How to balance getting bombed and cycling?

Strumpetto

This is obviously a ridiculous thread. However, I enjoy both cycling and drinking very much. Both are magnificent endeavors.

Typically, I play tennis for two hours followed by 2 hours of riding. 5 days a week. However, I've become accustomed to having 5 beers a night. I know that if you race seriously you shouldn't drink at all. I just can't do it, though. I love beer too much. I love jack too much. I suppose this is fine, since I ride to race recreationally and to keep the lbs off from the absurd amounts of boose and liquor I consume.

I'm not an alche. I swear. I think. My last race . . I drank till 4, sobered up till 7 and took off for my race. I did well, and passed out in my car. This is obviously no way to race. How do you guys balance drinking and racing?!!!??! I'm 23. Thanks.

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Roadie_scum

I don't know how serious you are but that is not a positive choice. If you are really drinking that much you have serious health problems on the horizon down the track. Your liver doesn't appreciate it. It hurts your racing. It hurts your brain. And whether or not you are an 'alche' now, you are running the risk.

Am I uptight about drugs and alcohol? I think almost all drugs should be decriminalised and we should have a substantially more honest discussion about the effects of drugs in our society. Part of that honest discussion is that what you are doing to your body at the moment has long term and short term dangerous consequences.

Do you need to 'not drink at all' to race seriously? That hasn't been my observation, knowing and socialising with plenty of serious racers up to the national/pro level. But 5 beers a day? Not possible to race seriously and seriously unhealthy.

Strumpetto

Thanks for the response roadie. I know this is unhealthy. I am not drinking by myself, however. It is always at a social event. And while in college, or in a college enviroment, there is something going every night. I hate to sit home. And wheverer you go , people are drinking. At least around here. And then bars have absurd specials, like 50 cent drafts and dollar you call its on Weds, and dollar bottles on thursday. It seems that if you have a social life, you're going to be drinking a lot of boose. 5 days a week. Obviously you have the choice to not go out .. .

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coneofsilence

I'd be more worried about going to races still intoxicated and then causing a crash and causing injury to others. Could be on the end of some serious stick. People wouldn't be happy. It's always your choice how much and when you drink but when it can affect others, you have to know the limits.

Roadie_scum

Honestly, I've lived more of that life than you might guess and I understand that dynamic pretty well. For a start, I'm only 25, so not so different. But I think it can happen at any age depending on the social settings you find yourself in. It is probably a good thing that you are aware of it and aren't drinking alone and during the day - it sounds like you are questioning what you are doing a bit and that can only be positive.

For me, I found some situations I was drinking just because I felt it was expected, or I didn't know what else to do. Once I relaxed about it and realised that the only expectations were my own, I could have a beer for the first round (which I still enjoy) then maybe drink slower and space it out with soft drinks and still be social. I then ended up actually enjoying the company of my friends more rather than being 'task focused' about getting written off. I also found that some 'friends' were actually not positive people to be around and cut them loose, since my judgment was so much better. So I don't think the only choice is not to go out and I appreciate that one of the great things about the US college experience is socializing. But think about it - if you are at any half decent school, you will know or see NCAA athletes who party sometimes but most of the time just drop in for one drink or a coke. The athletes that party super hard in-season get cut loose by their coaches. And the ones that don't are still respected by their friends or anyone at a bar/party they happen to drop past. If you say, 'oh, no thanks' to a drink, people don't even expect you to explain it most of the time, but if you do get asked you can always say, 'I'm trying to take the next step in my cycling so I'll have a couple more with you once I'm done training' and people will still hang around and have plenty to talk about with you. In fact, they'll probably ask you about racing and training and think you are a badass because you ride 100 miles and they can't ride 10.

I dunno... these choices are personal... you have to make your own judgment call. But inform yourself of the risks. Think about what you want for yourself. And know that the only people who will judge you for not drinking are tools anyway (except if you are one of those uptight moralists who expects noone to drink anything ever... those guys can get judged and I won't put up a fight).

It sounds like you are thinking right. You know you wanna get better at sport. You are enjoying your sport. You like being healthy and you worry just a touch about what you are doing. Just relax and good things will come. But go 100% at partying and riding and you will eventually knock your body out, get sick, fatigued and burnt out. Partying won't be fun and neither will bike racing.

ric_stern/RST

This is the important aspect. The original poster hasn't sobered up by this point (3 hrs after drinking) and would give a positive for driving under the influence. If you kill yourself drink driving, then there's plenty who will argue it's your own fault (but obviously this will have a huge impact on your family and friends). More worrying is if you kill or injure someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

personally, i'm of the opinion that no one should drink and drive. not even small amounts. At 23 you're at an age where you should understand responsibility and be responsible for your actions.

ric

(cone, this is at the OP not you!)

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Ade Merckx

Are you a bit bored? This sounds like a wind up to me

parawolf

if you cannot go out in a social aspect, have only 1 or 2 drinks (or resist having a drink at all, stick to soft drink/juice/water) then you are an alcoholic.

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frenchyge

Ignoring the many other choices for having a social life is a common means of rationalizing the decision to go to bars and drink 5 nights a week.

Perhaps you go because your friends do, and perhaps they go because you do. Perhaps if you weren't all going to bars 5 nights a week you'd have time to develop some other social interests. Who knows?

Roadie_scum

I absolutely agree with this and should have included it in my response. Once you put yourself in a position where your judgment affects others and risks serious injury, you should absolutely avoid being affected by alcohol. Otherwise you aren't just being unfair on yourself but also on others and their family.

strader

This wouldn't happen to be the race in your blog would it? Sounded like a hangover race...

"I went over the bars about 5 times. I’m serious, and I am a good technical rider. I just had it bad. "

" I kept on riding. Then I went over the bars again. BAM! “Rider down!” yelled a rider behind me. “Are you okay dude?” "

"I felt absolutely fine and decided to do my second lap just for fun. Well, I did it alright, had some fun along the way, and crashed about four more times. I owe these crashes to the fact that I could no longer squeeze my break levers because my arms were aching from crashing into boulders."

Good job toughing it out and finishing the race anyway. If you weren't drunk you mighta won.

threaded

IIRC Brandy was the first substance banned on the TdF, so effectively you are racing doped.

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jhuskey

I joke about drinking on this forum but in all seriousness ,the habits you form now will define your future.
It will get harder to keep off the weight as you age and easier to rationalize weaknesses that develope. Instead of drinking everyday just have sex or something.
"Find your balance grasshopper".

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Yojimbo_

The OP has a drinking problem, and is in denial.