The Cycling Mentality

Someone’s going to have to explain the cycling ego to me because I really don’t get it. In my head, I often try to compare the little I know of general cycling mentality against that of other sports I’ve played during my athletic tenure: basketball, baseball, roller hockey, and swimming (ranked in order of how much time was spent with each from the most time to the least). Understandably, we’re not talking about apples to apples here. I know I’m being somewhat cryptic, so let me explain.

Last weekend I found myself on the road with a few guys--guys with whom I don’t normally ride. Based on the little I know of them personality and character-wise, great people all around, although every time I hopped to the front to try and do my fair share of pulling in the wind, someone else would immediately pull out in front of me and settle in.

Why? I know I block more than enough wind and create a rather sweet draft given my height. Before pulling to the front, I was sure to check my speedometer that read 17.6 MPH and once I took the lead after a short burst to get there, I knocked it back down to the same speed, so what’s the problem? Is there a leader-of-the-pack mentality of which I’m unaware even on these friendly group rides? Is the newcomer not welcome to do his fair share of the work?

Same thing happened this morning. Well, almost. Every time I was in the front and the group reached a hill, a select few felt compelled to sprint to the top despite the already strong pace. The only reason I mention this is that whenever I hopped out of line to give it some gas going up a hill, I would reach the top to find myself alone, no one in the group interested in chasing whatsoever.

I came close to breeching the subject simply to ascertain what the thinking was behind the chase-don’t chase mentality. Normally, these are the things that simply bounce off me. These are the things that fall into that category of life that simply does not matter. That’s the stuff you just let slide and the above has slid, to a certain degree. I’ll be the first to admit how far I have to go when it comes to cycling and my conditioning, yet I guess I’m curious in trying to figure out what exactly was going on (if anything). Why stand up and sprint past me on every hill (and I mean every hill) yet let me go when the situations were reversed? Why not let me pull at the front if I haven’t heightened the pace?

As I said, I just don’t get the overall cycling mentality. Someone needs to clue me in big time.