In My Day…..

In my day we went training not “for a ride.”

In my day eating was cheating.

In my day water was something that made your bike heavy.

In my day you trained with bricks in pannier bags if you wanted to climb well.

In my day you bought the smallest pair of shoes that you could fit your feet into and rode them wet for two weeks to stretch them.

Chamios were hard jagged torture points.

In my day you could not text your friend to miss a ride. If you missed three sessions no one asked you again.

In my day you NEVER told the truth about your training. If you were fit, you told people you were “in a hole”. If you weren’t you said you were flying to intimidate others into not attacking you.

In my day it was acceptable to wear you cycling gear under your work clothes all day so you could train straight after work.

In my day it was also acceptable to sleep in your cycling gear so you get out on the bike as soon as you woke up.

In my day you had to HATE people from certain clubs. (Some older officials haven’t let go of this.)

In my day one month a year was spent on 48x18 fixed.

In my day drilling holes in your gear until it broke was a sign of commitment.

In my day you weren’t sprinting hard enough if you front wheel wasn’t flexing to the point of almost potato chipping.

In my day you might spend a whole race, maybe a season, making someone else lose.

In my day you never approved of collusion but always took the money. 

In my day locking out your rivals top or bottom gear was “gamesmanship”.

In my day

In my day

In my day

In my day

Image Credit : Title image by Gleeson Cornelius

ABOUT THE CRANK BY JOHN CASKEY

The Crank is the embodiment of archetypal cranky veteran bike riders, whose worn out bike riding stories are embellished each time they are recounted. Hard as nails The Crank is a devious scoundrel who rides roughshod over anyone who has the misfortune to meet him. This Crank story by John Caskey.