Shot at 2009-06-25
Friday, June 26, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
The things you say...
When I'm racing, I'm one of those talkers. I don't mean an 'on your left' type of talker. I don't even mean a 'hold your line' kind of talker, although I've been known to shout that. Nope. I mean a Tourette's, mixed with some attempts at humor thrown in, kind of talker.
Try as I might, I can't hide my frustration with the way certain people ride. I've been known to shout to the peloton, after just being reeled back from a break, that it was some one's turn to counterattack. I've been known to call a badly organized break a group of prutsers. I've also been known to address riders in very direct language. That said, I try and save it only for the appropriate situations, and/or for people who really need it.
If I'm not digging too deep, I'll address my colleagues in Dutch. This usually lasts for the first 10-15 minutes of a race. After that, I'd guess that most of what I say is lost on my fellow racers. Mostly because it's in English, or in heavily accented Dutch, or a mix of the two. Considering some of the things that I say, perhaps it's a good thing that there's a language barrier.
That said, while I generally never remember my stream of conscious rants, sometimes some people do. On Saturday a guy came up to me and asked what I had said at a training race the week before. I had no clue what he meant, and muttered "I said a lot of things", which was true. When he elaborated, and told me when I said it, I knew what he meant.
Apparently it struck a cord, because he was one of 5-6 guys (who were racing in the 50+ category in a mixed cat training race) who asked me about it.
What did I say?
This: "een bidon van viagra voor de winnar", which translates as "a bottle of viagra for the winner." I've never seen a pack of 50 plus racers sprint so fast.
Try as I might, I can't hide my frustration with the way certain people ride. I've been known to shout to the peloton, after just being reeled back from a break, that it was some one's turn to counterattack. I've been known to call a badly organized break a group of prutsers. I've also been known to address riders in very direct language. That said, I try and save it only for the appropriate situations, and/or for people who really need it.
If I'm not digging too deep, I'll address my colleagues in Dutch. This usually lasts for the first 10-15 minutes of a race. After that, I'd guess that most of what I say is lost on my fellow racers. Mostly because it's in English, or in heavily accented Dutch, or a mix of the two. Considering some of the things that I say, perhaps it's a good thing that there's a language barrier.
That said, while I generally never remember my stream of conscious rants, sometimes some people do. On Saturday a guy came up to me and asked what I had said at a training race the week before. I had no clue what he meant, and muttered "I said a lot of things", which was true. When he elaborated, and told me when I said it, I knew what he meant.
Apparently it struck a cord, because he was one of 5-6 guys (who were racing in the 50+ category in a mixed cat training race) who asked me about it.
What did I say?
This: "een bidon van viagra voor de winnar", which translates as "a bottle of viagra for the winner." I've never seen a pack of 50 plus racers sprint so fast.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Le Professeur
The recent news of Laurent Fignon's battle with cancer comes as shock. Like many cycling fans from the US, he will always be linked to the 1989 Tour de France. That is a pity, especially when you take into account his career as a whole ( including 2 Tour victories, one Giro de Italia, and twice at Milano - San Remo).
Let's hope that Fignon fights his disease as tenaciously as he did his competition. On that note, I present a short clip of Fignon's last professional victory.
Let's hope that Fignon fights his disease as tenaciously as he did his competition. On that note, I present a short clip of Fignon's last professional victory.
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