I just dropped in to see if it was another slow newsday in rec.bicycles.misc
and I see that Maggie is dissing people who have the audacity to wear ...
(hushed gasp) ... cycling-specific clothing like Lance would wear.
Further, I see where she says anyone wearing Lycra in Essex County is likely
to get their ass kicked ... or some such thing.
Well, I've read enough of Maggie's posts over the last several months to
figure she's just having a bad day. At least I hope so. Maggie, what were
you thinking?
Listen, dear ... I don't know a thing about Essex County. I live in
Abbeville County, South Carolina. This is where Lake Secession is located
.... that lake being named for the place where folks assembled and decided to
break away from the Union. This is the home and birthplace of the stars and
bars. I ride darned close to 50 miles a day on roads dotted with rusted out
trailers with tattered confederate flags on poles and pit bull terriers
straining at their ropes in the front yards. Here, people don't care to
count much beyond 3 (Dale Ernhart's number) and don't have many more teeth.
I ride and train on these roads daily. I wear whatever jersey is the
cheapest thing on closeout. I don't know who Motorex is, but I'm wearing
their team kit now 'cuz it was on sale for $29 in the Nashbar catalog a
couple of months ago. I also wear some nice Hincapie gear 'cuz Rich
Hincapie gave it to me, personally. I ride hard 'cuz that's the way I like
to ride. Period. (I hate it when people who like to ride slow try to tell
me I don't ride right 'cuz I like to ride fast ... but that seems to happen
all the time. I never see people who ride fast telling people who ride slow
that they don't ride right. It's always the other way around.) I wear
"real" cycling gear 'cuz it facilitates riding hard and being a bit more
aerodynamic and wicking away sweat, etc. I wear "real" cycling shoes 'cuz
they're pretty much essential to proper pedaling mechanics if you care
anything about pedaling efficiency. (Also, if you've never worn a pair of
Sidi cycling shoes ... well, my friend, you're missing out.)
Now, I've dissed all these people amongst whom I ride everyday and I
shouldn't have because the fact is, I've gotten to know many of them.
They're wonderful people. Though I'm riding hard, I wave to every one of
them I see. I've gotten to know them and vice versa. One interesting thing
I've found is that quite a few of them are like the folks in the book "The
Millionairre Next Door." Their little trailer sits on 250 acres and they've
got 200 head of cattle ... and no debt. Many of them are WAY smarter than
the idiots racing around in BMWs with mountains of debt that I knew when I
lived in places like Chicago and Kansas City. And not a single one of them
has ever said a thing to me about being lycra-clad or having shaved legs.
Apparently it bothers you, but not them. What's that about?
I'll ride the way I want to ride and wear what I want to wear when I'm doing
it. I hope that's the answer you get from the guy when you stop him and ask
what his story is.
So what's your story? Who do you think you are?
--
Bob C.
"Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding that it hurts."
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)