Thursday, December 27, 2007

Keeping Me Motivated


Though I have a great many pleasures in life, there are few things more enjoyable to Mongo than laying the "smackdown" on poseurs, and whenever possible, "stickin' it to the man".

I hate when a great bicycle is wasted on an undeserving rider. You've seen them... The yuppie on the Litespeed: The fat, dot com guy on the Colnago: The old, retired, hipster on the Serotta. They're all decked out in their Assos and Sidi's, but they don't have the legs or lungs to match. Worst of all, they are rockin' full kits of either their team du jour, or their latest corporate outing. I'm not hating on these people because they have means to buy a great ride... just don't act like a douchebag about it.

Today when Mongo was enjoying a solo ride, jamming on the mp3 to some Tool, and cruising along at about 21, he got jumped by what he thought was one of the above mentioned villains. A blur of logos on a bright orange kit flew by me at a about 27.

Though I was a little surprised how fast this one passed me, I got out of the saddle and did my best Erik Zabel to get on his wheel. It was when I got behind him that I realized that I was in trouble.The Powertap hub...The full Dura-Ace components...The carbon fiber everything else... The impeccably fast cadence. This was no poseur! This dude was a racer... and I was now committed to a showdown.

I wish this tale ended with a triumphant win for Mongo, but unfortunately that didn't happen. The truth is I hung with him for about ten miles (no drafting) in the mid to upper 20's before he jumped me at a light. I didn't have the sprint legs to catch him, so I let him go.

The moral of this story is that I did pretty well for an old guy, but I'll have to keep working hard if I want to beat more than the usual fodder. I'll be ready for you next time "Powertap Guy".
Now, if I could only find that weasel on the Lynskey!

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