The Secret Race

Some of my fellow riders may have the jump on me, carrying over a great 2013 finish into 2014 but seriously, we're only 12 days into 2014 and I have plans. Plans, to ride. I will claw with the A group to start. Then fully hope to compete with them as I did near the end of my 2013 run. It was my, new normal. Might I be selfish this year? Absolutely. I'm more resolute to follow my plans now, and not work around them to accommodate. Is that harsh? I don't know really. I have an open schedule, I ride Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Straight shot Mondays, Tib Loop Wednesdays, and crazy Mo Miles Fridays. I varied my routes quite a bit last year to ride with friends but this year I need to ride more for myself, and not so much for others or against others. I have to do what's best for me.


Just the same, whatever level rider you are, there's always someone doing more than you. It's the game you roll into. Obsession with being the best. The better you are, the higher the stakes. Higher the stakes, the more the money rolls in. Soon you have friends friends all over the industry protecting your needs and watching over you. Friends today are not your friends of tomorrow. Promises made, promises broken yet cycling's Omerta (code of silence) ensured you played the game, or risk being an outcast. Floyd the rat, Tyler the doper, Greg the jealous one. Or maybe you become the role of Lance the bully. The orchestrator of the biggest sporting scandal ever. From allegations to federal investigations, and why did the US Government drop it's case anyways? Did it roll up to an election year decision? Was the predicted outcome just not worth it? And who suffers in the end. The families, the wives (or ex wives/girlfriends), the fans, the cyclists themselves, and of course the sponsors. Well, ok sorry no..they made their money regardless of the fantasy that was professional cycling.

As a cycling enthusiast, I highly recommend Tyler Hamilton's "The Secret Race". He basically makes you feel like he's just like you. Other than ridiculous talent of course, he's caught up in what everyone else is doing. And you do what you do to succeed, or get out. The depressing part of the book is all the detail. How they beat the system, how the system helped them beat the system. And even more so, how all that I watched during Lance's 7 Tour de France wins was basically no better than a WWF event. I pride myself every year for I don't waste time watching sports 24x7. I don't know the rosters of the players, I don't know the stats of how Kap did on the 4th quarter last year in the post season. I do follow from a distance of course, tuning in as they get deeper into the playoffs, or perhaps into the World Series. But otherwise, I'd rather spend time with family or riding, or a little bit of something else versus sitting and eating for 4 hours. But for the TdF, for years I'd get up at 5am and consume as much of the event as possible. The TdF opened the floodgates to famed climbs, and classic rides, and a host of riders I was never familiar with domestic or overseas. And now, well, maybe I wasted the most time of all. After all, the TdF is basically an entire month of July where the only thing allowed on our Flat Screen are men screaming by on bikes. Perhaps I'll record the 2014th edition, and just tune in on the last week, to see who's winning, or who's left on the playing field.

But my view will be tainted, from looking for interesting tan lines on the arms, to seeing who's dressed up in sweats in warm weather, to questioning CA's great race being sponsored by a pharma company. The one thing I will start to study, are the climbing times. Apparently the tour has gotten slower, and that's a good sign. Regardless, don't let me persuade you one way or the other. Make the read and come up with your own conclusions. From what would you do, to government conspiracies. It's all just a game anyways. At least, it's supposed to be.