A Friendly Rivalry Gone Bad

I was hoping I'd never have to do this, but I guess this is partially why blogs exist. I'm about to stir the sh%# on my own behalf.

First of all, I'd like to think we (the cycling community in the Redlands area) are a tight-nit group. When someone cracks, we console he or she. When someone excels, we congratulate. When someone is struggling, we encourage. When someone succeeds, we celebrate. At the same time, on particular training rides, a friendly rivalry exists. Once the ride is over, the guns are put away, or at least they should be. Sure, occasionally a situation arises where tension causes a spat, but in my experience, they're normally short-lived & if they need to be settled, they're settled on the bike.

With all that said, I received a phone call from a close friend yesterday reporting that a certain individual in our midst is, for lack of a better term, dissing yours truly. If an outsider wants to diss me; fine. If someone who can actually ride me into the ground wants to sing, let him sing all he wants. But when someone who I have repeatedly sat up for, someone who I have conquered in all but one single road race in the last three years, someone who has difficulty riding me off their wheel on Tuesday nights even when I show up on my mountain bike - decides they want to mouth off behind my back; he deserves recognition. Nevermind the fact that I nearly always leave him in my wake when I'm mounted on my road bike; nevermind that I'm constantly defending his whack choice of gears (I probably just gave it away right there) to everyone who comments on its ridiculousness; and nevermind that I've sat side-by-side with said person chatting up life & bike racing in general on many many training rides & slow-moving races. Unfortunately, it's come to this.

No more riding up to the front to relieve you of an unusually long pull.
No more including you in a potential race strategy.
No more friendly banter.
No more defending your name.
And especially no more sitting up for you.

Basically, no more mercy. Next summer will be your worst yet...