From the Birchwood Bike Forum

[photo caption] The Birchwood Bike team, circa 2001. (photo courtesy Birchwood Bike team)


James on the Birchwood Bike Forum reports on the race where Tuffy took 2nd:


"Steve H. probably had the longest attack on the day, going on the back side of lap one and staying out through the flats on lap 2. The field was not letting him get away, and when they finally caught him, I attacked, but to no avail. Then Adam Mitchell from Silver Cycling tried to get a paceline going to lift the pace and shed some riders. Matt and I joined in on the paceline along with Ed A. from SPBRC and Patrick from Loon State, as well as a Tonka and Lake Superior Cycling rider.

Problem was, Grandstay refused to pull through, and others, like Tuffy from Cat 6 wanted to suck wheel. Adam and I shut the line down."


For those who aren't aware, claiming that someone is "sucking wheel" is a rather derogatory term in cycling. In means that you're sitting in the group (out of the wind) rather than going up to the front (into the wind) and helping to set the pace.

Essentially, James is saying that I was unwilling to do my share of the work.

While "sucking wheel" has a perjorative connotation, I won't deny that that is absolutely what I was doing.

A kinder way of putting it would be to say that I was "sitting in".

Someone (Smithers?) told me a while back that bike racing doesn't reward the rider who expends the most energy.

Rather, the rider who is rewarded is the rider who uses his energy the wisest while also conserving energy whenever possible.

And that is what I tried to do.