Cycling Obsession

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by DarrylZ
What is the definition of obsesive cycling behaviour,

Or

What are the signs that your way past the legal limit of healthy social behaviour, when it comes to cycling???😄

Haven't been able to ride for 4 days , flu and driving everyone around me insane??

Now, it's funny you should ask, Daryl, because one of the biggest signs that you are obsessed with cycling is that you log onto this forum and at some point you start a new thread about your cycling one track mindednesss.

Yup, been there, done that. Mine must have been called something very similar. And I've seen about 25 very similar threads fly through here over the past year... A veritable rite of passage...

When I launched that simillar thread way back when in 2003, I remember it had something to do with the fact that I could not shut up about cycling. But I kept noticing my friends' eyes kind of glazing over when I started in on it. They were polite and faked interest at first when I'd start up about brakes and slopes and kilometers ridden, and saddles and such. But after that, I noticed friends exchanging looks, roll eyes bemusedly, I think I even saw them tittering as I enthusiastically exclaimed my love of cycling.

I have grown since then, grasshopper. I know now, in my heart of hearts, that they do not really care (sniff, sniff).

I just hit 1000 km on my cycle computer, which I bought in November. I'm proud, real proud (😄 ) as you might imagine. I have dropped this tidbit of information in conversation maybe 5 times... The only time it got more than a "Oh, great, wow, that's nice, what kind of marinade did you put on the shrimp?" was when I was speaking to someone else who bikes. Now HE was impressed.

So, this forum is our safe haven, where we can drone on and on and on and someone is even likely to read it with interest. It's paradise.

Bingo!!

Realised everyone around me had a problem this weekend ,when going through my training diary to add up my year mileage and then noticed that my number of rest days only exceeded my number of races by 2.

And that i get less mileage on my bicycle tyres than my friends do on their motorcycles. And iv'e done more km's on my bicycle than my one mate has year to date (now there was a debate u would've enjoyed)

One of my friends suggested i join an S&M club since i seemed to like pain & suffering.

I have offered them the number of a good therapist, but you can only take a horse to the water.

U gotta love this life.😄

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by less'go
Now, it's funny you should ask, Daryl, because one of the biggest signs that you are obsessed with cycling is that you log onto this forum and at some point you start a new thread about your cycling one track mindednesss.

lol 😄 I guess that about sums it up. Isnt this simply the best sport there is?

I approached the problem this way: converted a number of friends and family into at least cycling fans through the watching of some Giro and Tour coverage. They at least now understand the appeal of it, but I dont think they've yet figured out how to come to terms with the pain and suffering aspect, as noted by Daryl. 😎

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by graf zeppelin
I approached the problem this way: converted a number of friends and family into at least cycling fans through the watching of some Giro and Tour coverage. They at least now understand the appeal of it, but I dont think they've yet figured out how to come to terms with the pain and suffering aspect, as noted by Daryl. 😎

Non-riders are just so soft aren't they! ;-)

"I'll drive there"
"but I'll get sweaty.."
"It's dangerous!"
"I'd rather sit here.."

The only mate i had that was near as obsessed as me moved 600k's away and is now doing more Yoga than riding - the FREAK!! I can imagine his eyes glazing over when I start talking bikes.. but he still has enough bikelove in him to appreciate some of what I say.

Otherwise, my long suffering colleagues and family cop it. Without this and (many) other forums, I think they would've killed me by now. 🙂

hippy

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by hippy
Non-riders are just so soft aren't they! ;-)

"I'll drive there"
"but I'll get sweaty.."
"It's dangerous!"
"I'd rather sit here.."

Yeah, that's the challenge I havent yet figured out how to tackle. I have luck getting friends and family interested in cycling. I used to answer friends' queries into the weekend's activities with "rode 60mi in the mtns" or "rode another century" or the like. The response, however, never varied:

5-10 seconds of sheer astonishment followed by "Whyyyyyy??" 😄

I now simply answer the question with the OTHER things I did on the weekend, since it usually goes without saying I rode something that defies logic to non-cyclists. 😉

These forums are indeed paradise.

I now simply answer the question with the OTHER things I did on the weekend, since it usually goes without saying I rode something that defies logic to non-cyclists. 😉

These forums are indeed paradise. [/B][/QUOTE]

I've tried all the angles even buying the pizza & beer to captivate the audience, but they keep wanting to put this white jacket on me. And its really annoying when your in the middle of showing them how you hit that last single track in your big ring.

So ya all will just have to put up with me.😄

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by DarrylZ
So ya all will just have to put up with me.😄

I'm sure we can. 😉

It must be a sign when my 5 yr. old rolls his eyes and says "oh brother, Dad's getting all wrapped up with bike stuff again..."

or my favorite "do we have to go to another bike shop???"😄

Quoted message said:

Originally posted by DarrylZ
I now simply answer the question with the OTHER things I
did on the weekend, since it usually goes without saying I
rode something that defies logic to non-cyclists. 😉

You do OTHER stuff on weekends?!!!! ;-)

hippy

I started riding again about three years ago after working at the Tour Down Under and have been progressively getting more and more obsessed. It mostly started as a way to drop some weight, but when i completed the 1/2 Be Active Tour durning the last TDU it became an obsession. My work colleges think i am mad when i come in with my latest polar maps and tales of doing 60-100km on the weekend. My wife goes nuts when i come home with armfulls of cycling mags and nobody asks me what i want for my birthday anymore.

The good thing is that i have converted one friend to the obsession, the only problem is that he is 25kg lighter and leaves me for dead.

One day i will beat him and it will become history!!!!!!!!