heflix455

your post just reaks of positivity

Dubbayoo

Even Masters in SoCal treat racing like a second job. I'm happy enough with the first. Training hard enough to be competitive would take the fun out of it for me.

MikeLD

too old, too fat

Turkey Feathers

Because, I'm not "RyanF" enough yet, and IF I ever get "RyanF" enough, there won't be any reason to then, as there will be no competition...

Hocam

My guads are too big, too many souls would be crushed.

pelotonracer

I guarantee that if you start racing, your competitive instinct will make you want to ride more, and will guide you through periods of boredom and depression.

Really.

biker128pedal

I race at least once a week but I am the only one that shows up.

asmallsol

botto's right.

BillyD

Same here! What's up with that??


Seriously, even when I was young enough and fit enough to race, it just didn't attract me.

Besides, I had enough competitiveness in real sports like basketball and baseball.

SlowSpinner

Not until they come up with a cat 9 class.

iDFeat

Raced for two years straight. It was fun for a while, but eventually, the required discipline turned the "fun bike ride" into a job. So now I'm getting back in touch with why I began riding in the first place: for the sake of just going for a ride.

Oh yeah, and it sucks to lose.

dhale50

Too many "rules". Takes the fun out of riding to me. I just want to ride and enjoy it, not worrying about how to ride in a paceline, when to attack, teamwork, blahhh!

roadfix

Don't have the competative gene.

spry

Had a great race last Sat morning.I stayed neck and neck with him for 300 yds.The deer then "droped the hamer", and beat me like a $5 dolla ho.

dietzpa

The biggest deterent is not getting killed in the Cat 5s.

The only way to survive is to stay in the top 5 and hope someone doesnt take you out from behind.

6 races in I've stopped because I dont want to see 2 crashes a race due to some moron who veers into a curb or poorly overlaps a wheel.

jjmolyet

i AM A SOUL cYCLISt!

Trevor98

First, racing would change my riding into training. I have fun riding now and would take training way too seriously in order to improve. Remaining pack fodder for ever doesn't sound like fun to me. My low stress rides satisfy my wants and needs.

Secondly, I have a 2" hole in the back of my skull under some muscle. Risking hitting that spot in Cat 5 races isn't worth whatever fun I might have.

cranky old road 

If I lose, I'm a loser. If I win, I've beaten a bunch of losers. Where's the fun in that? I just like to ride my bike. Nobody raced in this area when I got started anyway.

niknak

I'm interested in trying but I'm not interested in crashing. Plus, I lack discipline. Cycling is too enjoyable to take seriously.

'nother

Before I began racing (this year), I didn't race because I was just not interested. Erratic schedule, my head was not into it, and I was plenty happy doing century rides, etc.. Also it was pretty intimidating to watch these racer guys blow past me all the time.

But this year I decided to give it a shot and have found that it is a lot of fun. The training, camaraderie, preparation for events, etc.. I am not a race-every-weekend guy; I don't really want to be, and I don't give a hoot if I never make it out of Cat 4. Simply participating is enough for me. I got involved with a great club that emphasizes racing skills, but is not pushy about getting members to race all the time.

I don't know that I'll continue racing forever; it would be fun, but it definitely requires some additional mental as well as physical energy...both of which are in limited supply. In any case, I'm glad I tried it.

Miller2

I trained and raced as a runner for 25 years. Now at 43 I just dont feel like putting in the time to train. Been there done that. To many other things to do in life. I ride for fun and fitness.

xhavepatiencex

I would like to start racing, I am planning on it next year. I work alot on the weekends, and my work is inconsistant (audio engineer) So I gotta work when I can work and if thats on the weekends then thats when it is.

chipcom 

I raced when I was a youngin, but other sports like football and wrestling were my priority and I had my 15 minutes competing in them. I think about getting back into it sometimes, especially when hanging out with you folks and reading all the great race reports...but I know me and how obsesed I WILL get trying to be the best...which is a bit unlikely at my age and battered condition. So even though I might make noise about it sometimes, that is not the person I want to be anymore...I am a usedtobe and quite content enjoying my memories rather than subjecting myself to the pain of chasing new dreams. I may still try a race or two, just to see if I can do it just to enjoy it, rather than going hog wild trying to win at all costs. I've even considered RAAM, just to prove to myself I can do it. Of course I'm not sure Pcaddy would let me out of the Fred trailer.

Halfast

I think the opposite question is much better.

WHY DO YOU RACE? Especially when you really understand my signature line!

DXchulo

I used to race, but I moved on to different goals this year.

1. It's expensive. Travel, entry fees, etc. add up quick. Joining a team can ease this a bit, but I moved this summer and I didn't want to deal with joining two different teams.

2. I got into long distance events. I tried some brevets and a 24-hour race. Sure, you can race and do long distance events, but that would be even more expensive and I'd rather not race unless I was focusing on racing 100% from the start of the season. I simply ride the weekly hammerfest to get my group speed work in.

3. Crits are most popular around here, but I think they're boring. I'd much rather do road races. To be fair, this depends on the course, but most of the time crits just don't appeal to me.

I've gone back and forth about what I want to do next year- more long distance stuff or back to racing? Both are fun in their own different ways.