Cycling Races in the Rain

The RiverfontTimes has an article this week about the Gateway Cup, that took place this weekend in St. Louis.

I'm sure that was a grand time; it rained almost the entire weekend except for parts of Saturday. I'm sure that adds an element to the torture, described in the last paragraph.

For, as the very best in the sport often claim, road racing is predicated on suffering. Not just "pain" or "sacrifice," but Suffering with a capital "S," from physical exertion and the occasional crash. In his letter to race participants, grand-poobah Cup organizer Tim Ranek writes, "I hope to have even more St. Louisans come out and watch you all hurt yourself. That is the fun of cycling." Consider starting the Labor Day weekend on Friday night at a Lafayette Square beer garden, watching gaunt athletes suffer at 40 mph in surreal backlighting, amidst thousands of other fans.

I think I'll skip racing for a few more years.

hln

Posted by hln at September 1, 2003 09:21 PM | Cycling