Are pro cyclists masochists?

LS17

I wanted to see what it was like to run with the "big dogs" and entered a cat 1 race. Of course I'm only a cat 5 and even at that level I'm not competitive. I bs'ed myself into cat 1 since the event looked poorly run....I knew I was going to get dropped like a rock but I didn't expect them to pass me like I was standing still.

After a few laps the event organizers signalled me to get off the course since I was obviously out of place in cat 1. I heard these guys grunting, cursing at others (no one in particular?), screaming through the turns, etc. Of course, this was when they lapped me because I was dropped like a rock. I could see their faces filled with pain and their speed as they passed me was amazing. People wake up early in the morning and pay $30 for this? They must like pain.

fauxpas

When the organizers signalled you to get off, did you straighten your leg and yell "Shit shit, I pulled a hammy"?

Eastway82

It's not so much that they love pain, but that they hate losing....
And the justifcation's always, "Well, I may be hurting, but the other guy's hurting worse".

capwater

What kind of race would allow a Cat5 in with Cat1s? Must not have been an official race. You would have had to show your license with any upgrade stickers. How did you "BS" yourself into the higher cat? No legit race official would let that fly. There is a reason for categories.....

waxbytes

Easy cap, shit happens. Some people have a knack for B'S that is uncanny.

xcmntgeek

Sorry, but you're lucky you weren't crashed out or didn't cause someone to crash. Just wait till those cat 1s see you in a cat 5 race...

J

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wilmar13

A race in his imagination only. This is pretty comical. It would be funnier though if he were a troll instead of someone with serious personal issues.

ToffoIsMe

Can't you have your race license suspended for entering the wrong category race?

wilmar13

You need a race license to begin with though.

capwater

Just about every race I have done you have to present your USCF license to the race official at registration. While you may have registered online as a cat1, when they see cat5 on the license you're toast. Now if this was some sort of local deal where they only have one mixed category, I could see that. Even then they usually break them out only as 1,2,3. I would think that the cat 1s would raise a fit with the promoters if they found themselves dodging the rookies.

bobke

When I started racing, I entered a masters level race because the Cat 5 was closed. Dont ask me why or how. This was a big race in the Northeast US and had Pro-1-2, Cat 3 Cat 4 Cat 5 and Masters over 45. Well....

I knew nothing, complete newbie and dropped out/got dropped of the race early when I saw what the deal was. I had no interest much less capacity in trying to stay with guys, some of whom had won national road race championships back in the day in Euro countries--as was quickly pointed out to me when I asked some guys next to me WTF?!? since we immediately went to 27-28 mph and the climbs hadnt started yet.


Besides being impressed that we rolled out at 25 mph in the neutral zone and it it one of the hardest and hilliest races in the Northeast, I only later realized i had entered illegally and how uncool it is for a newbie to potentially screw up and cause a crash with ex-pros.

I let the race go up the road instead of messing with them even for a while, and finished the course and got passed by an accelerating junior field...lots of fun to have my son wave at me, like what happened?

Ouch

Catabolic_Jones

Well, he might be trolling...

But he could also be talking about a local club race. Here they just throw everyone into A, B, or C, and you get to choose which group to ride in. It's understood that 1/2 is A.

But, yeah, he's talking "cat"s so he's probably B.S.ing.

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limerickman

Getting back to the question : are pros masochists?

I don't know the answer to that.
I think that their pain threshold is far higher than mere mortals, for sure.

I have noticed that a lot of very good cyclists are prone to depression to a lesser and greater extent.

I was reading about that great Dutch cyclist Gert-Jan Theunisse : he was superb cyclist in the late 1980's, early 1990's.
He finished as a pro over a decade ago - but he still trains harder than ever.
In his interview he states that he needs to feel the pain, from working hard.
He's relocated to Majorca and he lives in a isolated house with his wife.
Everyday he trains and trains.
Is he addicted to the high of cycling? He admits that he suffers from depression.

Similarly one of the greatest climbers ever, Charly Gaul, lived a hermit after he retired.
Graeme Obree suffered manic depression.

It could be the case that these people pushed themselves beyond limit.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets" - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

wilmar13

I have to offer a counter-viewpoint here Lim. I know I push myself way harder than most people do, and in turn can ride better than others with more natural ability. But there are also plenty of cyclists that can drop me with less effort and training. At the professional level it is no different. It is like saying a Rhodes Scholar got where they are by studying harder than everyone else. Maybe person A has to study their ass off to get through a business program at the local university, and person B has to study their ass off to get an engineering degree at IIT or MIT, did person B study a lot harder, or did they have more talent to begin with? You will also find those that can go to MIT and study half as hard as those barely making average grades at local Uni. Cycling is the same, you have natural potential and it is up to you to make the most of it. I could not beat Jan Ulrich in a TT no matter how hard I pushed myself and how well I was trained, even if he ate donuts and didn't turn a pedal for 6 months prior to. Competitive people push themselves to the limit, whether that be local racing, or professional level.

Cycling is a fantastic antidepressant. Rather than taking Prozac I ride my bike, and there are a lot of people like that, pros are no different. Stop riding and the benefits of hard exercise that keep depression away disappear... add that to lack of focused goals and a clear direction in the case of retired Pro cyclists, and it is a wonder we don't hear of more cases like Graeme Obree.