One of my favorite book passages

[Nanci]

Saturday, April 12, 2003, is a sunny, sixty-eight-degree, perfectly calm day for the second annual Hillsboro-Roubaix here in Hillsboro, Illinois, a tiny brick-streeted town northeast of St. Louis. I'm lined up for the start, wearing my Team MACK racing uniform, red and white and pale blue. My legs are shaved, used Nair, actually, just last night I did it. My haircut's a buzz under the helmet, and my bicycle's unsurpassed by any bike here, my Litespeed Tuscany, Dura-Ace, Mavic Ksyrium SSL wheels. I spent an hour last night polishing it and lubing it, and it's gleaming, people. It's a noble steed, and anybody here who knows anything about bikes, which is like everybody here, knows that my bike is an extremely high-end piece of machinery.

In brief, I look like a poseur. An old guy with a five-thousand-dollar bike and access to a bottle of Nair. Oh well. But if you want to buy a high-end bike and get into road racing, this is something you're going to have to get over, you're gonna look like a poseur, but that's not something to be ashamed of. You can't stop participating in a sport because there are professional-level people who can obliterate you at it. A sport is about a lifestyle, about health and fitness and happiness, and you want to try hard, of course, you want to do your best, but you'll have to accept that other people's best will
frequently be better than yours.

Mike Magnuson, Heft On Wheels

[kjay]

I had to look up the word and not even sure I understand it now. If you look at the definitions here, you'll see why.


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=poseur

[Nanci]

So, is Urban Dictionary a sort of do-it-yourself dictionary, where if you don't_quite_ agree with the definition, you add one yourself, in your own terms? :-)

Nanci

[kjay]

Kind of looks that way, doesn't it? It's a neat word, and I now actually prefer it to the usual English word.

[Nanci]

Here's a wine I've had, looks like the French spelling.

http://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/wine/view/119

From my tasting notes: Deep purple color, nose is blackberry, not very fruity, taste is tannic, old bones, big chalky tones, blood, rust.

Sounds appetizing, huh?

Nanci

[Grog]

Poseur is literally "someone who strikes a pose", as if for a photograph. Just for shows...

Pousseur is "someone who pushes". It wouldn't sound like an enticing name for a wine for me!!! Glad you enjoyed it Nanci!

[Nanci]

Well, the wine label goes on about how syrah is a feminine wine, called la syrah in France. I really have no clue why they named it that. The front label has what appears to be a perfumier or something stuffing a bouquet of flowers into his coat which holds other mysterious packets.

But back to the book! I know exactly the feeling he is describing- I felt it setting up my bike at transition at the last (second) triathlon I "raced" in. I feel it when I show up at the start of a brevet. I feel like, these other people are so much better/faster/more knowledgeable than me; what am I even doing here? I feel like, in a minute everyone is going to figure out I don't belong. But, this is what I want to do. It is what makes me happy. I want to do the best I can, keep improving, but I know I will never be the fastest. Even if I'm last, I still did it.

Nanci

[sydney_b]

But, this is what I want to do. It is what makes me happy. I want to do the best I can, keep improving, but I know I will never be the fastest. Even if I'm last, I still did it.

Nanci

This is my inspiration for the week. What a fantastic attitude, Nanci. I think another important and pragmatic point is that your consumer dollar is the most important vote you have and the more folks demand and purchase quality bike components whether it be for bikes or the rider, the better the selection will be and the more our sport will grow. So, it's all good.



Make it a great week (or not), gals! It's your choice!

[Nanci]

Maybe the guy on the wine label is taking the flowers _out_ of his coat, like a flower pusher, referring to the "perfumed elegance" they claim a true feminine syrah has. (As opposed to the "muscle beach" shirazes.) I think I am going to have to evaluate another bottle, or maybe the 2004, coming soon, which they claim slightly moderates the wintergreen/smoked-sausage character of the 2003. Isn't wine tasting wonderful?

Nanci

[annie]

Maybe the guy on the wine label is taking the flowers _out_ of his coat, like a flower pusher, referring to the "perfumed elegance" they claim a true feminine syrah has. (As opposed to the "muscle beach" shirazes.) I think I am going to have to evaluate another bottle, or maybe the 2004, coming soon, which they claim slightly moderates the wintergreen/smoked-sausage character of the 2003. Isn't wine tasting wonderful?

Nanci

Nanci,

Cline Syrah, California, 2003. Silky smooth mouth! Vanilla and blueberry flavors. Simply delicious and elegant, at the same time. I am enjoying a glass as I write this. My new favorite wine.

On topic - Interesting quote from the book. Especially the part about accepting that there will always be someone better (for most of us!). How true! And your point, Nanci, "I want to do the best I can, keep improving, but I know I will never be the fastest. Even if I'm last, I still did it." It took me awhile to accept that, but since I have, I am a MUCH happier bike rider and overall human being.

annie

~try the wine~

[Lise]

I've been last in several of the triathlons I've done, because I did them with friends, and we leave no one behind. So if somebody's freaking out about something, we wait. We help. We move on. We finish the course together.

In the races I've done on my own, I'm always at the back of the pack. I am just amazed to be there at all. Amazed and proud. To get to be a part of something I never dreamed I could do. That's why I love races. To be an athlete in the company of athletes. I figure, if I keep it up, and I pick small enough races, eventually I'll be the only one in my age group, and I'll get a trophy someday! L.

[annie]

I figure, if I keep it up, and I pick small enough races, eventually I'll be the only one in my age group, and I'll get a trophy someday! L.

LOL! Lise, that's the exact advise my brother gave me. Pick your races right and you be the one who's the winner.

annie