by 
OK, haven’t been around here for awhile. Quick recap first before I get to the things that are bugging me (and yes, they’re about bike racing, this time):
1. I got laid off from my job back in February.
2. I thought about going to law school.
3. I got a new job in Washington DC (the Redskins suck it bad this year).
4. I withdrew from my LSAT.
5. I withdrew from the LSAT because my new job rocks the house.
6. I work for the United States Army now.
7. I work on protecting soldiers when they’re in harm’s way.
8. This new job makes me feel good.
9. I’ve been riding a shit ton again, and feeling fit, again. It’s fun again.
10. That’s it for recap.
Now, onto the thing that’s been bugging me this entire year. I’ve been reading a certain blog (not this one) of a certain “pro” bike racer (I’ll get to the reason why I put the word pro in quotes in a minute). I started reading this blog because at first, it seemed interesting, and now I do it because it makes me mad, and amazed all at the same time. Here’s why.
Can you be a “pro” (little ‘p’) bike racer if you only ride in 14 events a year? I know cat 5 guys who race more times than that in a month. Really? 14 races a year, and you call yourself a “pro” bike racer? This is ridiculous. Am I jealous because this person gets sweet gear, sweet bikes, and gets to travel around the US allegedly racing bikes? You fucking bet I’m jealous. And did this person even win a race this year? The answer to that question is no, this “pro” bike racer didn’t even win a single race, well, there were only 14 of them in there after all. The thing is, this person is going to be a “pro” again next year, and get the same support, same schwag, and it pisses me off, because I know people who are better racers that deserve that shit more.
And yes, I am a hater. I’m full of Haterade, I can’t help it. I’m fucking grumpy. I’m also getting older, which makes me grumpier.
Now I wish I could call this “pro” racer out by name, but I’m not going to. Why? Because there are people who would probably throw a shit fit about it. But, when you’re a “pro” bike racer, and you’re talking about the “off-season” in August, you’re NOT a “pro” bike racer at all, you’re a toolbag with some good connections is all that you are. It’s pathetic, honestly. Again, 14 races?!? Really?!? That’s it? Absurd.
Maybe some of you can figure out who I’m talking about, maybe you can’t, but let me know what your guesses are, if you’ve got any. It’s just ridiculous.
by 
“pro” bike racers are gay.
The only cool ones are those dudes over in Belgium.
Fuck it. Bike racing is gay too.
Just ride your bike.
Fuck!I been thirsty for some Hateraid for,uh, a while now…good job
whatever
Is he a pro racer — maybe. Champion — no.
This is the difference between say an Eddy Merckx and a Lance Armstrong. Yeah whatever, LA is an amazing talent, philanthropist, hugely important cyclist. He won the same goddamn race every goddamn year, and you never saw him anywhere else.
Eddy Merckx, on the other hand, was a fucking champion.
E – word….
Um, you are talking about me.
I wish you’d knock it off. Gimme a break, jerk.
And you should stop getting older. That way you’d be less grumpy.
You should probably never drive into a low-income neighborhood and find somebody driving a nicer car than you living there.
…reverend dick said, “And you should stop getting older. That way you’d be less grumpy.”…
…fuck…why didn’t i think of that myself…boy o’ boy, could i apply that around here…
…it used to be “hey, all you kids…get offa my lawn”…
…nowadays ???…“listen you little sons a’ bitches…get offa my fucking lawn or i’m comin’ out w/ my goddam ak…now, sic ’em brutus !!!”…
…gettin’ old ain’t for sissies but if i could just stop…hmmm…
Until you said “hasn’t won a race” I would have guessed Alberto Contadork.
1. I got laid off from my job back in October.
2. I enrolled in nursing school night classes.
3. I got a new job working from home (the Blazers suck as always).
4. I continue taking night classes.
5. I am conflicted because my new job rocks the house (from my house).
6. I work for the United States Army now.
7. I work on protecting soldiers from PTSD when they return from duty.
8. This new job makes me feel good.
9. I’ve been mtn biking again, and feeling fit, again.
10. That’s it for recap.
Crazy coincidence?
You know what really bugs me?
We have these people called ‘bankers’, at the top of their proffession, making tons of money.
And they AREN’T winning they races, they are failing miserably. DO they get $ canned? Hell no, bonuses.
If you work hard and take drugs, you too might get some free stuff and have to drag your ass all over for silly races. Mediocre racer envy, why you tell us this? Hope you’re feeling better now.
I’m old and slow and I’ve always sucked ass; race to test my fitness, to stay motivated too suck ass less, but if say… I call myself “pro” can use the tax code to my advantage not free swag but life is cheaper when living it is a business expense.
Trying to stay one step ahead.
I can only think of one person that has made an entire career out of training for one race…Lance “I put the ass in asshole” Armstrong. I hold on to the hope that the smug fuck will eventually get caught cheating and flush his whole 7 Tours De France legend down the drain…http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/analysis-armstrongs-tour-blood-levels-debated.
I’m sure this will get a few of you spun up, especially those of you that think the cycling season begins and ends in July. But to be a rider I respect you have to be someone that competes and shapes races in March and April. Yeah Le Tour is great, but as a cycling fan (not just a Lance fan) it’s not better or more important than Sanremo, Ronde, Roubaix, Amstel, and LBL.
I hate to break it to the Lance haters, but I ain’t talking about him.
Lance won le Tour a bunch of times, true. But, he was also a world champ. Won Fleche. U He’s done a bit of riding in his time, and won some other races than le Tour, came close several times in Amstel, and I’m even a Lance hater, but it shows your ignorance, and lack of knowledge of cycling that he only won “one certain race”. It also tells me, you probably didn’t follow cycling before Lance came along, since you don’t seem to know his palmares.
Just saying.
I don’t know why anyone is a lance hater; other than the simple choice to be ignorant like a blue haired evangelical republican.
just say’n.
Taking a jab at me for not mentioning the fact that Lance won Fleche…so I must not know anything about cycling is fucking hilarious…Good job googling his palmares but worlds + classic (not even a monument)+ 7 tours does not make him a well rounded super champion—which was my fucking point! Lance gets the adulation and admiration from American cycling fans that really only a guy with palmares like this really deserves…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_Merckx
Which is really what is so annoying. Yeah, Lance is boring, has no panache, and takes his approach to the tour straight out of the Indurain play book…Lance is too boring to hate or get really excited about…yawn
“Lance is too boring to hate or get really excited about…yawn”
yet the comments keep rolling. now i’m commenting on that, too.
I think you are talking about some old industry type guys who are masters and get to race and travel and stuff. Those guys ack like Pros, when they are not even pros, you knows?
Anyway, the best type of bike racers are the dudes that just kill it on every training ride. Let’s face it… those guys with coaches (taking easy days, periodization wonks, power trainer read out analyzers, etc.) never get to really go hard except for their 14 races or whatever. That blows.
Then on the midweek classic everyone is just cruising. (Gotta peak, gotta recover, can’t overtrain or I might cry.)
Now cyclocross gives these guys even more room to softpedal (racing this Sat.) This mf is gonna be thirty FIVE minutes this week! OUCH, you know that cyclocross is all out don’t you? You will be recovering for not hours, but days!
And now, to answer your question, the non-pro racer you are ripping on in your post is….du du du dum- Carl Menses….jk…. he is in menopause from steriod abuse… the real non pro is= Jeff “The Rocket” Rutter from Ripon Risconwin….jk…the real non pro is Marcel Russenberger…..jk….the real non racer pro is…. Andy Anderson-Close.
uh, what gnome said…..
is it a mountain bike guy or a road guy?
Is this Europe or the States? I can’t believe it would be Europe. You know why.
-B