OK, I know. You don\’t have to tell me!

We might want to emulate the pro cyclists. But should we really?

Maybe not. Here are some things that pros do that we ought not do. (But you don\’t have to yell in my ear!)

First, \”slamming\” the stem sounds like beating up on the poor bicycle. And I certainly don\’t want to try to ride with my head way down in a super-aero position. It might well make me dizzy, which does not mix well with cycling.

Secondly, I don\’t live anywhere near the mountains, so cycling in the mountains in bad weather  doesn\’t apply to me. I do have the problem of whether to ride when it\’s pouring like crazy, especially if it\’s also cold. That\’s even before taking wind into account.

I say it doesn\’t hurt to learn to ride in adverse weather, because if you\’re preparing for an event, you don\’t know what event day might throw at you. But riding in sleet? Where I live, a little sleet shuts down the entire city.

Number three: I\’ve seen pics of pro racers riding on the top tube. Safety concerns aside, that doesn\’t look comfortable to me; and if such a position means you\’re less in control, I think I\’ll skip it. I think I\’d have trouble controlling my bicycle if I rode the top-tube on flat ground.

Number 4: The aero-bar position even when there are no aero bars? I\’ll keep my hands on the handlebars, thank you very much.

Fifth: I wonder how pros can get back on the bike and continue with a race after a crash. If I take a spill, it\’s likely to knock the wind out of me and leave me feeling very shaky.

Number 6: — let\’s not get indelicate here!

And Number 7: Usually I do really hard work one day a week, and not every week. Every third week I skip the \”force\” work.

It sounds like, if you think you\’d like to become  a pro cyclist, don\’t be in a hurry to act like one. After all, such things take time. But nobody has to tell me that; I know.