Padraig RKP on D2R2

[Cat3roadracer]

My third year doing the 115k with my local gents. We did not miss a turn, did most from memory. Anyone interested on a guided 115k next year is welcome to join us. Send me a message a few weeks in advance. We only require pleasant conversation.

[Louis]

I think at least part of his reason for posting that sort of ride review must have been to be controversial and drive site visits.

For example, he's clearly going out of his way to find things to complain about: "Part of the ride was in Vermont. Wah, wah, wah!"

[christian]

I thought maybe I was unnecessarily harsh, so I re-read it when I got home. And no, it's still lunacy. Missed two of three food stops, complaining about the lack of a floor pump at lunch? No road signs. Surprised he didn't complain about the fact it was on dirt roads.

[Louis]

At least he didn't complain that the roads weren't painted with direction arrows...

If you're alone on a course and not sure where you are it can be annoying. I while back I was in the middle of a ride and between groups - the fast guys were up ahead and the slower ones behind me. I wasn't sure I was on the right route and a bit worried, but as it turned out it was correct and everything was fine.

But he was with a group. A) It's not that easy to get lost when you're with a group, and B) Who cares, you're all together. It's not like a pack of wolves is going to take you down and drag you off the side of the road.

[eBAUMANN]

Originally Posted by beeatnik

Not sure about that one. The guy is a strong rider. He's probably done more climbing than all the guys he rode with combined. In fact, he almost killed himself in the Santa Monica Mtns.

Cool, so maybe he bombed down a descent ahead of the group and blew past a turn or something. To be honest, I had never even looked at this guy's site before this thread and the first time I heard anything about RKP was due to photos of that bishop he got recently.

Either way, not really a fan of his...

[pbarry]

Originally Posted by Louis

I think at least part of his reason for posting that sort of ride review must have been to be controversial and drive site visits.

For example, he's clearly going out of his way to find things to complain about: "Part of the ride was in Vermont. Wah, wah, wah!"

Excellent point, Louis. My last visit, (but far from my first there), was today.

[mcteague]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

The Franklin Land Trust, so they can buy and preserve more land.

Thanks. Sounds like a good cause.

Tim

[bcgav]

From his latest comment:

I enjoyed my ride and it mystifies me that so many readers keep missing that.

He's clueless if he doesn't understand that his statements including this one are so idiotic (emphasis mine):

The serenity and enjoyment from this kind of riding is dynamite, but for that much money, I have a right to expect that the organizer will take care of me.

It's a Randonnee, with most of the registration fee being a donation to FLT, but it sounds like he was expecting something like this instead:

[merlinmurph]

OK, I'll stick my neck out.

I visit RKP regularly. Patrick is a fantastic writer who captures the soul of cycling. Every time I read one of his pieces, it puts a smile on my face. Really. I knew he was going to be at D2R2 and was looking for him after the ride, even though I had no idea what he looked like. I wanted to meet him, shake his hand, and wish him well. I have a lot of respect for him.

Which is more the reason his D2R2 commentary really baffles me. It didn't sound like the same guy. Maybe he was jet-lagged. In the comments, he keeps insisting he had a great ride, but when I re-read the article, it sure doesn't sound like it with all the whining.

Regardless, I'm going to give him a mulligan. I'm going to keep visiting RKP.

Enjoy your ride,
Murph

[witcombusa]

Originally Posted by merlinmurph

OK, I'll stick my neck out.

I visit RKP regularly. Patrick is a fantastic writer who captures the soul of cycling. Every time I read one of his pieces, it puts a smile on my face. Really. I knew he was going to be at D2R2 and was looking for him after the ride, even though I had no idea what he looked like. I wanted to meet him, shake his hand, and wish him well. I have a lot of respect for him.

Which is more the reason his D2R2 commentary really baffles me. It didn't sound like the same guy. Maybe he was jet-lagged. In the comments, he keeps insisting he had a great ride, but when I re-read the article, it sure doesn't sound like it with all the whining.

Regardless, I'm going to give him a mulligan. I'm going to keep visiting RKP.

Enjoy your ride,
Murph

If he can't enjoy D2R2, he has absolutely no idea what the "soul of cycling" is...

[R2D2]

I guess he won't be at PBP or any real brevets.

[bcgav]

He does the ride and totally craps on the organizer in his post-ride report on a fairly popular website. Did he even try to meet up with Sandy or Mary on the day of the event? As far as I can tell, his only attempt at communication was an email (his first) asking a stupid question about why the ride goes into VT...

There was no constructive criticism in that article, and he didn't give Sandy and Mary a chance to respond to his trivial gripes. No class. That article does a disservice to his readership IMHO. He was caught up in his own little world of unrealistic expectations and failed to capture the spirit of the day that the other 99.9% of riders were experiencing. Instead of rushing to hit the publish button to get page views, he should have taken a deep breath to reconsidered why he was disappointed with the event organization.

[velomonkey]

Originally Posted by merlinmurph

I visit RKP regularly. Patrick is a fantastic writer who captures the soul of cycling. Every time I read one of his pieces, it puts a smile on my face. Really.

Really?!?! I stopped reading him when he said he knew Lance was doping cause he saw his calf in a hotel lobby. The guy occasionally writes OK, not great, but OK. He states things as an absolute: like a carbon frame having paint means that, of course, it's gonna ride different!!!! Or he uses elevated bars to get more power on climbs. There was one blow up over the wheels Conti used as compared to Armstrong while on Astana and even in the face of photographic proof he wouldn't admit his post was 100% wrong.

Look at him now - "I never said I expected anything, I never said it wasn't fun." Um, yes, yes you did.

I'll give him this - now here is what's coming - bet your bottom dollar on it, some post about how even though it wasn't popular what he wrote, he wont sacrifice his journalistic integrity to be popular. BARF.

I don't know what the soul of cycling is, but I know it's not him. Go read Steve Tillfords site - way, way, way better and Steve calls it right almost EVERY time.

[velomonkey]

oh, wait - just went to the site and he posted this gem.

"At this point I’m tired of the subject, tired of the debate. The only thing I have left to say is to reiterate that I really didn’t have a bad time. I enjoyed my ride and it mystifies me that so many readers keep missing that."

Whadda fool. You know all those threads going on about biker attitude . . . well here you go.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by witcombusa

If he can't enjoy D2R2, he has absolutely no idea what the "soul of cycling" is...

+1
Hard men are the soul of cycling.