When it's time to hang em up....

THis is based solely on my personal experience and observations of others, but you see it quite often that "athletes" don't realize the glory days have long since passed and their physical skills have deteriorated to the point that they cannot compete at the level they were accustomed to (or more likely thought they competed at). Instead, these folks who want to think that they still have it, assuming they ever did, and make some feeble attempt to relive days gone by. For me, I was only good in my own mind. I gave up long ago trying to be really good at anything. I realized that to be really good at something, you had to be committed to it; to put in the hours of training, dedicate yourself to pain and suffering; and have unliumited hall pass privileges. Ultimately I wasn't willing to train, suffer or even ask for the hall passes. As a result I have resigned myself to joyful mediocrity. Content that I can be almost fit enough to not puke on every ride and from time to time actually ride faster than the next guy. Sure there's some competitive spirit that is telling me to put in the extra that it would take, but then that is quickly washed away as a really fit single guy with no kids and a fat trust fund goes ripping by me on his zooted out rig. I can't and don't want to compete with that. So with this realization in mind, I guess thats why I ride with the guys I ride with. No one is too pretentious, caught up with themselves, and is just out to have a good time; or it could be none of them beat me that badly and don't make that much fun of me when they do.

DM