Monday, August 11, 2008

An Ode to Keeping the Rubber Side Down

Bike racing is inherently dangerous. We travel at fast speeds with little to no skin protection and take corners faster than most would ever dream of, next to and behind other racers. Something can happen in front of you that you have no control over and your immediate reaction can have immediate consequences in your general well being. We are all reliant on the people we're racing with and next too have equipment that won't fail - whether that be a tire slipping off the rim, a head set coming lose at the wrong time, a seat post failing, carbon cracking, etc. And then there's the pilot errors that can happen - coming into a corner too hot, clipping a pedal, breaking too quickly, etc. So each time you line up to race - you hope that everything goes well but at the same time, you did sign a big old waiver from USA cycling saying you understand and accept the danger you are potentially placing yourself in.

So here's to all the races you complete and keep the rubber side down - even though you may not have placed as high as you could have or been in the final sprint for a podium position. In the grand scheme of things - you narrowly escaped injury and should thank your lucky stars. And for those who didn't escape - here's wishing you a speedy recovery!

1 comment:

Old as dirt said...

Well Said, everyone needs to understand that!