Balance. It can be achieved by never deviating from the middle, or it can be achieved by violent swings to and fro. It is said, however, that the great peaks can’t be reached without crossing through deep valleys. Tragically, we were reminded today that our sport is one of great peaks and deep, deep valleys.
Cycling is a sport of risk and danger; the beauty and harmony of a speeding peloton masks the risks and dangers involved. Mountain descents see riders reach speeds of 80 or more kilometers per hour with little to protect them should something go wrong. Stars and watercarriers alike share in the risk; no one is immune.
You have to love this sport intensely to become a professional. The nature of road competition demands great sacrifice in every aspect of the athlete’s life; eat like birds, work like horses, and live like monks. Not only does a professional cyclist spend every waking moment focussed on their sport, but from January to October, they are away from their families as the race calendar carries them all over Europe and, increasingly, the world. This sacrifice is most often in the service of others, as the Stars are few and the Watercarriers many.
While only a few weeks ago we watched as one of these domestiques reached the pinacle of our sport by winning Paris-Roubaix, today we witnessed the tragic swing to the other end as Wouter Weylandt lost his life in the pursuit of his passion. We can be philosophical and say this man lived for his sport and died doing what he loved, but the fact of the matter is that his is a man who, at 26 years old, was in the prime of his life and that he died today is tragic beyond articulation.
As Velominati, we are disciples of cycling. Our lives revolve around cycling. At moments like these, it is unimaginable that life and sport will continue. It will, and we will again reach the peaks. But we breathe still, and our devotion cannot follow where others’ continue.
Today we walk through a valley and mourn as Velominati the tragic loss of a man who gave everything – everything – to his sport. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends, and colleagues.
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Hi All, don't know where to post this so will do it here as it seems appropriate. There is an annual event being organised, called Black Armband Sat this Sat 14 May. Wear a black armband on your rides to remember ALL those that have been killed riding bikes.
Twitter - @blackarmbandsat #tag - #blackarmbandsat
Just found this thread guys, and it brought tears back to my eyes reading it all - forgive me if posting this drags it all back up again - I don't think I have been so upset by something in a sporting context, ever
Maybe it is because I am new to this sport this past 6 months, but I've been living eating and drinking Eurosport 2 since Qatar, and with all the new folk I've enjoyed riding with since I started in January (exMTB, more of a yotter really)
I was on a real high that in cycling, I had stumbled upon a rich source of joy and enlightenment in my life, prepping to go to a sailing event and sat down to watch the Giro I'd recorded, giddy like a kid with a new toy at Christmas, and bang, I saw poor Wouter on the road - as a 45 yr old Doc, I knew what I was looking at and was nearly sick - I actually felt for Dave Harmon, the commentator, and Sean Kelly who sounded like they knew what they had just witnessed
I was so agitated about it that couldn't sleep that night, my wife and kids were asleep, and there was no-one to talk to
Thing is, over the following days, I felt very lonely in my distress, as nobody apart from a couple of my new cycling friends really seemed to care, and I was really upset, really confused - weird - I'd only recently got my head round what risks these guys take, partly for the joy, but also to pay the bills I guess - my respect for them is incalculable, they're simply heroic
I thank you all on this thread, and for your touching intro Frank, for helping me realise that I was not alone (I also realise one/we cannot expect all those who do not share our passion, to feel our pain to the same extent)
I've never been one for funerals, but I have watched the neutralised stage several times, and it helped me too - as you say Frank, for life to be full, and highs attained, some pretty bad days will have to be experienced, and for Wouter and his loved ones, no greater sacrifice exists
For what it is worth, I often think of Wouter when I am on my bike, and it gives me an extra strength, like I owe it to him to harden the fuck up, and in that I guess, his legacy lives on
Thank you Wouter, thank you @all, and sorry if dragging this up again causes grief, but it has really helped me to know that others out there appreciated what an enormous tragedy Wouter's passing really was
Ride on
Ah, Wouter, RIP buddy!
Ha, I searched for eat like a bird, work like a horse, live like a monk just to confirm I had it right and guess what popped up?Awesomeness.
Unfortunately there's another sporting community mourning the loss of one of their own taken much too early. Not unlike WW it was a freak occurrence doing something he'd done many times before.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-27/phil-hughes-dead/5919204
@Mikael Liddy
Extremely sad. I'm still a bit stunned by it.
@RobSandy gotta feel for the kid who bowled the ball too, can't imagine how he's feeling at the moment.