July 17, 2009
Are you going to cover the Great Divide Mountain bike race next June? More to the stuff you’re doing now, here: What are the top 5 or 10 things people should know about bike racing?
Michael "not that one" Rasmussen - Portland, OR
Well, I hadn’t really thought about that particular event, but it sort of sounds like I should give it some play – maybe even haul my tired self there and throw myself into the mix.
5 or 10 things people should know about bike racing?
10 – Unless you have a ridiculously high VO2 max, you’re probably not going to get rich doing it.
9 – To succeed in the pro peloton you need to have a very high boredom threshold because you spend way too much time sitting in hotel rooms, wishing there was something on TV.
8 – If you don’t like to play in the rain, you might think about a different sport. To this day I get an ear-to-ear grin every time I get the chance to pedal my bike in the rain – it makes me feel like I am home.
7 – If you can’t stomach steak that’s the consistency of a shoe sole, overcooked haricots vert, and white boiled potatoes, you’re going to starve to death.
6 – Climbers can’t descend – period. It is a crying shame that they don’t just cut to the “laughing group” during the Tour coverage so that we could see those dudes riding downhill. I remember once taking 6, yes SIX minutes out of the lead group on a 10km descent.
5 – Bike racing groupies are not all that hot. If you’re in it for the groupies, I would suggest a career in rock and roll.
4 – Develop better time trialing skills. Time trialing is the foundation of a complete cyclist. Work on it – it will pay off, big time.
3 – The guys you see on TV racing in the Tour de France, though they may look semi-normal, are freakishly skinny. Even the sprinters are not large people.
2 – Racing in Spain is the most fun. Racing in Belgium is the hardest. Racing in France is … comme si comme ca. Racing in Switzerland is absolutely beautiful. Racing in Italy is hard, fast and fun. Racing in Holland is windy.
1 – Eddy Merckx was absolutely, positively, the greatest cyclist of all time. Don’t ever forget it.
Well, I hadn’t really thought about that particular event, but it sort of sounds like I should give it some play – maybe even haul my tired self there and throw myself into the mix.
5 or 10 things people should know about bike racing?
10 – Unless you have a ridiculously high VO2 max, you’re probably not going to get rich doing it.
9 – To succeed in the pro peloton you need to have a very high boredom threshold because you spend way too much time sitting in hotel rooms, wishing there was something on TV.
8 – If you don’t like to play in the rain, you might think about a different sport. To this day I get an ear-to-ear grin every time I get the chance to pedal my bike in the rain – it makes me feel like I am home.
7 – If you can’t stomach steak that’s the consistency of a shoe sole, overcooked haricots vert, and white boiled potatoes, you’re going to starve to death.
6 – Climbers can’t descend – period. It is a crying shame that they don’t just cut to the “laughing group” during the Tour coverage so that we could see those dudes riding downhill. I remember once taking 6, yes SIX minutes out of the lead group on a 10km descent.
5 – Bike racing groupies are not all that hot. If you’re in it for the groupies, I would suggest a career in rock and roll.
4 – Develop better time trialing skills. Time trialing is the foundation of a complete cyclist. Work on it – it will pay off, big time.
3 – The guys you see on TV racing in the Tour de France, though they may look semi-normal, are freakishly skinny. Even the sprinters are not large people.
2 – Racing in Spain is the most fun. Racing in Belgium is the hardest. Racing in France is … comme si comme ca. Racing in Switzerland is absolutely beautiful. Racing in Italy is hard, fast and fun. Racing in Holland is windy.
1 – Eddy Merckx was absolutely, positively, the greatest cyclist of all time. Don’t ever forget it.
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4 Responses to “Are you going to cover the Great Divide Mountain bike race next June? More to the stuff you’re doing now, here: What are the top 5 or 10 things people should know about bike racing?”
I enyoed your top 10 things that people should know about bike racing. I think that Merckx still does not get the attention for being the dominate racer he was back in his day. He wanted to win every race he entered. He was not there to prepare for some upcoming big stage race, but to win. I enjoy your insight of professional cycling, keep up the great work!
Just finished your book – it’s great and a ton of fun to read. One question though: if you like riding in the rain so much, what do you do (and what DID you do) about wearing glasses?
Thanks for the kind words about my book. Glasses? I mostly rode (and ride) with contacts and clear or amber-ish cycling-specific eyewear. You get used to looking at the world through raindrops when you live in northern Europe. Most of the people that have ridden in the car with me can attest to the fact that I hardly ever use the windshield wipers – no biggie for me but terrifying for my passengers.
HA! It’s taken me 45 years to finally accept #10. Love the book, Love the blog.
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