interests.
Years ago I did a criterium on a very, very tight circuit through a shopping mall with short straights and narrow roads. I had no warm up. They took off like a shot, and I just couldn't corner at the required speeds, or get my gear changes happening for the short straights, or get my legs happening without a warm up. Needless to say, I got dropped, and I felt sick having to return my number to the organizers in front of all those people after only 10 mins. Infact, I vaguely remember hiding at the back of the course for a while before returning it.