Saturday, January 12, 2008

it's NOT a fucking race

anonymous said: I don't think God had anything to do with this one, it was probably just plain ol' karma coming back to get you for being a dick to the tri-folks this summer on the TNWCS ride.
Sat Jan 12, 06:23:00 AM CST





the mostly reverend said: get over it, dude. you were riding like a cat 5 that night, and you're acting like a fucking baby now.
if you want to train with roadies--these roadies, you MUST do one of the following:
1--learn to RIDE like them; 2--stay at the back; or 3--STAY THE FUCK HOME.
and that means stay out of the clip-on bars. i don't care if you're nick frey, jj bailey, lou waugaman, cam kirkpatrick, tony muse, or the mostly reverend. the safety of the group should be paramount in the minds of ALL the folks who take part in a group ride. i don't care WHAT fucking night of the week it is. that's the problem with the whole notion of "TNWC." if you want to race with roadies, get a license from usa cycling, and go to a goddamned race, pay your entry fee, strap on your beloved helmet, and race.


you know what rick paulos, dirty dick, mark guthart or some other person in blue with a whistle will tell you? "no fucking clip-ons, fool." why do suppose that is? and what is your reaction going to be? to give them some smart-assed reply and keep riding? i don't think so. not only do they know more about racing than you do, they are also enforcing rules which are in place for the safety of the participants. these officials have been charged with maintaining the safety of those who have entered their race.

in a group ride, under ideal circumstances, each rider should assume that responsibility. but that isn't the case. and since i've been around the race scene for longer than most, i--along with a few other more mature and experienced riders--have undertaken that responsibility; to wit, maintaining the safety of the group. that includes giving suggestions for learning the art of integrating into the group rotation, learning proper placement within the group, dealing with winds, road hazards, and traffic, and all other sorts of components that enter into becoming a better bike rider, and ultimately a better racer. but we ad hoc safety monitors can only go so far, and do so much. obvious examples are yellow line danger recognition, cornering skills and etiquette,and the more obvious stop light and stop sign compliance issues.

it's a situation akin to the old saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink."
only in your case, it's "you can tell a tri-idiot how [or where] not to ride a bike, but you can't make him stop acting like an asshole."

but i certainly CAN point out that he is endangering the general safety of the group--and i WILL. how you and your friends choose to respond is beyond me. it is my sincere hope that these riders will learn how to ride in a safe manner with our group, and continue riding with us. that creates the "win-win" situation wherein we ALL get better, faster, safer and stronger, while building better relations between and among cyclists of all stripes.

however, i will continue to tell folks who are riding dangerously and foolishly that they are doing so. lest you think that i am just some loose cannon spouting off, be mindful that i speak on behalf of the overwhelming majority of riders who support my actions, who have repeatedly told me so over the years, and who have deferred to my demonstrated willingness to assume that role.

and you know what? if i come to your group ride, or run, or swim, and you don't like how i'm doing something--including not wearing a helmet--you can tell me. and i assure you that i will NOT react like the asshole that i encountered that tuesday last summer.

so grow up, get over it, and either get a road bike, switch out your handlebars or stay out of your aeros, and come back and ride with us. we'll all get stronger.

15 comments:

Matthew Pavlovich said...

Sounds like that a-hole
Loves to dish out criticism/quips under the safety of his own anaynimity. Sounds like a real tough guy.

Pav

Neve_r_est said...

I had a guy drafting me in his aerobars during a group ride last year. The group slowed, and he found himself rubbing my rear wheel hard. He must have been at a 45degree angle to the road before he finally got his front wheel off my rear wheel, then he took a ride into the ditch at about 27mph. He's lucky he didn't eat it right there on the road and get run over by the 5 people behind him.

I haven't seen him ride in the aero's during a group ride since.

DG

the mostly reverend said...

and while i appreciate stubbornness in its many forms probably more than the next guy, i would like to point out that, once again, my refusal to wear a helmet did NOT result in injury or harm to anyone else, nor did it increase or lessen the extent of my injuries.

Anonymous said...

your response proves that you're still a dick. Its not what you say, it's how you say it. After all the crap you've stirred up, its about time the crap has finally stirred you up. Karma is a dish best served on a cold ride

john said...

Mr. Loose Cannon -Just how long have you been carrying around this hostility and what brought it to the blog at this time? And what's the above anonymous talking about - I understand so little of what you kids talk about.
And you'd still be the Rev. Grampa Mostly Kim if you wore a helmet. I started wearing a helmet whenever I'm in a group after this guy took me out and felt just terrible for this rather nasty laceration on my head. The crash was inevitable the laceration wasn't.
John

the mostly reverend said...

johnny, this thread was prompted by my anonymous reader from missouri who is still bothered by a dressing down i gave him this past summer on a tuesday night ride about riding in his aero bars in the midst of 50-60 riders and doing it dangerously.

you know how it is when new or out of town tri-boys show up for the mis-named "tuesday night world championships" and think they have to demonstrate--while we were still rolling through town--how strong they are, and cut and weave their way to the front while in their aero tucks.

i recognized a crash in the making, so i rolled up along side and told him [without cursing] that we preferred to have folks stay off their aeros or stay at the back, and said that his style of riding had been the cause of accidents in the past. he shot back that he would when i started wearing a helmet. i said that my not wearing a helmet had never caused a crash whereas his style of riding certainly had, and that in any event, it was the concerted opinion of the riders on the group that the "no aeros" rule should be honored. he got pissy, i got pissed, i told him to fuck off, i and quickly rode away from him.

i should note that he was one of several tri-boys who showed up with jj that night. later in the ride, chad had a run-in and near-crash with another of the tri boys who was trying to rotate in the tucks and had cut chad off.
a couple years ago, chad was crashed by tony muse, a roller skate world champ, who had a tendancy to ride in his aeros, too. in his aeros, tony rode right into chad's rear triangle. i will note that tony no longer rides with clip-ons, and his bike handling has vastly improved.

if these tri guys rode in actual group rides more often, they would realize how difficult it is to handle a bike properly under normal and ideal conditions. they might also realize that they have a reputation, as a group, for being lousy bike handlers, and further, mr. missouri might realize, upon quiet reflection, that his enormous ego has made it difficult for him to see that he was, that evening, posing that threat, and that if he thinks i did come across as a dick, then he needs to get over himself, learn how to ride, and come back and demonstrate that he knows how to get along with other kids.

you know, don't you johnny, that i don't coddle that kind of shit.

that's why i listed this guy, jj, lou, nick, me, and other "big boys." it's my opinion that if someone is riding dangerously, call them out.

this guy just needs to ride more and grow some thicker skin.

whiners...fuck 'em.

john said...

I see. With my new work schedule, I can't attend our world champs on Tues and Thur and I certainly miss the action of the big group. I remember about 10-12 years ago when Tater was still riding with us - hell, it was probably more years than that. Anyway, we were out riding along and this guy was making all kinds of bone headed moves and I started given him the business and still he didn't get it or didn't give a shit. After the ride I was whining about this dude and Tater told me to just relax - it is all good training for racing. That maybe true, but I still can't keep quiet.
John

SD_pedalpower said...

We've had TT'er problems in the group rides also. I'm a newbie roadie myself and I've got enough shit to worry about keeping up, keeping a straight line, doing my rotation. I don't need to worry about someone who's handling skills are worse than mine. :)

the mostly reverend said...

chef tough guy claims "Karma is a dish best served on a cold ride" - Sat Jan 12, 09:12:00 PM CST

oh, and by the way, mr. anonymous tough guy, i don't need you to tell me about what goes best on "cold rides."
i've done more "cold rides" than you'll ever read about, so just shut up:
http://theorphanageandyou.blogspot.com/2007/12/cyclists-dictionary-tough-guy-points.html

Anonymous said...

sounds to me like you need a set of training wheels and a pacifer. judging by your wreck resume, you're more of a danger than any tri-guys out there. Maybe if you ran your mouth less and improved your riding skills you wouldn't be in a hospital bed every 5 months!!

I'm thinking the whole raccoon story was a cover up for your lack of bike handling skills???

Anonymous said...

who the FUCK rides on a group ride with aero bars?!? I haven't seen that one yet here in Iowa City (I am sure it has happened) but I guarantee if somebody pulled that bullshit on a group ride, it would be their last. There's no excuse for that unless of course you are on Ragbrai. Aero bars are allowed on any bike and in any situation . . . even going up hill on a hybrid. I love those aero guys! Always looking for an advantage. Ryan, Iowa City

the mostly reverend said...

in a word, ryan: idiots.

the aero bars make up for lack of brains.

i wonder if our anonymous tri-idiot has ever heard of steve tilford. probably not.

but at least having our brave anonymous whiner here--reading and posting--keeps him off the streets for a little while. unless he is one of those geeked-out fools who can and does post from his bike or monster s.u.v.

thanks for sharing your opinion, ryan. perhaps other experienced riders will do likewise, and make this twit realize that he really IS a danger.

Anonymous said...

"the safety of the group should be paramount in the minds of ALL the folks who take part in a group ride"

Interesting.... ignoring all motor vehicle laws makes on this ride makes this safe???

john said...

So Kim, if the group is in agreement with the no areo bars idea - just tell em that they can't ride with you - it is after all your ride. That's what we do with guys who show up with no helmet. We all know the value of the group and the dude should want to be a part of your great group.
We used to have this really wonderful guy - a tri guy - who would join us with a helmet and no areo bars and the guy wouldn't get in the rotation or even sit on the tail end of the group. He'd either ride off the front, across the yellow line or way off the back. I'm tellin you, those Tri guys are a wild and crazy bunch.
John

the mostly reverend said...

i can't answer now;
the drugs are wearing off...