Thursday, October 15, 2009

An advantage of being an aging cyclist...

...young cyclists give you credit you may or may not deserve!

Yesterday was an off day for me, so I decided to abuse some young legs at the Superdrome, as I do pretty much every Wednesday and Friday from April through November.

Some days I'm teaching them how to stop and start a track bike without falling over. Some days I'm just pumping tires and switching cogs. But every day at least one of the local ankle-biters has some question for me about equipment, race strategy, training tips, etc.

My response to most of them? "Ask Suzie!"

No...just kidding....I only pull that one out for things specific to Superdrome owned equipment or the drills Suzie is having them do that day. If they want to know about gears, tire pressure, how to race a Points race or similar I tell them what I can.

What never ceases to amaze me is how young folks will give automatic credibility to any adult that is not their own parent. Many times I've watched a parent tell a kid what to do on or at the track with no success. I can tell the same kid the same thing 1 minute later and they hustle off to get it done.

Even more amazing is that these kids have seen me race, yet they still give me props!

I've said it a million times over the years both in and out of cycling environments....if you want to feel young, go hang out with some kids. Volunteer at your local training crit, track, club rides etc as a helper or ride leader. I get to spend time with teenagers from our church youth group as well.

Cyclist to pray for: LB. God knows what is needed.

DB

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