Poll: Who Races - With a lot of discussion after

Which one describes you best as rider


  • Total voters
    20

jimjo

New Member
I personally fall into the latter category. However, call it a midlife crisis or watching too much fight club. I'm questioning my motivation, or lack there of as a rider.

As a former competive athlete I always rode to "have fun" and now I think I'm looking for something else. After playing soccer for so many years, I truly lacked the drive and the motivation, to train to become successfully competitive. Yes I am a perfectionist, so if I'm going to do something, its going to be all or nothing.

Now with a wife, 2 kids, a house, and a job that overworks me. I need something else, but like most, I certainly dont have the time to commit to a full time training program to make me competitive to my satisfaction.

I recently came across this training website www.gymjones.com and it made me reconsider a lot of my decisions regarding riding, training....life (everything but my wife and kids.)

What Drives you?
 
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graveyardman67

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Huh???

Are you asking if I (we) race and then discuss the race afterwards (a lot)? Or are you asking if I (we) race and you are opening the subject to discussion?

#1 I race and I will discuss the race at the post race debriefing. I would not consider my discussions lengthy though.
#2 I race and I don't think my racing is up for discussion. I race and I want to and I'm not changing the fact that I race.;)

I would be glad to expand on either answer if necessary but I would prefer not to take any tests. Thank you and have a good day.:)
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
I probably did about 25 races last year. Maybe 10 MTB and the rest were road and a couple CX.

MTB = Expert SS
Road = Cat3
CX = Men's B

What would you like to discuss?

I often feel I need to race in order to justify the amount of riding I do. Then, other times, I feel like I need to ride because that's what a racer would do. It's an endless cycle. Thankfully, it keeps me on the bike where I prefer to be anyway.
 
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joeschaar

New Member
I'm racing almost everytime I get on the bike.

racing away from my past
racing towards more beers
racing with my thoughts (and all those people in my head)

Cheers,

"slow" Joe
 

jkmacman

Complete Nonsense
keeping up with the jones'

i'd like to do a race or two in 2009, cause it gives me an excuse to go to the gym, get on my bike and go for runs

yes it's a mid life crisis thing for me, but i do enjoy going for a bike ride now and again
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
Most of us take up riding first. Eventually (at the end of my first season) I tried a race. It was more fun than I thought, so I kept racing. 15 years later I am still racing.

Most the time in a race, I feel like I am just riding. Yet, knowing that I am going to race helps keep me motivated all year long. So, I guess I both ride to race and race to ride. It's more about the lifestyle and life results than the race results.
 

THATmanMANNY

Well-Known Member
don't know yet

Im not going to submit my vote here cause I dunno which I fall under yet cause I haven't done enough bicycling racing to justify but if I'm at a race, I'm there to race and not hold back, not go to a race just to ride. When I do a foot race or a tri, I usually set a goal and that I would consider I ride/run to race. But when I'm on the bike I don't feel that way. I ride for leisure fun and I'm gonna throw in some bike racing for fun.

However, if I was on a training plan tho I would consider I ride to race. Which BTW I am looking for a good MTB training plan. Hoping to get some good finishes this year. Would anyone want to point in the right direction? In the end, I ride to ride & race to race.
 

clarkenstein

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
right now, i'm not a fan of racing. i gave it a go for a few years here and there and for now have given it up. the main factor for me to stop is made of two parts (1) the amount of money i spent to ride areas that are cost-free to ride any other time of the year, and (2) i couldn't justify paying to ride trails crowded with 200+ riders, when i know other great trails are probably empty that same day because everyone is racing. i like the pre and post race atmosphere and hanging around, but riding really crowded trails for a fee isn't fun for me.

plus, training gets in the way of life for me. i have enough schedules and things on my to-do list, training only adds to it. riding is an escape for me, and the last thing i want to be doing is thinking about the clock, mileage, how i'm "supposed" to be riding, and my race day deadline. i'd rather just ride and have fun doing it, to forget all my schedules and to-dos, not to add to them.

that's all the me-oriented stuff, putting my wife and son in the picture changes my attitude towards racing even more.

all i want out of riding right now is to stay healthy, and stay in good enough shape that i can enjoy my time riding - and i honestly want to do that without being away from my family too much. how fast i can get up a hill on a bike is not my biggest priority. as long as i can still do it, i'm happy.

motivation isn't the 'hump' factor for me for riding - i am always up for a ride - its dealing with the exhaustion that a baby brings plus my job is what i deal with. for example, this past weekend was a tough mental fight to get out. the night before my sunday ride, my boy was up from 1:30am to 2:30am screaming, i went to bed at 11pm, and to make my ride in time, i had to get up at 6am. i was exhausted when my alarm went off. plus, i knew it was going to be in the low 20's, so it was going to be a cold and snowy ride, and i just wanted sleep in my warm bed - but at the same time, i thought that today or tomorrow i would be kicking myself if i didn't get out of bed. so i fought the good fight, got my butt outta bed, and slogged around chimney rock for an hour and a half. totally worth it.
 
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mwlikesbikes

Well-Known Member
I think alot of us are a little from column A and a little from colemn B

I race because I love to ride anywhere in different conditions. I ride for the fun, fitness, cameraderie (sp?) and the chance to join the giant hammerfest group rides that some call races

So to answer your question.....Yes!
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I used to race on my road bike, but I found racing to be too stressful for me mentally. Riding became an obsession to get better/faster and I lost the fun aspect. I enjoy MTBing and riding hard but don't want to compete for fear of losing the joy of cycling. :)
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
I race first and foremost for the pure competition. I will destroy myself just to get some nice numbers on the result sheets.

Second of all I do it because I just love to be on my bike and see new places and terrain. Destination races are amazing.

Third of all it gives me the motivation to stay in shape and keep improving my shape. I've done pretty well so far but I haven't really trained. This year I acquired a coach and I'm really excited to see how far we can push myself. I wanna see a major jump in fitness and in results.

Lastly I love the culture in general. Everyone shares the same passion and I've met some really great friends this way and I plan to meet many more this next season. It's all good...
 

axcxnj

Hipster Keys
racing really helps to motivate me to stay in good shape. If i were simply riding for recreation, i probably wouldnt do it as much or as intensly, but because i am racing, when i ride i am training. It also helps me to not be shaped like the rest of the people in my office.

so instead of going to a gym, i race bikes
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
I've done a few races (none last year) but I definitely don't consider myself a racer. I never train, so I basically just race myself, ride for fun and to see new places.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
i've done a couple races. at my level of fitness on a bike, which for me is great, basically sucks in the "real" race world. result: DFL in my last race. i wasn't discouraged, i just know i either have to devote more time to training (which is cleary more than i'm doing now) or put flat inducing materials in secret spots on the course to slow the other people down. :D

i'd like to really race someday when i'm competitive.
 

kush

Active Member
Racing is the motivation or goal to keep a semi-structured training program in place. Otherwise I'm just riding around for fun. That in place drives fitness which I benefit from in regular life.
 

davos

Member
I've done a few..

but don't race with any regularity. While I've enjoyed them and like to see myself get better it's not really something I focus on. These days it's just about getting out there and escaping from everything, if only for a few hrs.
 
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