Lewis Moon
10-24-2013, 11:37 AM
This may seem a bit weird….
I’ve always been a racer. I started in the ‘70s and raced off and on through almost every decade since. I’ve also always belonged to a club/team. My old clubs, Phoenix Consumers Cycling Club and Cosmic Cyclery, are no longer out there and my local club (which shall remain nameless) holds zero attraction for me. I’m more of a dirtbag racer and they’re more “Up With People” on bikes.
I could fly solo, but I like the camaraderie and the sense of belonging (everyone needs a tribe). I also like to wear a club jersey when I’m training hard. That way I don’t feel like such a testosterone addled dick when I inevitably blow some poor schmuck’s doors off; there’s a reason I’m going fast, and it’s not (just) because I’m Type A (we all know what that stands for) on a bike. It also makes me a target, which makes me work harder.
This brings me to my question: are there any “virtual” clubs/teams out there? I live far enough away from civilization that almost any club I join is going to be virtual anyway. I’m not looking to be someone’s domestique or a patron, and I’m going to pick and choose my races. I just want to race a bit, train a lot and be a part of a team.
For a long time I’ve “belonged” to a group of motorcycle racers and general nuts from all over the world known as the “Gang of Nine” or Go9, and over the years we’ve always stayed in touch, and everyone is still a part of a FB group, meet at races, wish each other happy birthday, slag on each other…just like a real team. Has anyone out there seen this in cycling? It’d be cool to share training logs, route tips, beer selections, just like we do here, only, you know, more exclusive and bike snobby…and with cool with jerseys.
I’ve always been a racer. I started in the ‘70s and raced off and on through almost every decade since. I’ve also always belonged to a club/team. My old clubs, Phoenix Consumers Cycling Club and Cosmic Cyclery, are no longer out there and my local club (which shall remain nameless) holds zero attraction for me. I’m more of a dirtbag racer and they’re more “Up With People” on bikes.
I could fly solo, but I like the camaraderie and the sense of belonging (everyone needs a tribe). I also like to wear a club jersey when I’m training hard. That way I don’t feel like such a testosterone addled dick when I inevitably blow some poor schmuck’s doors off; there’s a reason I’m going fast, and it’s not (just) because I’m Type A (we all know what that stands for) on a bike. It also makes me a target, which makes me work harder.
This brings me to my question: are there any “virtual” clubs/teams out there? I live far enough away from civilization that almost any club I join is going to be virtual anyway. I’m not looking to be someone’s domestique or a patron, and I’m going to pick and choose my races. I just want to race a bit, train a lot and be a part of a team.
For a long time I’ve “belonged” to a group of motorcycle racers and general nuts from all over the world known as the “Gang of Nine” or Go9, and over the years we’ve always stayed in touch, and everyone is still a part of a FB group, meet at races, wish each other happy birthday, slag on each other…just like a real team. Has anyone out there seen this in cycling? It’d be cool to share training logs, route tips, beer selections, just like we do here, only, you know, more exclusive and bike snobby…and with cool with jerseys.