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09-12-19, 10:09 PM

#95

jackb

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Quote:

Originally Posted by caloso

Well, just off the top of my head: whether you can hold your line, whether you can pedal a high cadence smoothly, whether you can look back or take a drink without wobbling, whether you can take a pull without accelerating, whether you can draft without letting a gap form, whether you can bump elbows without freaking out, whether you can stand without shoving your bike back, whether you can follow your wheel smoothly through a corner.

Are you kidding me? These things are skills? Perhaps in the pro peloton, but for the rest of us? How many years does it take to master looking over your shoulder without wobbling. Do you practice bumping elbows so as to become proficient in not freaking out? Most cyclists I see on the road appear fairly adept at following their wheels through a corner. Mastering these so-called skills doesn't quite seem up to becoming a good tennis player or hitting a curve ball. And who rides like this anyway? Perhaps cycling club members do and racers, but what percentage of cyclists do they make up? At any rate, the more you ride the better you get at controlling your bike up to a point, but I believe that that control comes rather quickly, certainly a lot more quickly than keeping your golf score below 70 or your batting average above .275, pro or not. Speed and endurance come from improved fitness.

But I will not deny these so-called skills are important for certain kinds of riding. I just don't see them as taking long to develop.

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