I envy my dog. There is nothing in her life that can not be immediately obtained that she bothers herself with; she is a perfect example of the happiness to be found through living in the moment, unclouded by dreams or goals. This is the embodiment of one aspect of what I seek from Cycling: freedom from external pressures via total inward focus on the now.
While I envy her, I pity her for this same reason; she will never know the beauty of cultivating a dream, nor the satisfaction to be found in achieving a goal, which is something else I seek from Cycling.
Her combination of focus and absent-mindedness inspires me. She has no limit to her desire to show me her favorite orange ball, or her insistence on helping me notice that she’s laid it in my lap. I can get up and move to another chair, and she will helpfully carry the ball over for me, noting that I neglected to bring it myself. Should something more important demand on her attention – say, the mailman arriving at the door (who requires a session of being barked at), or the appearance of food in her dish – the ball will be forgotten in totality. Later in the day, she will serendipitously reencounter the ball and delight afresh in its limitless bounties.
The changing of the seasons gives me this same gift; with each season I rediscover the beauty of our sport in new ways; riding through a fiery tunnel of changing leaves, the damp earthy smell of a winter’s training ride, the freedom of riding without arm, knee, and shoe covers on a warm spring day, or the glory of riding in the baking summer sun. Each arrives with the welcome of a long-lost friend.
I imagine that everything I need to know in order to become a Directeur Sportif, should the need arise, I have learned from raising dogs. For instance, loyalty is earned, not deserved. Further, loyalty and intelligence are more important than size, strength or talent. Managing a rider in a breakaway, assuming it is a US or Aussie team, the same principles apply as walking a dog on a lead; you prevent them pulling by any means necessary.
As for tolerating doping or other shenanigans within the team, even a dog instinctively knows never to shit where it sleeps.
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@Marcus
Barracuda agreed with Harminator that Gerrans, rather than being a wheel sucker is in fact a smart racer. Do try to keep up old chap. Now my final word....final I say Because this thread is supposed to be about dogs and bikes and not crafty little Aussies and sucky Americans ( though it's obvious from all the bites which nation has an inferiority complex ) Gerrans makes the most of his abilities, I think we can all agree on that. But he's the fucking Remora fish of the peloton. End of.
You clearly don't race bikes
Ahhhh. I'm looking forward to a long, productive northern hemisphere winter watching Faharank and Marcus, representatives of two out of the three fattest nations on earth, argue about which is the 19th worst cycling nation, Aus or the US.
My money's on Fhronk.
This website is like any good cycling route -- there is always someone riding it.
@minion 19th worst!? Come on!... We Americans had that one guy... wait, he doped... and was an unbelievable tool bag...
...there was that guy after him... oh, also doped... also an unbelievable tool bag...
... if you add the Phinneys together you get a very solid racer...
...Horner won the Vuelta?... Missed the surprise drug test afterwards you say?...
@minion
Now that you joined the conversation now we have all three.
@G'rilla
Oh, that's not fair. Minion isn't a country.
@Marcus
And you obviously do, and likely don't win often.
@Beers
Not to rehash an old chat, but my issue is - in general - with the whole attitude of never working, and being willing to throw the race in the process. Very Anti-V.
More specifically to that race in particular, was JV's double-blind on saying Hushovd can't pull because he has a rider up front, and that JVS can't pull because he has a rider coming up. Either the guy behind is blocking, or the guy up front is waiting. Not both. If its both, you're just being a coward.
@frank Yeah mate I'm with you there. Re-reading what I wrote, it is my fav because the domestique rouleur got an unexpected victory, not what happened to Faboo...