Are You a Poser?

Is Mozam a Poser? You decide...

I’ve been trying to think of how to put ths into words for some time now. Am I a poser? Well, I guess the first thing to do is define the word, poser. I mean this label could mean just about anything in any certain context. So, let’s limit the context to cycling. I actually did some research on the subject via the wonderful world of Google and found some interesting references, but most of those references had one thing in common: disrespect. Without exception, every use of the word poser included some derogatory meaning or reference to which the description was applied. For example, mountain bikers use the word poser to describe someone who buys a very expensive mountain bike, but never takes the bike out on the trail. Road bikers tend to describe a poser as someone who wears a racing kit but never really races. Since I fall into the road biker category more than into the mountain biker category, I tend to reserve my usage of the word poser as it applies to road biking.

Lisa, The Ultimate Davitamon Lotto Poser

In light of the road biker definition, it is interesting to digress here a little bit and look at this from a national standpoint as well as an international standpoint. It has been my experience that when international fans wear their favorite team kit, others judge the behavior as showing loyalty and/or admiration for their individual country's cycling heroes. Americans on the other hand, especially in the road cycling community, label this same behavior as being a poser, or one who wishes they could, but can’t or doesn’t. I have even heard of the local “racer dudes” complaining about “non-racer dudes” wearing their same team kit. I guess it’s an ego thing or a, “hey, I earned the right to wear this kit and all this poser did was pay for it” attitude.

Posers, Posers, and More Posers!

So, here is my take on the whole poser thing. Personally, I tend to lean towards the international attitude rather than the good ‘ole boy American attitude. I see nothing wrong with wearing a team kit and riding your bike even if you don’t race; as long as the wearing of the kit is in accordance with the organization’s rules. I do, however, have a problem with wearing a kit/jersey that is unique to an event or accomplishment that you did not complete, or not fulfilling the requirements for wearing such a kit or jersey. For example: If you wear a 508 Finisher’s Jersey, you better have finished that race; or I, personally, think you are a poser…and my judgment is derogatory! On a broader note, let’s take a look at a club kit for example. Does wearing the club kit as in Planet Ultra’s case, make you a poser in my definition of the word. Well, yes and no. If you purchased Planet Ultra’s kit and you participated in a Planet Ultra event, whether you finished or not, I don’t think you are a poser. On the other hand, if you just purchased the kit and never at least attempted one of their events, I would call you a poser.

And The Shame of it all...The Poser Look

Here is another extreme poser example and one for which I have incredible distain. There is this guy, let’s just call him poser-boy. On a ride I was on some time back, poser-boy shows up and just starts blowing off at the mouth about this and that. You know the kinda person who just talks louder than the rest of the group so he makes sure everyone notices him, instead of anyone else. Anyway, poser-boy pulls up beside me during the ride and starts his rendition of a, I’m this, and I’m that, one-way conversation. So, being the nice accepting person I am on occaision, I say: “Oh do you race?” Poser-boy says: “Yep, I was a pro for 21 years!” All proud and peacock like. As time goes on, poser-boy starts telling everyone he raced in the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, etc. He was even on Gerolsteiner’s team, Healthnet’s team and a host of others I can’t even remember, but the list is long, let me tell ya. So, myself and a few others, even a few local racer-dudes start researching poser-boy’s past via the wonderment that is Google. Guess what we find? Zero, Nadda, Zippo, not a thing that even references poser-boy. In fact, I researched Gerolsteiner’s team roster from the team’s inception and they’ve had one American on that team: Levi Liepheimer. And believe me, poser-boy doesn’t look anything like Levi. The sad thing is that poser-boy actually believes the drivel that is coming out of his mouth. Amazing! So, poser-boy get’s my vote for the best extreme poser act I’ve witnessed to date. So, I guess the question is: Are you a poser?

BikeJournal Explodes!!

Wow! At last count a few minutes ago, BikeJournal had 555 new members just this week. It appears that all the publicity on RoadBikeReview and RoadBikeRider have opened the doors to TONS of new members. I must say, this site has been great fun for me over the past year. I've met some really interesting cyber-friends and have actually met a few in person. I think the success of the site is due mainly to the insistance that all forum posts are "friendly" in nature and the fact that the content stays cycling focused. That fact along with a few other things I like about the site keep me coming back. So, onward cycling soldiers! "Ride, Log, Repeat."

GOALLLLL !!!!!

In keeping with my tradition of "Going Green" and the fact that Al Gore won the nobel peace prize (for what reason, I have no idea), I thought I would commute to work today on my trusty, Specialized TriCross converted to commuting bike. Actually, I had to commute because I did not get my sorry ass out on the road all weekend! And...Keith's car broke, so I had to lend him mine so he could get to school. As a result of my insightful and philanthropic decision, I surpassed my personal mileage goal for 2007. As you can see from the graphic above, I soared through 8,000 miles for the first time ever. I made it a personal challenge to try and average 700 miles per month this year and the overall average is hovering right at that mark. What's the point you ask? Well, I was told once that if you want to achieve a goal, you first have to write it down. So, I did that. Secondly, I was told that you have to commit to achieving the goal. I did that too! How? By joining one of the neatest sites on the net for cyclists: Bike Journal Bike Journal and all of its thousands of members inspired me to log each and every ride. Their slogan: "Ride, Log, Repeat." By logging my miles, visiting other rider journals, and sharing my experiences on the forum, I not only commited to my goal without actually realizing it, but I made some new and really cool virtual friends along the way. I had toyed with the idea of riding 10,000 miles next year, but that's a big nut to crack! Buy hey, I like cracking big nuts, so I think I'll go for it and just see what happens, eh? Looking at the glass half-full, all I could do is just surpass the 8,000 mile mark I made this year, right?

Ok. Somebody tell me how a fat, former Vice President of the United States won a Nobel Peace Prize anyway? I saw the movie and all it was was a real nice PowerPoint presentation. Heck, at least I'm going green by riding my bicycle to work while this guy jets all over the globe burning up dead dinosaurs, and living in a fuel guzzling house!

Mozam is Doin' Dirt!

Well after my very first experience with "doing dirt" here in Las Vegas many moons ago, I swore never again! I guess I lied. Some of my road friends talked me into getting the Mtn Bike off the wall, tuned up, and ready for an "easy" ride. All in all, I was kinda excited to try some thing new. Not that my road miles are boring or anything, I was just curious to see how I'd feel about this new type of cycling. So, off the wall came the bike, out came the camel back; and off to the dirt I went.

It was a great day to do dirt, as Mike calls it. Windy as hell, cloudy and cold. All the elements for a reason to stay off the road for sure. We met up at the "beginner" section near Blue Diamond and Cottonwood, two very popular places to "do dirt" around here. We started off with a nice 4 mile loop that had a few challenging climbs and some really nice single track. After the first loop, I guess everybody thought I was doing pretty well, so they decided to "graduate" me to some more technical stuff. Holy crap! All I could do was stare at the trail ahead of me, and try like hell not to hit the rocks. That was tough man! I did not realize how much concentration Mtn Biking takes. And, when you start to bonk a little bit, you get real slow and stupid, that's for sure. I've now officially joined the "doin dirt" ranks because I left some skin out there on the rocks. A little of my right shin, which still hurts like hell, and some off my left elbow. Yeah, I'm a tough dirt man now, so look out!