Flavors of Cyclists and Riding with Olympians

My buddy Steven Brewster in the SJ Office of Economic Development just sent me an interesting piece about the different cycling cultures in NYC:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/10/09/fashion/20081009_BIKES_index...

I have always prided myself on being able to hang out with pretty much any type of cyclist and fit in fairly well--obviously a good quality to cultivate in my position. The racers have been the final frontier, really, and thanks to the Webcor cycling folks for inspiring me to cross that line.

My ability to hang on was tested last weekend when I rode in the Marin Classic put on by the USA Cycling Development Foundation. (http://www.usacdf.org/marin.php) Kudos to them for raising money and using it to send top cyclists to the Olympics.

I'm not sure what I thought--that riding with Olympians would be easy? 62 miles, 4500 feet of climbing and a 19 mph pace? With no training? Sure, why not, sounds like an enjoyable Sunday, right?

Anyway I'll spare you the ugly details, but amazingly I'm still alive. Mostly due to Webcor's wonderful Ted Huang and his support--anyone who has ridden with Ted knows he can drag just about anyone up (and it's a bonus that he has such nice calves to focus on with a bonked-out gaze).

This ride may have been overly ambitious considering it was actually my first real organized ride. I mentioned this to a couple of my riding partners after the ride and they looked at me like I was absolutely insane. Of course, I rarely believe there's something I can't do--that would just lead to mediocrity.