Section head text.
You’ve probably read it too. The image of cyclists as granola chomping, social misfits with neck beards is morphing into the image of corporate go-getters rising frightfully early and making deals on the roads as they push their HR into the sub-threshold zone. Personally, I can barely hear anything out on my bike as the wind whipping through the empty spaces between my ears causes quite a turbulent noise.
So, is cycling the new golf?
Zipps and a whole lot of fancy stuff started in tri.
The second coming of carbon came so fast, I don’t know where
it cam from.
Cervelo, started in tri and they helped with the carbon.
Anyone know whether Affinity Cycles has opened, out in corporate Williamsburg?
Crashing too many times? Well, yes, that’s why I’m taking a racing class, and no, slipping on ice, wet leaves, and wet tram tracks are probably hard for anyone to avoid, getting hit by a car turning without looking (Officer: "Ma’am, he has an awfully bright light. I don’t see how you could have missed seeing him.") I’ll take credit for the other few falls. I’ve never fallen in a group.
I’m not sure I qualify as an orgot: I’m only 170 pounds and can keep a reasonable but not quite competitive pace line speed. I am and old guy on ti.
"slipping on ice, wet leaves, and wet tram tracks are probably hard for anyone to avoid"
You’ve got it backward — with the exception of black ice, those are very easy to avoid.
"getting hit by a car turning without looking"
Not at all your fault, but as cyclists we have some control over where we ride and the odds of these things happening. They should happen very rarely. If not, you should re-evaluate where you ride if you have any control over it.
My dad would be upset to hear you question his granolality (to coin a phrase). He saved every precious penny he could to buy that Rivendell because he felt their stodgy attitude best mirrored his own. He now considers it an overpriced POS and is discouraged to commute on his overpriced fender-light-saddle bag-upright stem monstrosity. But he’s stuck with it.
Oh, well.
Just don’t laugh at him. He’s old and it might hurt his feelings.
Jay
Nothing wrong with TIG welding
Overpriced fancy bikes.
If your dad is really granola he’d be riding a cheap simple bike made w/o all the Rivendell hype. Some cheap old TIG welded steel thing like an older LeMond or maybe a Soma Smoothie. I laugh at people who buy new "old" stuff for high $.
everybody hurts
This is obvious but if it were not for corporate america and high level execs who love the sport of cycling then there would be no pro level teams. Without Pro level teams the equipment and tech would not be what it is today as companies would only build bikes for the average joe. Zipps, Lightweight, Nagos etc would not really have a place in cycling. So even though the slow rich guys you see averaging 13mph on 9W who ride rigs worth over $7k are annoying at times, the sport of cycling would be worse off without them.
the theme song from "The Rockford Files". Id even throw in laughing @ dumb sh*# freeze frame – will farrell style!
Titanium – frame material of the cycling-industrial complex!
had a soundtrack to thier personaiity, what would it be?
everyone.
It’s interesting to see this thread as I was having a similar discussion with my dad (granola chomping, tube sock wearing, Rivendell riding commuter) about how cycling has blown up as the amount of disposable income has increased. A few years ago, I marveled at the proliferation of the great north american Orgot (Old Rich Guy On Titanium). You could not finish a lap in central park without a fifty-something extolling the merits of a biaxially ovalized downtube and campy record helping him to hurtle his 280 pound ass around the park faster.
Fast forward a couple of yours and there is a new creature, the Yupcock (Young Urban Professional, Carbon…Only Carbon, Ksyriums). These guys fire a serious wad of cash into their rigs and turn pretty fast recreational speeds. They are fitter than the Orgot. They have kick ass cell phones and attractive spouses. They caused my rent to go up 20% at my old building, forcing me to move into a crappier apartment. Some of them may try racing–sure–but few will get the bug so bad they end up wanting to suffer in anything beyond a cat IV field. We all know that real racing is worlds different than riding: It is a full time job even to suck at it. Plus it’s a bitch to blackberry in a field doing 50 k.
Sarcasm aside, all of the bike proliferation–transient or not–is a good thing. It subsidizes racing a little for those of us who depend on shop support and means people are out, about, and active. And it means we can buy cheap ksyriums online when the Yupcock decides to become a Yupcocz, having decided his stock ksyiums are not good enough and he needs Zipps.
But both suck in the rain! If you’re serious about either, you’re unlikely to be discussing business while doing them. For my money, I’ll take Tiger over Lance any day of the week.
dhmitchell, you’re fired!
(now you’ll have more time to ride)
I may be one of the "corporate types" although I’m not quite a big fish. I’m a geezer who payed $$$ for a ti-carbon custom bike (3rd road bike). I have bikes on both coasts. I ride with colleagues at lunch, on the weekend, etc. But, we don’t discuss much business–we ride, we talk cycling, we discuss the pros with awe. I don’t race, but I am taking a racing class to learn better handling skills.
I did 6500 miles last year including 7 centuries. I’ve ridden for 6 or 7 years. I’ve crashed many times with some severe injuries. Riding displaces ennui, riding makes me confront my physical limitations, riding gets me into the countryside, riding makes me eccentric because I eschew cars, riding exposes me to a different and lively culture.
Oh, and I never wear pinstripes. Don’t own them.
Cyclng is the new mountain biking–just a fad like everything else, as far as general popularity in the mainstream goes (insofar as it IS generally popular in the mainstream!)
Cycling is the new Chutes and Ladders.
Never a frown with Sheldon Brown
gross
Cycling was much more popular in the 90’s.
I’m ready to womp some corporate ass on my proletarian aluminum frame!
Not the new golf, just a temporary infection.
Cat 4 yuppie sandbaggers.
golf is the new cycling.
dual male figure skating, of course
Can you tell me where I can go to get into S&M?
the whole "cycling is the new golf" thing is so old. the real question is: What is the new cycling?
as he drives away in his audi station wagon
I am such a yuppie! And a vituperative tool of clique! Can I get a damn wheatgrass smoothie?!
has health problems that are preventing him from riding his bike anymore. poor guy.
Bicycling should profile schmalz as new corporate leader getting into cycling . Unlike the rest of you, Schmalz is no yuppie, he’s a suburbanite and he’s president and ceo of a bunch of companies. But how did normal man , married with children turn into tool of clique trained in ancient arts of deception.
S&M clubbing is easy to get into?
Chris, thanks for comparing us to people who wear leather thongs. That is almost as bad as being lumped in with the tri geeks in their Mankinis.
Yes I agree that since this sport is a tournament form where only a small number move up to the next level, and the barriers to entry get higher, major fluctuations in the cat 4 and 5 fields do not impact 2s and 3s as much. This will not change since there is a definite number of points and the like that we are required to earn to upgrade, and a larger pool to distribute those points amongst. So unless USCF lowers the entry to cat 3, or there is an increase in the number of races one can attend to counter the increase in racers, there will always be a very stable number of Cat 3s and up.
I think the rec riders will increasingly turn to randonne and other non-competitive forms of riding since it is a personal best form of results.
There is no question that cycling and racing is more popular in the last several years, witness the growing Cat 4 fields and sold out Cat 5s at all regional races. Nice to see really – great for the sport, even if bad for my ego since each season new guys show up from wherever that can kick my butt. Still seems to be a fair amount of burnout and attrition though a few years into racing, keeping the Cat 3 and Cat 2 fields more or less similar in size – my impression at least. That and there just arent enough guys with the time necessary to compete at Cat 2-3 level effectively. So maybe bike racing is the new S&M swingers clubbing – easy to get into, potentially addictive, but the thrill doesnt last forever? Not based on personal experience though, I promise… 🙂
Corporate types?
cycling is not about what you do for work…its about FORGETTING about work…
those bigger fields are happening now. cat 4 fields sell out in minutes.
Soon cat 5s will sell out too.
Get your upgrades now boys, since it is going to get harder to get results with more bodies in the pack.
mecray – i’ll pick up lunch too. robert’s steakhouse after getting back from rockland lake?
And be caught dead wearing Starbury’s? For shame.
Whether or not cycling is the new golf, one thing is for sure, there are more folks out on bling bikes these days. I am not sure most of these people get on more than once a week on these things. So they are definitely rec riders. Eventually some will figure out they’re pretty good, and try their hands at racing. An even smaller set of those will actually realize they like it, and want to join our band of brothers (or nutjobs). We just may see bigger fields soon in the entry levels.
Either way it is good for us, more people on bikes mean more awareness of cyclist and cycling issues in the general population. More options in bike shops, and equipment as more money flows into the sport. Better equipment because more money can go for R&D, and cheaper products because R&D costs distributed across more users. I’m not telling all you desk jockeys (myself included), anything you don’t already know.
Ski raced that is.
Play basketball its cheaper a pair of sneakers 15 dollars $ 30 shorts and 3 for 5 dollar T-shirts and a Basketball for 30 bucks . Total 80 bucks and you don’t have to be in shape to play .
While I agree with Bill on the effort it takes to be competitive, I do think the healthier lifestyle that is part of cycling is very appealing. The equipment has also evolved so much and carbon in cycling can be compared to the oversized titanium driver heads and graphite shafts in golf. As for deal making, golf is probably better suited but in my previous life as a golfer, I found that the golf was more for the relationship building and deals were still left for the office. Skills in golf can be frustratingly difficult to come by and a smooth Ernie Els swing might be impossible for most, whereas in cycling, almost anyone can peddle a bike without aspiring to greatness. While we all agree that cycling is making us very poor, you don’t actually need to spend much to be out on 9W. Golf courses on the other hand are sometimes really expensive and you can end up spending $300 easily in a morning of golf (excluding the 9 balls you lost and the driver you lost when you threw it into the tree).
Schmalz – how are you watching it. Cycling.tv?
Yup, cycling.tv
but road racers are insane, whether they are investment bankers or unemployed.
But what about the corporate sandbaggers? There’s one guy I know of who’s still an assistant VP, but he should totally be a comptroller!
I think "cycling" is the new golf, not bike racing in particular. All it take to get into golf is modest investment of $ and time to practice. Cycling is exactly the same. Any shmo can drop some money on a bike ($300-$6000) and pedal up laps in the park or tool up to nyack and get some enjoyment (Maybe more than us- river road is really pretty when your vision isn’t blurred).
However, bike racing is another animal all together. As stated earlier, it can be dangerous and the investment of time and dedication to be even a mediocre cat IV is tremendous.
As easy as it is to bag on the "rec riders" out there, they help keep the sport going. How many bike shops cater to racers only? They have to sell a lot of 105 equipped bikes to balance out the team discounts we get.
Cycling is the new dodgeball
Cycling is the new hockey.
Cycling is the new bike polo.
Cycling is the new Ultimate Frisbee.
Oh, and I also found out that I am a legit client of one of my team-mates from last year, Chris Shaw (Empire), and we plan to ride together mid-day at some point this spring since it will be legit work time! And a bonus – he can handle the bike better than me…
"Lets get back to calling each others sandbaggers like we always do."
classic.
Kevin Malloy
Jeff King
Miguel Morras
Joao Correia
Karl Rahn
…
jamie nicholson
sarah sauvayre
I think the origin of this thread is the Wall St Journal article last year noting the rise of cycling out on the West Coast, where apparently it is popular with Silicon Valley types who have been having meetings on the bike etc.
When I read the article, and then found out that a Wall St analyst I work with as a client is into Triathalons, I decided to give the whole "meeting on a bike" thing a try. We did a great ride to Piermont – I kicked his ass pretty hard on the way back till he was slightly woozy I think – and then on Riverside coming south he turned left to look at a passing car and steered right, thereby pushing me directly into a parked car (I couldnt push back too hard as one would do normally since he would have moved or possibly fallen in the path of the passing car). I crashed hard – dislocated my finger fully plus other injuries from slamming my hand through a tail-light – and my finger is now permanently crooked and cant bend all the way inwards. Nice. A little different from golf to be sure. Also confirmed my deep suspicion of tri guys bike handling skills. Oh, and we did chat stocks on the ride, but only for about 5 min out of 3 hours… Really quite a fun ride, not withstanding the massive finger injury…
No offense intended to anyone doing business in a suit and tie, I’m a full time desk jockey.I’m talking about the guys who decide to get into cycling and drop ten grand on carbon and titanium before they get a real feel for what this sport is all about. "Corporate Type" is an attitude more than a job description. I have respect for anyone who is out there racing hard every week from the winners to the pack fodder hanging on for dear life (like myself). I guess what makes you a racer is if the decision to NOT race is unbearable as compared to trying to decide if you should race.
Cycling is the new black.
(Not the Imus kind.)
Wouldn’t golf course go first to mountain bike parks, maybe you could get one or two cyclocross races out of them, but as roadies we won’t get some pavement strung all over those repurposed golf courses. I for one am looking forward to Bethpage Black-Cyclocross Series in 2010. Somebody better get on that soon. Oh wait, somebody isn’t promoting races anymore.
what is a "corporate type?" i think there are a lot of people in the club with jobs that sometimes involve suits, just as there are doctors, pizzeria owners, writers, personal trainers, artists, teachers, carpenters, designers, analysts (stock and psycho), marketers, mechanics, etc. and that’s just on my team.
if you are wondering whether anyone here has ever closed a big deal on a bike ride…well i would like to know the answer to that as well.
what is a "corporate type?" i think there are a lot of people in the club with jobs that sometimes involve suits, just as there are doctors, pizzeria owners, writers, personal trainers, artists, teachers, carpenters, designers, analysts (stock and psycho), marketers, mechanics, etc. and that’s just on my team.
if you are wondering whether anyone here has ever closed a big deal on a bike ride…well i would like to know the answer to that as well.
Cycling is the new golf in the sense that it is an equipment driven sport, and the advances in technology make it more attractive to enter the sport. All the wonky carbon fiber make it seem really cool to people who’s knees are too shot to run anymore, and have more disposable income than they know what to do with. So the ranks of lardass weekend warriors will grow until they start wearing out their sub kilo frames, and carbon racing wheels under their impressive girth. This surge will be just like the fad for 70’s "ultralight" european racing bikes, and will fade in a similar fashion.
Lets get back to calling each others sandbaggers like we always do.
I agree with MNM, triathlon is where it’s at for yuppies. All you have to do is set the bar low and keep setting new "personal bests" to feel good about yourself. The first time one of these corporate types hits the ground in a crit their fledgling bike racer career is over. Or, after getting dropped numerous times, they decide racing is too hard and go back to running 24 minute 5 k’s and getting their tee shirt. And yes I am a cynical old prick.
I agree with MNM, triathlon is where it’s at for yuppies. All you have to do is set the bar low and keep setting new "personal bests" to feel good about yourself. The first time one of these corporate types hits the ground in a crit their fledgling bike racer career is over. Or, after getting dropped numerous times, they decide racing is too hard and go back to running 24 minute 5 k’s and getting their tee shirt. And yes I am a cynical old prick.
"You don’t have to have an ambulance standing by… "
Two words: Natural causes.
I agree with MNM, triathlon is where it’s at for yuppies. All you have to do is set the bar low and keep setting new "personal bests" to feel good about yourself. The first time one of these corporate types hits the ground in a crit their fledgling bike racer career is over. Or, after getting dropped numerous times, they decide racing is too hard and go back to running 24 minute 5 k’s and getting their tee shirt. And yes I am a cynical old prick.
Can you imagine the races if we could restrutcure golf courses as cycling courses?
And you’d add a whole lot of great park land for public use. Much better land use than golf.
Of course this is a ridiculous fantasy and so is the idea that cycling is the new golf.
a new invention? yawn
These Wevelgem descent crashes are brutal! Why not put your bottle into your pocket, uh, so guys don’t die?
Cycling is the new court tennis
Stupid hype. You don’t have to have an ambulance standing by to get permission to play a round of golf.
Cycling is actually the new squash
Different
And very cool.
Oy, Casper hit the dirt hard at Wevelgem!
Cycling is the new golf in big cities where it is hard to golf like NY. But in little towns, I think golf still rules.
Cyclists are sometimes seen as hippies but thanks to Floyd, Tyler and crew… people also think we are a bunch of blood dopers.
Do the execs wear pinstriped mankinis?
Actually, triathlon is the new golf. Like golf, anyone can play on the same "field", regardless of ability.