Training for what exactly
by Sedrik Vomir on July 25th, 2007
I am thinking about racing the upcoming Rim Nordic mountain bike race. I can’t wait! I have been training very hard for this. All my hard work and eating right is about to pay off. Yeah sure it is! If you have been keeping up with this blog, then you know how hard I have really been training. If you are not new to this blog then you know how funny that sounds because I never post any stories about my training - because I don’t train.
I don’t even show up to the races half the time. Its not something I am exactly proud of, its just a fact of my existence, I think. It’s not even something I do on purpose. Ok so the last race, I know I was supposed to go and work the feed zone for the guys, but you gotta understand the Kenda girls are mighty foxy and sometime I get distracted by pretty girls - well most of the time, but ok. I understand, enough with the excuses. I know the bros at Evomo have money on me betting I wont show, but I will… I think.
Here is the other thing. The races these days kinda blow. No one hardly shows up and those that do seem like they take it way too seriously. That kind of sucks. I know racing is fun - it gets the adrenaline pumping and I love that. Plus chicks dig guys that race. These days it seems like $45 gets you three 2.5 minute downhill runs or a 2 hour grind fest of fire roads and some single track. Thats after driving 2 hours to get to the race venue which is just a bunch of guys meeting in a parking lot. [FYI: $45 will get me 4 gallons of gas to get me to and from the trail head for a morning ride, a Chipotle burrito, a ticket to see Transformers the movie with super hot Megan Fox, a soda, a double-double from In & Out Burger and then I can rent the 007 bond flick Casino Royale and pass out thinking how cool would it be to be James Bond. Perfect!]
Okay back to meeting up with dudes in a parking lot at 6:00am. Sounds to me like some sort of underground desert rave where you have to drive 2 hours to get to a parking lot where you give a guy $45 and he hands you a number plate and some directions to a secret location where when you get there, still doesn’t even look like anything. As you look around you see a few strips of silver Shimano course tape and a couple other guys with bikes. They have stern looks on their faces almost like they are drill sergeants for the Marines Special Forces, but they aren’t. Marines don’t wear lycra unless they are in the water with huge guns and black face paint. No, this is probably ’cause they just horked down 5 gels and some disgusting cardboard “energy” bar. They washed all that down with some pink fluid that claims to reduce cramping and increase blood flow. Sounds like these guys are treating symptoms for their periods. They do this to increase their performance during the grueling 2 hour, three laps at altitude, dust fest.
The races start without much of any significant fanfare. The riders quietly disappear beyond the trees only to be seen again 40 minutes from now - if they survive the first turn which typically forces about 15 guys from a 12 foot wide fire road down to a 2 foot wide single track. Hmmm… that kind physics is bound to result in some crashes. Funny they don’t do that with the downhill races - might make them more exciting! So this is a problem for me. I come to hang out and provide tech support to my bros at Evomo as they race these enduro races. I realize that I am just standing around for 40 minutes waiting for my rider to come thru the feed zone. Now, I have a purpose besides meeting pretty girls and that is to hand a water bottle (or some fluorescent fluid that the TSA wont let me bring on board the plane) to my team rider. What do I do for 40 minutes? I meet girls - Okay I said that. (its true). Now what do the spectators do for 40 minutes? They leave. Yes, they do. I have been to many races and the spectators watch the start of the race and then they leave. No one wants to stand around listing to some former radio DJ anouncer screaming how its “on-like-donkey-kong” for the 40th time, ’cause its not. Its freaking “on-like-nothing-is-on” because all of the riders are out on course and there is nothing to see or do. Its freaking boring!
If you are a race organizer then you need to realize that this is why your turn out sucks. You need to develop courses that allow for the racers to be seen more often so that the crowd will stay and watch. Makes sense, doesn’t it? If you went to a Lakers game and watched the guys bounce the ball around for 5 minutes and then they disappeared back into their locker rooms 40 minutes what would you do - leave? I would, and if I was at the Staples Center, I would flip some cars over and light some shit on fire too.
I know how much work is involved in putting on a race - believe me. I am not intending to bash on all of you guys. I think you need to step away from the painting and look at it as a whole and make a point to get feedback from the racers and spectators. I used to see families that would come and hang out for the day while mom or dad raced. The kids even got in on some kids races and there was stuff to do and see and food to eat. I see less of that because all the stuff that used to keep them occupied seems to be dwindling. I know this because the guys (Dads) I ride with stopped going to races as much because there wasn’t much for the family to do while Dad hammered out some 40 minute laps. Since Dad only gets 2 days off from working for the man - its hard to justify being gone all day on Sunday. When it was a family event - no worries my friends!
Now the whole idea of training is way cool. I would do it more often, but I am missing my motivation and since Megan Fox is dating Brian Austin Green (the dorky kid from that 90’s TV show Beverly Hills 90210) I really dont have any motivation left in me. At least she isn’t dating the guy from Saved by the Bell - Screech! Rob and Bryan keep telling me its not about wining - its about showing up, being a team and having fun. Wining is great, but having fun is better… could it be. Hmmm. I do like to have fun. Can I have both? Well, I imagine that would require me to train - wouldn’t it.
So I guess thats why you haven’t seen me at too many races this season.
I am going to leave you with one word: Festival. I think its appropriate in many ways. A festival is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community. A festival can also be a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods. Shouldn’t we be having festivals in honour of the mountain bike gods!
I want to see more of a festival atmosphere. Does anyone else?
Sedrik
July 25th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Amen brother! California has a pouplation that is greater than the entire country of Australia yet the State Championship series only draws about 300 racers at any given course. There are more than 12 million people just in the greater Los Angeles area and you mean to tell me that only a couple of hundred of those people ride mountain bikes? Granted, not all mountain bikers race but if the races were more like events or festivals celebrating mountain biking I think more people would come out to participate.
July 25th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
A festivas for the rest of US…Thank you Sedrik.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
I agree, Megan Fox is smokin hot. I dont mind the energy gels and yes I do have $20 that says you wont be there at the next race. Festivals, I love em. The Firestone race is a great example.
July 26th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
lol. That’s so true about there being nothing to do for 40min while everyone is out racing..especially when you have little ones to entertain! The guys/ gals disappear behind the brush and then nothing. But i want my husband to race, cuz i think it’s really hot..so i’ll be more than happy to be out there to cheer him on when he starts. =D A ‘festival’ atmosphere would be more fun though for these races….
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