Extracted from the Killjoy Blog after last Sunday's CX race at Carpenter Park where our friend Wayne as well as Ben Popper and others were shanked by some guy:
One of the things I enjoy about Cyclocross besides the racing is meeting new people and seeing them week in and week out. Everyone has different abilities goals and backgrounds, but the vibe is always great because of the attitudes people have. Everyone wants to be competitive in their own right and do what they can to win a race. Often times, you will find them cheering for others when they're not racing, hanging out with freinds at the venue.
Every race start is eventful, bad lines are taken, someone hits brakes too hard, gravel and mud, riders intersect trying to get up front and stay out of chaos. No one really likes when things go wrong and we all try to avoid it. We just want to race bikes. Others tend to develop a reputation for taking on this kind of approach as some type of strategy. It could be lack of confidence in their ability or most obviously, just a lack of respect for other people in general.
I wonder, what do you call someone who at the start of the race,T bones 2 racers at the line taking them out? I wonder what do you call someone who rides for 2 laps, then like a pussy rides off the course ready to DNF? Then momentarily, thinking that he is a pussy and might want to finish a race, to then jump on the race leader's wheel (after already being lapped) and suck his draft for no apparent outcome in the race. Then, when the race leader asks him not to do so to avoid any crash that could cost him a win, crashes into the race leader and rides over his rear wheel flattening his tire so he has to come in and pit his bike? But it does not stop there. He has the balls to make a complaint with the race judge that, the race leader cursed obscenities as a result of the incident?
Some people in that race may call him a pussy, an asshole or just arrogant. Others just wanted to have a word with him to help him understand some respect since it may help him but more importantly it helps the other people that would end up dealing with him down the road. He left in a hurry. I guess there seemed to be a few people looking for him so it was probably best. The only thing he did leave behind was his impression on other people and everyone knows his name.
Despite coming in 2nd and the scolding he took from the race official for "obscene language" directed to a lapped rider, he still had a smile on his face afterwards because he rode his ass off. He grabbed a bullhorn and cheered on Cat 4 racers with the most enthusiasm you could imagine. Even when he travels across the country, everyone knows what kind of racer and person he is.
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