Respect

With another weekend of racing in the legs the form is starting to come around. I had a fairly good weekend with a strong ride on Saturday followed by an overeager mistake on Sunday that I paid for. Nonetheless, I stayed true to my previous post and raced hard. At least I went down swinging and learned a valuable lesson in the process. I also learned another lesson when I found my rear brake slightly rubbing on my rear wheel that isn’t true. Oh well, I can’t blame anyone else for that and it definitely won’t be happening again. Sunday’s ride was a bit disappointing but the pro guys rode great and capped off an amazing weekend. With some big races quickly approaching it looks like they’re on track for some real results.

One thing that sticks out about last weekend was the respect I witnessed from wearing a pro team’s jersey. There were a couple of times I was accelerating to get on a teammate’s wheel only to feel a slight push from behind. Both times I looked back to see a guy from Kenda Pro Cycling slotting in behind me. There is a mutual respect among pro bike racers and a definitive code to follow. Up till this weekend the code had been something I heard about in team meetings or from one of the pro guys after a race. This was different, this was me. I’ll have to say it was a bit of an ego boost to finally be a part of that scene.

The same revelation happened again in the road race. The break was gone and somebody hit the gas. Luca Damiani from Kenda reacted and I jumped on his wheel. We both had guys up the road and we were at the front of the field doing our job. After the attack was neutralized we sat on the front for a while setting a nice easy tempo letting the break’s lead stretch out as much as possible. I didn’t catch all of what he was saying to me in his somewhat broken English but I didn’t have to. Cycling is an international language.

To give credit where it’s due that respect came from the others before me to wear that jersey. It was earned with their blood, sweat and tears. Fighting it out, battling for their place within the hierarchy of the peloton. That fact is not forgotten. Nor is the fact that this was a small race. I still have to earn that respect for myself as a rider. Especially in bigger races where there is much more on the line, and I have to say, I couldn’t be more eager to do so.

Speedweek looms dark on the horizon, one last tune up weekend in Charleston before real racing starts.