Racing
Suffering at WaW05
I love racing. Racing is like ripping out your entrails and holding them up for everyone to see exactly what you're made of. It cuts through all the posturing, trash talking (and trash talking your friends is half the fun of racing!) , zillions of lame excuses, and shows how fast you really are-- like it or not. And lately for me, not.
If my team's win at Lodi last month was my personal high point, then my last two races have got to be among my lows. The 24 hours of Big Bear was fun and I couldn't have asked for better teammates. But regardless of my lame mechanical problems/excuses, I just wasn't "in the zone." My 3rd lap (with no mechanical problems to blame) showed it. Same goes for the first Wednesdays at Wakefield race yesterday where I placed 21 out of 34 (yup, 34 singlespeeders - we're getting BIG!). I guess I've been slacking on training since Lodi. I like to call it my "extended taper" period, but really it's just that I didn't go out and ride like I used to.
US Postal rides again! Rickyd, me, Stoner, Erin.
(Photo by Joe Foley)
I'm tired of all the excuses. People really don't care about them. I certainly don't. I have a ton of respect for the guys and gals who do badly at a race and just say, "yeah man, I sucked" end of story. In racing, nothing matters except the time on the scoreboard and all the fun you have eviscerating yourself on the course trying to keep up with your friends.
So what now? I guess I'll just get back on the bike and start hammering out the miles. Hopefully I'll get my legs and lungs back in time for the big races at the end of the season.
To end on a positive note: my friends are getting hella fast! At the last WaW, Rickyd placed 7th out of 34 (just behind EvanF), Butch kicked my arse to the curb, DT is now dooking it out on his fixie against the Sport class, and Foley is one slim aerodynamic machine (sans beard). Stoner put in some great laps at Big Bear, and Erin, well I don't see how anyone can get much faster than that. And speaking of fast, don't get me started bout my teammates over at the Bike Lane, but that's a whole 'nother post!
Peace and Love.
6 Comments:
don't over think racing. It is fun, teh competition and friends are rad too. I had a period were I took it too serious, and in teh end I stopped mountain bikeing for like 6 months. Since then I hardly ever ride road if I can avoid it, and although I have high expectations of myself, at the end of the day, This is all for fun, and it's much better racing myself, then worrying about the results. That being said, I always want to do my best, as long as I do that, I'm happy. Luckily I ride for a team, that isn't super result orientied, and is really fun oriented. So in short, have fun, and don't beat yourself up to much. It's only rock and roll...
8:35 PM
Fatmarc,
It's easy to say all that when you are really, really, really fast. When you passed me at Big Bear I wondered how I was going backward for a sec ;)
JoeP, if it makes you feel any better, there were 37 people at the WaW race. Even though they DNFd, they still started the race with us. So 21st out of 37 is much better than 21st out of 34!
6:50 PM
at least you didn't have the best WaW start you've ever had and end up an almost unthinkable top ten place at the first lap only to have it ripped away from you by your own piss-poor bike maintenance and be back in 34th by then of the end of the first lap...
next time, i'll be checking my cleat bolts before the race :)
3:39 PM
Hey Joe.
It is easy to forget about rest. It is important to train hard, but it is equally important to make sure you get enough rest. I've found the times when I don't ride as fast as I know I can, it is because I haven't rested enough or eaten well. I know it isn't something you have to deal with yet, but the older I get, the more important rest and food are.
Think about your routine. Find the things that you're doing wrong. Fix them.
Thanks for talking about this. You've reminded me to be careful about these things.
Take care,
Pete
12:22 PM
life has its flow....
fast feels good not just because it feels good
but it feels good cause you know you worked hard to get it
now it is giving back
I have had my set backs this year....
but cycling is not just this season
cycling is a part of my life
I am shooting for a long life with cycling as a part of it
ph
btw
your daugther is a quite the artist
did you name her piece?
9:29 PM
gwadz: nope she came up with the name all by herself.
11:13 AM
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