Great cycling quotes

[Bro Deal]

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2008/03/words-of-wisdom-21-most-memorable.html

 

[Bro Deal]

Bike Snob NYC reviews the new Dura Ace group.

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2008/03/bsnyc-exclusive-first-look-at-new-dura.html

That rear derailleur is cute.

 

[Frigo's Luggage]

I read a great quote by HG Wells years ago that I haven't been able to find again. He basically says that he bought a bike to get out in the countryside to commune with nature. However, every time he gets on that "damnable machine" he can't help but go "hammer and tongs."

 

[Yojimbo_]

Is this it?

I came out for exercise, gentle exercise, and to notice the scenery and to botanise. And no sooner do I get on that accursed machine than off I go hammer and tongs; I never look to right or left, never notice a flower, never see a view - get hot, juicy, red - like a grilled chop. Get me on that machine and I have to go. I go scorching along the road, and cursing aloud at myself for doing it.

Doesn't everyone ride like that?

(Taken from the Bikesnob site btw)

 

[Frigo's Luggage]

Thats it. Acurrsed...not damnable. That is why I couldn't find it.

 

[whiteboytrash]

I'm frustrated and disappointed to not be competing in the Tour of California. I had looked forward to riding alongside my Rock Racing teammates throughout the up coming week.

While I won't be able to support them out on the road, I plan, along with Santiago Botero and Oscar Sevilla, to attend the race and provide as much encouragement as possible to our team's talented riders and staff.

I want to express special gratitude to Michael Ball for doing everything he could to try and resolve the situation that developed over the last week. The sport of cycling desperately needs sponsors and leaders who are willing to stand up and fight for the rights of the riders and demand consistency and fairness across the board. I admire his commitment to this sport as well as this team. It's an honor to wear the Rock Racing kit and I look forward to helping Michael achieve his goals for this year throughout the rest of the season.

Tyler.

 

[Powerful Pete]

WBT, is that an actual quote, or did you make that up?

 

[whiteboytrash]

WBT, is that an actual quote, or did you make that up?

All true ! I couldn't make that sort of krap up !

http://www.powerofthebike.com/cms/tylers-blog

this one is better.....:

After working so hard to return to racing in 2007 only to have his ambitions dashed by unprofessional team management, Tyler finished the racing season fairly jaded about the sport of cycling. Having spent the majority of the year training with guys who would disappear on a regular basis to go compete at races where he thought he belonged, Tyler started to finally succumb to periods of depression. For the first time in his life he had lost his fighting spirit.

He started coming to terms with the idea of retiring. He told close friends at first, then family and then finally it started to become a reality by late November when he had no plans to compete in 2008. In his mind it was official. Over the Thanksgiving holiday he announced he was moving on once and for all -- over turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes. Food he hadn’t enjoyed in years.

Then Sunday rolled around and there was a message on the phone. Rock Racing was interested in giving Tyler another chance. They wanted to know how he felt about it. He was on the phone immediately with Michael Ball and spent an hour and a half talking about the past and the future. That afternoon he logged over six hours on the bike. Within a week a proposal was written and Tyler was focusing on racing again. Clearly he wasn’t really ready to stop. In his heart, he did not want to end his career on the “Tinkoff” note. That was no way to bid adieu to the sport he loves.

Some people are asking – why would Tyler want to come back “again”? What does he have to gain by riding in the US? Didn’t he prove himself in Europe way back when? Didn’t the collar bone say enough? The people who ask these questions forget why guys like Tyler ride. Because they love to. Because even with all the ups and downs he’s endured, Tyler still has a passion for cycling. So in the end, Tyler gets to practice what he preaches -- reminding us all to never under estimate the power of the bike.

 

[Crankyfeet]

Good luck to him.

 

[whiteboytrash]

Good luck to him.

yes good luck to the boy as he may test positive for turkey & mashed potatos...... the shame.......

 

[jimmypop]

Another great one from Tyler (well, the Foundation, actually):

The Tyler Hamilton Foundation is dedicated to promoting health and personal empowerment through cycling.

 

[jimmypop]

I'm frustrated and disappointed to not be competing in the Tour of California. I had looked forward to riding alongside my Rock Racing teammates throughout the up coming week.

While I won't be able to support them out on the road, I plan, along with Santiago Botero and Oscar Sevilla, to attend the race and provide as much encouragement as possible to our team's talented riders and staff.

I want to express special gratitude to Michael Ball for doing everything he could to try and resolve the situation that developed over the last week. The sport of cycling desperately needs sponsors and leaders who are willing to stand up and fight for the rights of the riders and demand consistency and fairness across the board. I admire his commitment to this sport as well as this team. It's an honor to wear the Rock Racing kit and I look forward to helping Michael achieve his goals for this year throughout the rest of the season.

Tyler.

Not to worry, Tyler, WADA's working on that.

 

[Powerful Pete]

Mamma mia, if only he could admit to what he did and move on.

 

[limerickman]

Some good quotes here : it's 1995 : Robert Millar and Chris Boardman : Cycle Sport July 1995 :

CB :Is there any special training that I can do to improve my climbing ability?

RM : Ride up mountains!!!!!!!!!
It's no good riding up mountains only during races. You need to train and ride the mountains as part of your normal training schedule..
On a mountain you need to train at, say 16kmph.
In races, the average speed is between 16-20kmph (Limerickman : note that one of the greatest climbers ever, RM, says 16-20kmph is the average speed).

CB : The only time I have ridden up a mountain and enjoyed it was at Pays Basque, riding at my own pace.

RM : That's the problems with racing and having to climb - you can only climb at your own pace and you can only improve that pace by climbing regularly.

RM : Do you think that you can get a top 10 TDF finish (in 1995).

CB : It depends if I can climb or not : I don't know, I cannot say.

RM : You've got to be prepared to suffer in order to climb. Even the greatest climbers suffer when they climb. Don't be fooled by their faces/expressions/body language. When you climb you suffer and you need to
build your pain tolerance levels.

RM : Wjat do you not like about the TDF?

CB : The suffering. It's one thing suffering for seven hours on day, such as a world championship - but three weeks of racings with two weeks of torture is mentally very hard.

RM : When I was younger, I used to think that I didn't want to go out on the lousy weather and train.
Then I would think that some guy, somewhere, was out there in the lousy weather training - and that's what motivated me to get out in all kinds of weather, training.

CB : some days I cannot face it. I don't know if I have the willpower to do it
(train).

RM : I have a day-to-day programme, even if I'm suffering.

CB : Do you stick to it.

RM : Yes, Without fail.

CB : Well maybe that's why you got further than me.............peeople ask me if I enjoy cycling.
I enjoy the satisfaction I get out of cycling but I don't enjoy the cycling.
It's sad really.

 

[huboon]

Saw this yesterday at cyclingnews:

"Taking home Flanders would be fantastic," Ekimov considered a victory in the Ronde van Vlaanderen as highlight of this part of the season. "Last year Tom [Tomas Vaitkus] could have been on the podium, but he finished fourth."

 

[thoughtforfood]

Saw this yesterday at cyclingnews:

"Taking home Flanders would be fantastic," Ekimov considered a victory in the Ronde van Vlaanderen as highlight of this part of the season. "Last year Tom [Tomas Vaitkus] could have been on the podium, but he finished fourth."

The ghost of Yogi Berra strikes again.

 

[Drongo]

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2008/03/words-of-wisdom-21-most-memorable.html

Okay, this a long one, but it's hard to find so a link just won't cut it. Way down the list of comments on that bikesnobnyc entry is this little pearler from a feller named 'skidmark':

In the beginning God created the bicycle, saw that it was good, then went for a nice Sunday ride on the bike lanes He'd made the day before, and they were good, too, because they were new and He had the angels keep them clear of debris. Later, of course, God would get cross and have the flood wash all the good ones away.

And God said to Himself, Let us create man, because cycling is too much fun to keep to Myself, and so He created man, him did He create, create did He him do. And God put man in paradise, and commanded him, Glideth upon the earth anywhere thou wisheth, except for that big hill over there. For on the day thou goeth down that hill, thou shalt surely die.

And God said, Man needs a companion to keep him from spending too much money on new bicycles. So God caused man to fall into a deep sleep by asking him if he wanted to go clothes shopping at the mall, then took a rib from him. Then God said to Himself, Who am I kidding, I'll never hear the end of it when she finds out she was just a rib, so He created woman from frankincense and myrrh and a certain je ne sais quoi.

And God said, Let man have dominion over lathe drills and Philips head screwdrivers, and let woman have dominion over everything else, and as long as thou art naked and unashamed, thou might as well be fruitful and multiply.

Lastly, God created the chicken and the egg, in that order, which should clear up that matter.

Now the serpent, he was a wily one, and he said to woman, Yea, hath God said you may cycle anywhere but down that hill? And the woman said unto the serpent, That's about the size of it: go downhill and die. And the serpent said, Ye shall not surely die, you probably won't even fall off. For God doth know that on the day you go downhill, you will not need to pedal for a long time. Go on, give it a try.

And the woman saw that the hill was good, she did not need to pedal for a long time. She told the man about it, and he also went downhill. Their eyes were opened, they saw they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves into padded cycling shorts because sometimes it got bumpy going downhill.

And they heard the voice of God as He was offroad, fully suspended of course, and they hid their bicycles at the bottom of the hill and started whistling nervously. And God called unto the man, and said, Where art thou? And the man said, We art down here. And God said, Hast thou cycled downhill, whereoff I commanded thee that thou shouldest not? And man said, It was her idea.

And God said unto the woman, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow whilst climbing hills; in pain shalt thou perch upon thy saddle.

And God said unto the man, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, cursed is regular bike maintenance. The inner workings of the hub gear will be beyond thou to repair. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou service thy freewheel.

And God said, Behold, the man doesn't listen very well, so he kicked him out of paradise and guarded the entrance with a sign of a picture of a bicycle in the middle of a red circle. And He had a Cherubim with a flaming sword stop by a few times a week for good measure.

This is the book of the generations. The first bicycle was a single speed, Godspeed, but after that it got complicated. Sprockets begat sprockets and cables begat kinks. Celerifere begat Draisienne begat Macmillan begat Michaux begat Ariel begat Bayliss Thomas begat Lawson begat Rover begat Boneshaker begat Ordinary begat Raleigh.

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth in a critical mass, God saw that the wickedness of man was great and he did not like to give way to anyone on the road even his mother, so He directed Noah to build an ark made out of renewable resources. There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark every type of bicycle: one to ride and one for spare parts. And Noah gathered two touring bikes and two mountain bikes; two recumbents and two tandems; two road racing bikes and two cross bikes; also four unicycles, just in case there was a misunderstanding, and a brace of Bromptons, as their folded countenance pleasethed Him. And God said there might be Some strong winds in the Southeast. And it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, then drizzled for another fortnight.

And God remembered Noah and asswaged the waters, and Noah opened a door on the ark and set loose Japheth on a unicycle, and God said This is a covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature: that a man on a unicycle is a hilarious sight. The waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

A bit later, God spake unto Moses, saying, Here are a few ground rules, I hath numbered them for thou for easy reference:

I. Thou shalt hold no other races above the Tour de France.
II. Thou shalt not make unto thee helmets which cost more than £100.
III. Thou shalt not take My name in vain everytime thou gettest a flat tyre.
IV. Remember to oil thy chain, to keep it rolling.
V. Honour the Zebra Crossing and those walking upon the face of it.
VI. Thou shalt not ignore other road users, nor cycle recklessly upon the pavement.
VII. Thou shalt not steal bicycles.
VIII. Thou shalt not kill, except bicycle thieves.
IX. Thou shalt not hang onto moving cars.
X. Thou shalt not covet they neighbour's new Cannondale, nor his groupset, nor his £3000 mtb, nor even his stylish shades.

Forget not the Titanium Rule: Signal unto others as thou wouldst have others signal unto thou.

And moving right along, there came four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and they were the Taxicab Driver, and the Motorcycle Messenger, and the White Van Man, and the Man Opening a Car Door Without Looking.

Amen

March 19, 2008 7:15 PM

 

[Crankyfeet]

Freaking hilarious Drongo... . Well done Bro. I didn't get down that far before.