Wednesday, May 07, 2008
My Own List of Cycling Pet Peeves
Right up front, I'll admit that I've been reading Bike Snob NYC's blog. I've made it through June and July of last year's posts. His universe of NYC and fixies might as well be a million miles away from our wide open spaces and accessible mountains.
So, here are some of my pet peeves in the mountain biking realm:
Skidders. If you don't know what a skidder is, you probably are one. A skidder is usually someone who hasn't figured out that the front brake provides a great deal of power and control. One type of skidder is a guy who's first and only helmet is full-faced and his bike is 'sick'. This particular type of skidder carries entirely too much speed into a corner. They don't actually have a sense of how fast they're going because their bikes are so squishy they can't feel the trail. This is the guy that comes in too hot and grabs a right-fistful of brakes. This is the guy who hasn't ridden long enough to know when he's over cooked it and yet doesn't seem to learn because he can skid through it and never feel it. Thanks for the wash boards. Learn how to brake next time.
The Best Ambassadors. These are the guys who are so busy rippin' sick down hill that they forget that other people are on the trail and leave others diving for cover. The rules are that hard - yield to horses, hikers and up-hill riders. These guys often have skidding issues.
The Ambush Specialists. I suspect these guys are equestrians, but I've never actually seen them doing it. These are the people that have had some contact with The Best Ambassadors and figure they'll take it out on all cyclists. Their favorite move is to drag trees over the trail or litter the trail with debris. Apparently, they feel justified in intentionally putting other people's lives at risk. Whenever I come on one of their traps, I start envisioning what it would be like to catch one of them in the act. If I dwell on the thought long enough, I get mad enough I start envision me hitting one of them with a water bottle or a pump, maybe even a rock in the trail. And then I remember that these people are almost guaranteed to packing a revolver (not a pistol), and the fantasy kind of falls apart for me. I don't feel like less of a man to admit that I'm scared of the Single Six.
My biggest pet peeve, not getting out to ride. I'd better get back to it so I can do some pedalling this weekend and next.
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4 comments:
I went mountain biking today for the first time in about 5 months. It was freaking awesome. Most of the skills are still there and my legs are in decent shape from the road biking. I can't wait to be done with this Vikingman crap so that I can have some fun this summer.
I didn't invite DTP b/c I was going with another newbie who was riding a bike that was both a singlespeed and a 29er for the first time. He still had to work today so we left before 6AM to go ride. You know DTP he would have never made it on time so I didn't bother to ask.
I am not sure that I can wait until fall to come out and ride. I had way too much fun this morning.
I hear ya on your peeves. My least favorite is the trail obstructions, mainly because they are dangerous.
You're lucky you can keep your skills, my mountain biking skills always fall off pretty quickly during the winter.
We'll see how my training on a mountain bike works out for triathlon. I'm starting my work to get my back in shape for that Torture Trial position tomorrow.
The good thing is that the mountain biking has kept me from getting burned out on the road. Right now the plan is to do most of my long weekend rides on a mountain bike and hopefully on my two singles.
you are getting in much longer runs and rides than I have. Because of conflicting schedules with Bridget and my work it is hard for me to get out for more than a couple of hours. Damn hip and knee discomfort has scared me away from long runs, which otherwise I would have time to do. 90 minutes is about all I have done at a time. Vikingman should be brutal. You are gonna crush me again, which is fine. Survival...and finishing the run without cramping and walking most of it, that is all I am hoping for.
I will probably accumulate 11 hours of total training this week and that is probably about what the next couple of weeks will be as well. Then taper down for the last two weeks.
Agreed. There is nothing worse than scoping a perfect line through a curve only to hit it fast and then have your fillings rattled out of you teeth from the skidder induced studder bumps. Lame.
How about the tough guy cowboy. The one that you yeild to and try to make small talk with only to have him snort at you with his lip full of cowboy bubble gum. Nice. After he passes, I always think that I could get a heck of a rodeo started with a handful of rocks. Just sayin.
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