guadzilla

I suppose it could be interpreted that way. I just saw it as him using macho sports as a standard and putting cyclists in the same league - more of a way to point out how tough cyclists are, as opposed to denigrating the macho sports.

Ultimately, not really a big enough deal, IMO.

banerjek

Concern over how tough the sport is sounds too much like the "my daddy can beat up your daddy" from the elementary school playground. I thought the we normally like to maintain a junior high school mentality in the 41.

Besides, we shouldn't need the admiration and respect of uninformed imbeciles to enjoy our sport.

Walter

Very true.

Carbon Unit

You are right! Who started this stupid thread anyway? Oh, that would be PCAD.

pdxtex

personally i could give a crap at how the general public sees cycling. they probably see it like most city dwellars see nascar, as totally worthless. i ride a bike for personal satisfaction and fun and assume necessary risks will be involved. sure it can be risky but take your time and learn some bike handling skills and usually things work out for the best. what happened to weylandt is very sad but dying while performing your sport of choice should be seen as dedication which any athlete can respect.

patentcad

You're a bike weenie. Most Americans could give a crap whether you are road kill or breathing, so you're even.

patentcad

Finally, recognition from my 41 Flock.

patentcad

You're still here. Think about it.

patentcad

Being despised by imbeciles is its own reward.

ahsposo 

I think JV should get some new eyeglasses.

Maybe some high school principal horn rims or Hunter Thompson pilot frames.

Reynolds 

What about climbing/mountaineering?

Commodus

All these sports are tough, but you don't generally have to do them for 4-6 hours a day, every day, for three weeks straight.

I feel like that gives cycling a bit of an edge.

Commodus

I played football through high school. It's not a 'tough' sport - the conditioning required is a joke compared to any of the other sports I participated in. It's just designed to hurt you. I mean if you make a sport out of slamming your head against very hard things (other player's helmets) and end up with a concussion, does that make you a tough guy or an idiot?

patentcad

That can be insanely dangerous. These idiots who scamper up El Capitan without climbing aids or ropes come to mind. Anyone who thinks if you get killed road cycling (and you were stupid enough to ride a road bike) then you had it coming to you, they should look at these rock climber whackadoos.

Reynolds 

And at some places (Aconcagua for example) the altitude/weather is more dangerous than falling down.

patentcad

The weather can suck enough to kill you on Everest and those other 8K meter Himalayan climbs. That's if some bigass avalanche doesn't sweep you away. Of if you don't step out of your tent to take a piss in the middle of the night without your crampons and you slide down the Lhotse Face to your mountaineer weenie friggin death (which actually happened to some Japanese climber a few years back). That's the best part about mountaineering, there is such an entertaining variety of ways it can kill you.

PrinceofParamus

On my route between Ridgewood NJ and Airmont NY I've had very few problems with respect from people in cars. This is a more civilized part of the country. Ive talked to the police a few times about people ignoring stop signs on some corners only to find the police parked within eyesight of those corners waiting for the perps. the next time Im out riding. ****'n Bergen county NJ what a great place to live.

patentcad

You can't even spell Bergen County you friggin gavone. I lived there for most of my life. I'll probably wind up back there one of these days. I love Bergen County but the riding is better (and safer) up here in bumfark NY. I still get down there to ride quite a bit. Or I used to. I used to be a regular on the Park Ridge Ride (aka the Tour de Fred) and the Nyack Ride.

patentcad

By the way, I'm headed for some pricey dental work tomorrow. In Franklin Lakes. The dentists up here are idiots.

halfspeed

Add to that the extreme differences in size and body composition resulting from the highly specialized positions in football and you have little guys running all out into defenders that weigh 200 pounds more.

surgeonstone

Average pro football game has only 12 minutes of actual movement/activity. The rest is standing around. Baseball - even less.

banerjek

And I thought postholing up to my nuts when needing to take a whizz after drinking too much with the other guys in the tent sucked....

PrinceofParamus

My Dentist is in Fair Lawn and is a Greek guy from NYC. All the assistants are flirtatious Puerto Rican girls.

PrinceofParamus

Yeah I dont type too well.

Rowan

Just to straighten the record a little. Those guys saying they played rugby... well, yes, rugby union. Rugby league is a related but somewhat different, more vicious animal that is more akin to the crash and bash of American football, but without the padding and helmets.

For mine, it's really quite useless trying to equate the risks of sports against each other. Media coverage will ensure that deadly events in any sport will give parents pause to think if it is worth their child or themselves becoming a participant.

Nice to see Pcad back again, posting threads that the brainless love to denigrate, but generate upteem pages of occasionally thoughtful comment, views and entertainment.