It's interesting how the races that seem to favor elite level riders (i.e. road stage races, crits, gran fondos etc.) are usually the ones with the most sanctions/governance and least opportunity for personal autonomy, compared to some of the more grassroots style events such as endurance gravel, bikepacking ultras or even a race like the Four Horsemen. Ultimately, cycling events are designed for the herd and I don't think will ever offer the type of total surrender that can be found in the mountains on one's own accord.
Yep. I did one of those south east Idaho spring races in the cold. Rain and wind at the line and snowing at the high point. The pack withered. A small group of us soldiered on, me doing isometrics on the handlebars barely able to move my cookie grabbers. The cold was profound. Oddly the sun came out for the final 3 km run to the line and I had all but forgotten the unpleasantness as we enjoyed the tailwind sprint on legs of stone!
As CX racers we used to jibe “You want to race in the suck, train in the suck.” It had us out training in the shittest weather. Racing was easy in comparison.
Only reason our team was so dominant year after year at nationals. Only reason I have any gold that I appreciate in the spare room.
It took me a while to learn that we all do it for our own reasons, seeking experiences that have meaning for us individually, and those may not be shared. That was a lesson I learned while climbing, from climbing, but it didn't transfer when my interests did.
It's interesting how the races that seem to favor elite level riders (i.e. road stage races, crits, gran fondos etc.) are usually the ones with the most sanctions/governance and least opportunity for personal autonomy, compared to some of the more grassroots style events such as endurance gravel, bikepacking ultras or even a race like the Four Horsemen. Ultimately, cycling events are designed for the herd and I don't think will ever offer the type of total surrender that can be found in the mountains on one's own accord.
Yep. I did one of those south east Idaho spring races in the cold. Rain and wind at the line and snowing at the high point. The pack withered. A small group of us soldiered on, me doing isometrics on the handlebars barely able to move my cookie grabbers. The cold was profound. Oddly the sun came out for the final 3 km run to the line and I had all but forgotten the unpleasantness as we enjoyed the tailwind sprint on legs of stone!
I figured this would resonate with you, maybe even take you right back to those numb hands trying to squeeze some calories out of a water bottle.
As CX racers we used to jibe “You want to race in the suck, train in the suck.” It had us out training in the shittest weather. Racing was easy in comparison.
Only reason our team was so dominant year after year at nationals. Only reason I have any gold that I appreciate in the spare room.
It took me a while to learn that we all do it for our own reasons, seeking experiences that have meaning for us individually, and those may not be shared. That was a lesson I learned while climbing, from climbing, but it didn't transfer when my interests did.
If we did the things we do for only extrinsic reasons we’d give up quite soon.
Hell yeah!