Yesterday I commented on how often I have been asked about doping in cycling over the last week. There is another question I’ve been asked over the last couple of days. My first response to the questions is incredulity. Then I realize how the question reflects how far cycling has to go in the USA.
“Are you racing in the big race coming to town this weekend?”
No. I am not. Asking me that question is like asking if the guys in the local church softball league are planning on playing in a series against a major league baseball team. On a very good day, I might make it to the base of Paris Mountain sitting in the group of these professional riders, but there is no doubt in my mind I would be left behind on the climb to the top.
I don’t blame people for asking that question. Cycling is a very hard sport to get an understanding of unless you have participated in the sport. Stand me up beside a professional rider and the uninitiated probably couldn’t tell much of a difference.
Put us on the bikes and that all changes. It is hard to explain, but the professional would simply ride me into the ground. His training and fitness allow him to create and maintain more power. The power I can create and maintain for 20 minutes, he would be able to hold for hours.
The down side to this is that I don’t think professional riders get the credit they deserve from the general population. It isn’t that people think cycling is easy. It is more that they just don’t know how hard it actually is.
Well, if you want some idea of what it is like to be a professional cyclist, take your bicycle to the Furman side of Altamont road. Start at the bottom and ride up it as fast as you can. You cannot stop. No matter how rotten you feel, you must push your way to the top. If you make it up in 18 minutes, pat yourself on the back.
Now, turn around and ride down the winding road as fast as you can. You thought going up was hard! If you have the guts to take those corners without braking, I bet there will be numerous times you will have your heart in your throat!
Once at the bottom, repeat the above sequence four times. Trust me, you won’t do 18 minutes again. If you really give it your all, you will probably find yourself feeling sick by the time you reach the top on the second or third attempt.
Consider that a top professional will do those four climbs in half the time. It doesn’t mean that he can do that without breaking a sweat. There are times when a professional will feel the same sensations that you might during one of your climbs. The difference is that when he feels that way, he is going much, much faster and can ride well beyond the point where we would get off the bike and start pushing.
The up side to this is that it shows just how grass roots cycling is as a sport. Do baseball fans, basketball fans, etc. have the opportunity to train on in the same facilities as those they enjoy watching on TV? Do you have the opportunity to end up throwing baseball with a major league star who just so happens to show up in a local park? It is that common experience that fans can have with the pros that is unique to cycling.
So, no, I won’t be racing this weekend in the USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship. I will be there for the SC State Road Race Championship. I’ll be racing for about 54 miles. The pros will go for 115.
Finally, let me add… even some amateur racers in our area could put in a good show with some of the pros. There are racers in the area that may one day be professional. There are some others whose time to make that cut is past, but can rise to a level beyond your typical weekend warrior.
That is one of the beauties of professional cycling. It is all relative. We all get to know what it is like to suffer. It is just that some are faster while they suffer.
