DClog

Cyclist, not "Roadie"

I have to laugh at how many folks refer to me as a "Roadie". I believe that it's mainly the off-road riders who tend to want to segregate cyclist, claiming that "Roadies" are elitist or somehow a different breed. I will have to agree that there are two totally different skill sets required for road and off-road riding, but there are many cyclist who can do both well.

Although most of my race resume is on the road, I began riding mountain bikes back in the late 80's and have competed in one or two mountain bike races almost every year since 1999, winning some of those races.

My first attempt at a cyclo-cross race was in December of 2002. Riding it on a mountain bike, it didn't take long to realize that 'cross requires yet another skill set.

After missing the entire 2004 season due to health issues, I tried to come back to bike racing that Fall, competing at five cyclo-cross races with varied results.

In 2005, after a full summer of racing, I added six 'cross races, including the state championship, with somewhat improved results.

This season, 2006, there was much less racing in the summer (just a couple of road races and a couple of mountain bike races) with a focus on the Fall cyclo-cross season. The results so far have been good... for a "Roadie".

Posted by dancoy at November 10, 2006 11:46 AM