Shallow...Like a Kiddie Pool

I’ll be the first to admit to my shallowness as a cyclist in the past. As I get closer to completing my second decade of riding I have learned to tone down the trash talk and keep the “finger” under control. I’ve put away the silly finish line celebration and can even be downright pleasant to ride with on the bike. In the past I was a brash little punk who used cycling as release therapy for my inner angry-man...or angry-child as my friends would joke. I actually thought I was going to be the next Cipollini and I had the ego to match…and you thought the “tools” were only at Home Depot.

Now that I am older and my rear cassette has grown from 7-speed to 10-speed I have gained some knowledge and humility. My ego has shrunk and no longer has its own solar system. I bark a lot less and pull a lot more. I stop to check on cyclist parked on the side of the road looking for karma from past transgressions. I still have a lot of competitiveness in my bones but try to save it for the times I pay to pin a number on my back and try to look good for my 1-woman fan club.

Now…I do have one little pet peeve I still can’t let slide. I am sharing this with you in hopes you don’t fall into this bad habit. Here it is: If you are going to “aggressively” pass a fellow rider (namely me) on a climb you better have the milk to make it stick. Don’t race past me and then blow up like a cheap bottle rocket 10-feet out of the bottle. Blowing by me like Lance Armstrong only to fall back to earth like Neil Armstrong won’t win any points with me. In fact there’s a good chance…like 100%...that I will come after you. Yes, I can be that shallow...like a kiddie pool. There won’t be words but there will be the back of my jersey for you to look at…well, for a little bit.

Cyclists make mistakes. Newbies wear bibs over their jersey. They get squirrely trying to get a gel out of a jersey pocket or drop a bottle on a group ride. Some kickback 5-feet when they stand to climb…these things happen and should be addressed tastefully as a learning moment and not a screaming match. But seeing a fellow cyclist shoot up the climb and thinking your “inner Marco Pantani” is going to teleport you past a fellow roadie into another zip code is just wrong. Pass me like a pro and you will get a cheer..pass me for show and you will get a jeer…and I will hunt you down.

I think we got it now. Jersey over bibs, hold your line, shift down one gear before you stand and climb like you love the mountain more than the attention you want to have on yourself…that’s all I ask.

See you out there!

TR