Okay, the other night I'm having a chat with the old wifeage and she goes all silent like when I drop a "road bikers are such geeks" comment on her. At first it didn't register with me and I kept on it. Basically, we were talking about some guy in my last race that felt compelled to bump his handlebars into my hip and then give me the business for bumping him. As my brethren over at EMC know, sometimes I have a hard time going straight (see post regarding the Pinballing Pegasaurus). Although I will maintain that I was going straight at the time, I do recall this guy hitting me. He started in on me with some comment about me "creating" more room for myself than necessary. "Whatever dork," I thought. He continued on, but I dismissed most of what he was saying, because after all, he is a road geek. My wife gave me the old, "mmm hmmm." Not even listening. So I called her on it and she put down her book. "Don't you think other people that don't know you think you're a geek? Seriously, look at yourself. Spandex, cute little socks, matching gloves...you look like everyone else out there."
"Holy crap," I think and say out loud. "You think I'm a geek?"
"Well, sort of," she says. "I mean...I know you so I don't think your so dorky but you fit in so well with those you think are dorks. To others, you're just as geeky as the next."
Ouch. And then I start thinking about it. I joined Pegasus a year or so ago, and since joining, I haven't met anyone I don't like. Well, there is this guy but he's British and a blogger so there was never any hope for him. And I've met some guys on the Sierra Nevada team and they all seem cool. And I know some EMC guys and they seem cool. I've met Ramon Alarcon from San Jose and he seems all right. And I've chatted with countless others during races and they seemed to be all right and most of 'em even chuckle at the appropriate moment when I'm going on at length. So maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe road bikers aren't geeks. Maybe there are a couple that have tainted the image. Maybe the ones I don't know are cool guys I haven't met. Maybe if they did cross or rode a mountain bike I'd automatically think they were all right.
Or maybe, gasp, I'm becoming a geek. Oh the horror. Make it stop. I don't know if I can go on. I'm afraid the metamorphosis is past the point of no return. Honey, fire up the Star Trek DVD's...I'm coming home.
Johnny GeekFast
posted by Johnny GoFast at 2:42 PM
6 Comments:
welcome
Live long and prosper.
John,
All you need to do is wear some garder gloves for your next race and you'll be right back where you started...I bet you'll also have this incredible urge to go to your local bar and throw some darts.
Louis
with that Dagwood haircut and rowing in college, it was never really in question. you "blog" about biking for goodness sake, you tailor vacations around it. biking merely allowed the inner self to blossom. celebrate the freedom!
The first step to recovery is denial. Hopefully you'll get through the next 11 steps quickly so you can be a peaceful with yourself.
My name is Nick, and I'm a Geek.
Why, I ask, do you think you are not a dork. You wear spandex that matches the entire team. You shave your legs. You probably question weather to ride in a stinky wet kit rather than face the alternative of riding in black shorts and a non-descript jersey. To make you feel better, consider yourself a cycling dork. This would seem somewhat better than just a non-descript dork. At least you are fit and can relate to all of us other dorks.
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