First du
717
Member
216 days
TriSooner posted 12 weeks ago.
Socket wrote:
I had experiences like this for the first two or three SEASONS showing up at my LBS shop rides. I ride with a designated roadie race team, and at first it was obvious they didn't want to ride with a triathlete. No, I didn't (and still don't) kick their asses, but after several seasons they realize I'm not going away, so now it's cool. My riding has gotten faster.
I tried to convince him that normal triathletes aren't like this and are mostly inclusive and encouraging. Anyone else have a negative first experience like this?
Your point is germane and applies to roadies AND triathletes. While your father's situation was an unfortunate experience, triathletes are just as guilty and it happens way more than we care to admit. Before we run off and lambast these rude roadies, we need to look in the mirror. There is a culture among us (roadies and triathletes) that breeds an atmosphere of exclusivity. I attribute it to two things: the competitive nature of the respective sport and the push for the newest and most expensive toys. We fret over 50 grams here and there but for the broadest spectrum of us, applying bleeding-edge technological advances far surpass the point of diminishing returns. We ignore the sage advice of Eddie Merckx - "Don't buy upgrades. Ride up grades" - because it is easier to try to buy it than earn it.
There is a philosophy among us that if I can't outride you then I will outspend you. And the newest disc wheel, aero helmet, skin suit, full wetsuit, power meter, carbon/ti blend frame, GPS/HRM combo lends credibility when performance cannot. So experiences like your father's are examples of cyclists who verbalize their (purcha$ed) status when they have no skins of the wall to do the talking.
2599
Member
1236 days
Anton posted 12 weeks ago.
Sorry your Dad had a bad experience. I completely agree with TriSooner and with something to add. Many times "new athletes" in older age groups are looked down on by the younger lads. I'll exclude women because in all my years I've never heard a woman say anything negative about someone new to a sport. I got it when I started doing tri's and du's 15 years ago and in the 80's when I raced bikes... It doesn't bother me anymore...while I still get a weird look sometimes from others I've never seen before..I usually pass them on the run.
Don't worry,they'll be gone in a few years...those who are full of themselves usually are.
My congrats to your Dad and those of us in the upper age groups will always make room for one more!
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
392
Member
353 days
TryScott posted 12 weeks ago.
My goal is to never let someone with an inferior bike beat me. That has 2 parts. I need to go as fast as possible, but more importantly, I need to ride one of the cheapest bikes out there.
I'm sure being on a $5,000 bike and passing people is fun, but I have a fear of someone on a mountain bike posting a faster time than me.
Hopefully your dad remembers the one helpful guy, and forgets about the snobs.
207
Member
135 days
diva_mom posted 12 weeks ago.
there are jerks in every sport. fortunately they are the minority. tell your dad not to let the man keep him down.
Success comes before work only in the dictionary
379
Member
374 days
stewarba posted 12 weeks ago.
TryScott wrote:
My goal is to never let someone with an inferior bike beat me. That has 2 parts. I need to go as fast as possible, but more importantly, I need to ride one of the cheapest bikes out there.
I was humbled by a larger guy on a mountain bike a few weeks back on a training ride. He was about a half mile ahead of me and was slowly reeling him in over a 8 mile stretch. I got close and poured it it on a bit in order to pass fairly quickly, but he dropped in behind me and hung with me for the next 5 miles. I would try to crank up the speed a notch and there he was hanging tight. With about a mile to go on the trail, he re-passed me and said "This mountain bike gearing sucks" which all I could respond was "yeah, I can tell". After he passed I noticed he had some aero bars and skinny tires on the bike, but I was still down on myself for letting a mountain bike pass me.
The lesson I learned is that it's more about the engine than the hardware!
Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines – Brian Tracy
2008 Sprint Tri A race goals
S: 500m in 10:00 – FS Stroke only
B: 22mph avg over course
R: 5K <= 25:00
Place top 50% for my age group
179
Member
447 days
FlashRedGLS1.8T posted 12 weeks ago.
That really stinks that he had such an experience. I ride an older bike, 16 years, and I get some blank stares when I rack it at races. Sort of funny, I really could care less what the guy with the $4500 bike thinks of my $? bike sitting next to his.
Just tell him there are more nice/helpful triathletes out there than these yahoos. And that's the truth.
440
Member
425 days
Socket posted 12 weeks ago.
Jerks are everywhere and unavoidable, but I'll never understand nasty people; there's just no good reason for it. I'll keep working on him though; I'd really like to do one or two with him at some point, just have to get him to start swimming.
578
Member
906 days
gfd posted 12 weeks ago.
Don't let the negative people win. There are too many great things and people associated with endurance sports to let this experience paint the true picture. Good luck talking your dad into competing again and good luck this weekend with your race.
Last year my Dad considered trying a triathlon, but was scared off by the swim. Last weekend he decided to try a duathlon since it cuts out the swim portion.
He's a runner (doing marathon #9 this year), so he's fine with that part, and a 12 mile bike isn't too bad so he was set there... but he doesn't think he's going to do another one. Not because of the intensity of event or some crazy course, but because he got surrounded by a pack of obnoxious roadies before the race. He has a comfort/mountain style bike and decided to do the race for fun. The people around him all had their "cost more than your first car" bikes and were going through their wheel collections deciding which ones to use. They all looked down their noses at him and even made "why are you even bothering" and "platform pedals? seriously?" comments. He said he was almost DQ'd before he even started because he couldn't get his bike on the rack with his seat, but there was apparently one guy who was helpful and told him to try racking it by the handlebars, so he got to at least do the race.
I tried to convince him that normal triathletes aren't like this and are mostly inclusive and encouraging. Anyone else have a negative first experience like this?