Skweek-skweek? What kind of spelling is THAT?

Oh, let\’s forget about spelling for a minute. Today, the Lunar New Year, ushers in the Year of the Rat.

Rat people are said to be clever and quick-thinking. Those attributes would be helpful in bicycle racing, especially the latter. Reading about racing tactics is interesting and helpful, but barely the beginning. I don\’t need to be a racing cyclist myself to figure that out.

The racing cyclist can\’t daydream about something else during an event. One look at a pic of the peloton in, let\’s say, the Tour de France should make that obvious. Those guys look like they\’re almost bumping elbows, and they aren\’t casually pedaling to the neighborhood café. They\’re flying!

They\’ve got to keep alert to their own positions and to the other riders; they must able to think fast, and be ready to respond to the unexpected. Despite that, even the \”rattiest\” riders can\’t always keep out of trouble.

Racing must take nerves of steel, as well as muscles of steel. I find that it can be a little unnerving to participate in a casual group ride. And that, when I\’m on the hybrid. I think I\’ll leave racing to somebody else, and \”just ride\”.

Hey, what\’s that skweek-skweek I hear? Where\’s the oil can?