1speed
Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
MTBNJ done gone and got all deep and shit. It seems like this could be one of those situations where people argue over a point despite the fact that they both agree with each other's point. (So is that even really arguing? More like two independent expositions that aren't really countering one another. :hmmm
I think we all ride for reasons that we value at a pretty high premium whatever they may be. Some ride for the fitness, some for the zen and focus, some for the competition, some for the sense of community, and some ride for a combination of any or all of those things and more. And in that way, it's no different than any other activity. And I think it's pretty cool that people can discuss their own reasons and maybe gain a better understanding of reasons that may seem foreign to them. If a few folks go nuts for cross season, that's great! I don't do cross because I look forward to the fall season as my "fun ride" time all year. I find some of the numbers discussions very interesting, even if I know I would never use those metrics (not that I don't have my own -- the numbers I care about are just of a different type.) While I don't share someone like Sparta's enthusiasm for that particular discipline, I totally get it -- I get the same way when it comes to the kind of races I like to do. It doesn't matter that we go in for different disciplines, I would cheer on the effort out of that appreciation. And I think that's the thing that most of those seemingly superficial FB comments or Strava kudos are really all about -- we are recognizing that this person we are "friends" with for whatever reason has an enthusiasm for whatever it is they are doing and we want to feed that enthusiasm rather than tear it down. So even if it's a comment like "You'll get 'em next time!" after a shitty performance, it's simply a way to let that person know that you understand that this shit is important to them and you appreciate that. If you really think about it, this is one of the positives of the social media age, right? There are enough problems and of course there's tons of pointless shit on any social media, but isn't it a good thing when people show support for one another, even if they haven't really ever actually met one another?
I think we all ride for reasons that we value at a pretty high premium whatever they may be. Some ride for the fitness, some for the zen and focus, some for the competition, some for the sense of community, and some ride for a combination of any or all of those things and more. And in that way, it's no different than any other activity. And I think it's pretty cool that people can discuss their own reasons and maybe gain a better understanding of reasons that may seem foreign to them. If a few folks go nuts for cross season, that's great! I don't do cross because I look forward to the fall season as my "fun ride" time all year. I find some of the numbers discussions very interesting, even if I know I would never use those metrics (not that I don't have my own -- the numbers I care about are just of a different type.) While I don't share someone like Sparta's enthusiasm for that particular discipline, I totally get it -- I get the same way when it comes to the kind of races I like to do. It doesn't matter that we go in for different disciplines, I would cheer on the effort out of that appreciation. And I think that's the thing that most of those seemingly superficial FB comments or Strava kudos are really all about -- we are recognizing that this person we are "friends" with for whatever reason has an enthusiasm for whatever it is they are doing and we want to feed that enthusiasm rather than tear it down. So even if it's a comment like "You'll get 'em next time!" after a shitty performance, it's simply a way to let that person know that you understand that this shit is important to them and you appreciate that. If you really think about it, this is one of the positives of the social media age, right? There are enough problems and of course there's tons of pointless shit on any social media, but isn't it a good thing when people show support for one another, even if they haven't really ever actually met one another?
