Lack of interest: cycling races

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Originally Posted by Sky King

Industry magazine covers are the worst for projecting what a bike rider looks like - glance at the covers - 99 % of the time they depict a person standing up on their uber fancy bike all decked out in the latest kit. Cracks me up. Yes we all can do our best to promote Riding Your Bike - I love the slogan Transport Not Sport but someone else owns that one :)
Go be happy with what ever bike style you enjoy. (If you are a racer - that's okay too :) )

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No doubt some of these images, may make some who really want to return to cycling, but don't , because they may feel self-conscious on the bike. When some people who don't know me at all, make a comment about my cycling stuff in a tone that suggest it's racing/led to believe I'm some sort of wannabe athlete: I squash that by saying that I don't have a car and my bicycle is how I get around. Which in the city where I live....is a big deal...to go car-free. Quite unusual.

I like the podium boys' costumes. Maybe podium women should dress up like dragonslayers or somethin'.:rolleyes:

Okay a bit off topic, but then there is the other extreme - Yesterday the Tour De Fat took place in Boise. 10,000 people dressed up in stupid costumes riding bicycles. Sorry but to me that paints bike riding to another realm and IMO does very little to promote riding your bike as a means of transportation. Yes, I am a curmudgeon and we avoid the event like the plague. On a more positive note we had a lovely bike ride through the foothills yesterday morning, 24 miles of rolling hills.

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Originally Posted by Sky King

Okay a bit off topic, but then there is the other extreme - Yesterday the Tour De Fat took place in Boise. 10,000 people dressed up in stupid costumes riding bicycles. Sorry but to me that paints bike riding to another realm and IMO does very little to promote riding your bike as a means of transportation. Yes, I am a curmudgeon and we avoid the event like the plague. On a more positive note we had a lovely bike ride through the foothills yesterday morning, 24 miles of rolling hills.

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thinking you wouldn't like the tutu and fairy wings that i put on for riding across the finish line in the Cinderella Challenge......:eek:

from the Tour de Fat photos on flickr it looked like a great time yesterday for those who participated.....it also raises a lot of money for bike advocacy groups in the Boise area ($75,000 this year and $300,000+ since it started in Boise).....hopefully that can temper your curmudgeon attitude :)

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Originally Posted by Sky King

Okay a bit off topic, but then there is the other extreme - Yesterday the Tour De Fat took place in Boise. 10,000 people dressed up in stupid costumes riding bicycles. Sorry but to me that paints bike riding to another realm and IMO does very little to promote riding your bike as a means of transportation. Yes, I am a curmudgeon and we avoid the event like the plague. On a more positive note we had a lovely bike ride through the foothills yesterday morning, 24 miles of rolling hills.

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Eh, sounds like fun. It doesn't always have to be serious business.:D

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Originally Posted by Owlie

Eh, sounds like fun. It doesn't always have to be serious business.:D

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Absolutely right. Cyclists look serious a lot of time in their gear, focused on the road (either abiding by road rules or not), cycling with even in their street clothing, their groceries: focus, focus..because of the traffic around them.

That type of fun mass group ride with costumes on bikes..in the cities where I've lived ..is quite rare throughout the year. Meaning over 1.5 million people in each of the 3 Canadian cities. Of course, there are people who consider cycling in a dress and high heels a "costume" in itself. I am aware of 2 Vancouver bike store owners who would welcome that sort of fun group costumed bike ride. 1 of the bike store owners was a racer in his youth. Now, he rides slowly around with his Great Dane dog on leash.

The other bike store owner actually has expanded his bike store and inventory of bikes. Has been in business for over 15 years in Vancouver. His store tends to have more broad range of city/commuter bikes, as well as touring and folding bikes. He always has been known to be fun-crazy --Cat in the Hat costume at Bike Month events, unicycling, etc. while promoting his store, etc. It depends how broad a market, the bike store wants to reach.

Eh, I think riding in a costume is silly, too, Sky King. But then, I think Halloween is silly, especially for adults. Yes, I tend to be serious and I don't care if people think that's wrong!
But, if people want to do it to raise money, fine. Too each her own.

Raising money for cycling advocacy is great for sure. The carnival atmosphere is probably fine for those who enjoy it too. The aftermath of the event is what is often disappointing and does nothing to
expand the hearts of people driving cars in the area. 1,000's of drunk people, in costumes, on bikes, disobeying traffic laws and showing the "not so cute" side of mass cycling events. We will be hearing about it
for weeks. Ah well, I do lots of other things that promote cycling and as I said and others too - not my thing so I just don't go. Just dread the day someone gets hurt or killed after the event.

I think cycling, like most sports, is more fun to watch when you're familiar with the players/riders and their background, strengths, weaknesses, etc. In the 20+ years we've been together DH always watched the Tour de France even though he really only got into cycling in 2010. That's probably because he's European, and the TdF is usually a bigger deal to Europeans. Like most Americans I couldn't name another famous cyclist besides Lance Armstrong, at least not until last year.

Maybe it's because I started riding in 2012 and got strong enough to start doing centuries last year, but I finally got interested and watched every stage of the TdF last year. Part of my interest was just watching the riders' techniques, how the sprinters (Kittel, Greipel, Sagan, etc.) would draft behind other riders until the very last seconds when they'd race for the line, how riders like Chris Froome would attack with a really high cadence, how riders like Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana would climb like they're dancing on the pedals. I finally realized how grueling it must be to race over a hundred miles a day for 21 days over gorgeous landscapes and demoralizing climbs with only a few rest days, and how amazing the best riders really have to be to do well in the mountain stages, in the time trials, day after day, etc. After the TdF 2013 I watched most of the major televised tours and races with DH, and I'd start cheering for my favorite riders, Quintana (since he's small like me) and Sagan (because he's usually so entertaining).

And I don't think cycling fans who do watch these races/tours are trying to be name-droppers or know-it-alls; they're probably just really excited about their favorite riders and/or something exciting that happened in a race. Just because you couldn't care less about pro or college football, baseball, etc., you can't hate fans who are so into their favorite teams that they know all the players and their stats.

I'm also never going to race or straddle my top tube on a scary descent, but there are still techniques you can pick up just watching these riders. I advocate for anything that makes riding more fun, and if watching these races and tours makes you a better rider, then all the better. If you don't care about these races and tours, then tell your friends you're just not into it.

Finally, I know Lance Armstrong and all the doping scandals ruined cycling for many fans, but probably mainly only for those who could really only name Lance and maybe his teammates the years he dominated the sport.

Yesterday I had the pleasure to watch the National Championships Criterium races in person--amateurs (several categories) and the women's and men's pro races. It was so exciting and do much fun. If you have never been to a professional level race, please go seek one out and watch, cheer and admire the athleticism and heart of these athletes.

The World Championships will be in the US next September, so if you live pretty much anywhere east of the Rockies, you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the highest level racing in person with just a little effort. It'll be in Richmond, Virginia over 2 weeks in September 2015. In the meantime, I hope you get to watch racing whenever it comes near where you live. It's exciting and inspiring and so accessible (unlike most other pro sports that cost so much to attend).

Tulip: You will have to put together your list of restaurant recommendations and such.... if you know of a good hotel location for this, let me know. I will most certainly spend the days of the elite road races in Richmond.

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Originally Posted by pll

Tulip: You will have to put together your list of restaurant recommendations and such.... if you know of a good hotel location for this, let me know. I will most certainly spend the days of the elite road races in Richmond.

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Pll, Richmond is quite a foodie city so there are many excellent restaurants and craft breweries. Hotels will likely begin to fill up fast since there are not enough hotel rooms for all the visitors expected. It's a compact city so if you get a place near the races, everything will be close in. The courses should be listed on the Richmond 2015 website but I haven't checked in a while. There are also rentals of private houses on the usual websites. Bring your bike to get around, as driving will be difficult and there is no bikeshare. It's a really pretty city with lots going on and worth a visit.