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T O P I C R E V I E W
Jay K.
Posted - 07/28/2003 : 12:58:42 AM I had a strange encounter with an a-hole cyclist on top of Mt Diablo yesterday. While some cyclists on top of Diablo did chastise me for responding to "the jerk," the half dozen cyclists were in agreement that this guy was an a-hole. I wrote the following open letter to him and sent it to Pegasus Cyclery--as the jerk was wearing a Pegasus Bicycle Works jersey and was later joined by a large group of riders wearing the same jersey. (As the "Thin Man" once said, 50 will get you 100 that someone from the shop will know who I am writing about.)
It makes me appreciate more the really good cyclists from our area who are supportive and readily share riding tips and training information.
Jay GP-"Just ride, and don't be a jerk, baby" ******************************************************* An open letter to the anti-social jerk encountered on Mt Diablo, Sunday Morning July 27. Yea you �the one with the �so cool� one day growth stubble and fancy foreign bike (not a Colnago) who has the hissy fit after I passed you on the final climb up Mt Diablo summit.
Hey little racer boy, you take the cake�in my years of cycling I�ve never encountered such a pathetic anti-social jerk while cycling. Let me retract that, as one of the half dozen cyclists I met afterwards who saw your idiotic behavior compared you to some of the drivers that display road rage and run cyclists off the road. So I guess I have met people like you before while cycling, but they were behind the wheel of a pick up truck.
Sorry I keep referring to you as a jerk, but the half dozen folks I met after our incident kept going back and forth between �idiot� and �jerk� when talking about you (fyi-I was chastised for responding to �that jerk�), and I can�t improve upon what these strangers had to say about you.
Lets recap the event that took place, as your memory may be as bad as your behavior. I got approximately a mile from the top when I told my riding partner that I was going to try to go as hard as I could to the top. This is something I do on any ride to help me train my endurance for longer rides. If no one was on the road I would have done the same thing. This wasn�t done because you had passed moments earlier without calling out or saying anything�thought it would be nice if you acted like most cyclists and said something while passing. Read Maynard Hershon�s books.
So I kicked into gear and passed a few people, including you, and then settled into that final 17% grade�and you repassed me. Cool, it made me work harder, and I had to navigate over a sand patch on my side of the road where my tires slipped out. Soooooo sorry I repassed you and beat you to the top, me being about 10 years older than you, and with a bad knee. But you know what (and try to read this carefully) I WASN�T RACING YOU, AND IT WOULDN�T HAD MATTERED TO ME IF YOU BEAT ME TO THE TOP. (I certainly get my head handed to me by sprinters and climbers often enough on club rides, but the effort is a means to an end, not an end to itself.) It was a cool workout�up to when you opened your mouth.
I really was shocked when you called me over to �show me something.� I thought that like all the GOOD cyclists I know you were going to comment on some technique I could improve on. Instead you started fuming about a �pathetic attack,� how I pulled an Iban, and how you �could have won anytime but your brakes were rubbing,� etc. etc. ad naseum. Sorry, next time I pass anyone I�ll check to see if the fancy equipment on their fancy bike is all in order. Then you showed off your wonderful bike handling skills by trying to cut me off a few times and then limply pushed me. Good move sport--that showing me, and everyone else up there what you are about. Hopefully by now you have gotten your bike seat out from being wedged too tightly up your butt.
In any event, this description of your anti-social behavior will be posted on some web sites (including http://www.geocities.com/pumpkincycle/gruppopumpkincycle15.html) , and if someone you ride with happens upon it no doubt they will quickly recognize you. You may win sprints and climbs, but in this regard we are making the same amount of money from cycling, so most people really don�t care that you are the self proclaimed King of your club ride. All I know is that most cyclists I meet enjoy cycling a hell of a lot more than you. My so called �attack� may have been pathetic but you are truly a pathetic cyclist and person.
