Sad

On Oct 6, 11:42*am, Bob Schwartz
wrote:
I feel that way about Clinger and VDB too. Both of those guys
need people to stop encouraging them to race bikes.

what is it about racing that you think contributes to their problem?
that riding/racing is just another form of addiction?

that they tend to think they're someone special just because they can
race a bike? (and have people telling them such ...)

that it didn't previously prevent them from having ... "issues"?

I dunno ... I could imagine that the sense of discipline and focus
needed to do well in racing (as in anything) could help. Not to
mention just the benefit of hard physical activity. But maybe it
depends on the mentality of the person and what got them to where they
are in the first place.

wrote:
On Oct 6, 11:42 am, Bob Schwartz
wrote:
I feel that way about Clinger and VDB too. Both of those guys
need people to stop encouraging them to race bikes.

what is it about racing that you think contributes to their problem?
that riding/racing is just another form of addiction?

that they tend to think they're someone special just because they can
race a bike? (and have people telling them such ...)

that it didn't previously prevent them from having ... "issues"?

I dunno ... I could imagine that the sense of discipline and focus
needed to do well in racing (as in anything) could help. Not to
mention just the benefit of hard physical activity. But maybe it
depends on the mentality of the person and what got them to where they
are in the first place.

You're thinking about this way too hard.

I have no clue what it was about racing that caused problems
for them. I just know it happened before, so is likely to happen
again.

Bob Schwartz

Bob Schwartz wrote:
wrote:
I feel that way about Clinger and VDB too. Both of those guys
need people to stop encouraging them to race bikes.


derFahrer wrote:
what is it about racing that you think contributes to their problem?
that riding/racing is just another form of addiction?

that they tend to think they're someone special just because they can
race a bike? (and have people telling them such ...)

that it didn't previously prevent them from having ... "issues"?

I dunno ... I could imagine that the sense of discipline and focus
needed to do well in racing (as in anything) could help. Not to
mention just the benefit of hard physical activity. But maybe it
depends on the mentality of the person and what got them to where they
are in the first place.


Bob Schwartz wrote:
You're thinking about this way too hard.

I have no clue what it was about racing that caused problems
for them. I just know it happened before, so is likely to happen
again.

Well, if the stories are to be believed, it was bike racing that originally
pulled Gerlach out of his increasingly self-destructive behavior. It lasted
for years the first time. This most recent time, it was only one year. It's
weird how differently some people are wired... the guy had an incredible
amount of success, attention, and positive energy directed toward him this
year. Way more than 99.99% of people ever experience in a lifetime. Yet, for
him, it wasn't enough to keep him fueled.

Mark wrote:
Alternatively, the writer John Dolan has a thesis that, as people in
developed countries sit at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the
main source of pain and suffering will be the inability to become rich
and famous. Americans know that they should be rich and famous and
they could be rich and famous - but they're not. He thinks that
future generations will recognize this angst as genuine suffering, not
unlike cold and hunger.

Fred Fredburger wrote:
Thanks for sharing that. It makes me laugh!

Don't worry, you're famous on rbr (if its any consolation).

On Oct 6, 7:17*pm, " wrote:
On Oct 6, 11:42*am, Bob Schwartz
wrote:

I feel that way about Clinger and VDB too. Both of those guys
need people to stop encouraging them to race bikes.

what is it about racing that you think contributes to their problem?
that riding/racing is just another form of addiction?

that they tend to think they're someone special just because they can
race a bike? (and have people telling them such ...)

that it didn't previously prevent them from having ... "issues"?

I dunno ... I could imagine that the sense of discipline and focus
needed to do well in racing (as in anything) could help. *Not to
mention just the benefit of hard physical activity. *But maybe it
depends on the mentality of the person and what got them to where they
are in the first place.

I agree. Racing seems pretty far from the kinds of activities that get
people back on the path to addiction. Seems like hanging out with
people who are using or in places where substance abuse is happening
are the most dangerous activities.

We don't have the details of how this relapse happened, but it seems
unlikely that it had anything to do with racing per se. For example, a
more likely scenario is that he visited his family and found himself
back in an environment where he used, and knew where to score.
-Paul

Paul G. wrote:
Racing seems pretty far from the kinds of activities that get
people back on the path to addiction. Seems like hanging out with
people who are using or in places where substance abuse is happening
are the most dangerous activities.

Huh.

VDB was promised to get a pro contract for one week to contest TT
nationals. He had hopes on convincing a real pro team there to get a
contract for 2010.
I don't know he would have been capable of delivering something there,
but he had worked in earnest for months, building up. Sometimes doing
a group ride in the morning and a kermesse race in the afternoon (OK,
collecting a fine starting fee).

When that contract plan failed in August, he had that new sting of
incidents. Bike racing and the dreams he still cherishes about it are
what give him a life. I fear for what will happen to him within a few
years, as he will have no opportunities to achieve anything anywhere.
Only the ultimate attention seeking will be left.

Paul G. wrote:
I agree. Racing seems pretty far from the kinds of activities that get
people back on the path to addiction. Seems like hanging out with
people who are using or in places where substance abuse is happening
are the most dangerous activities.

We don't have the details of how this relapse happened, but it seems
unlikely that it had anything to do with racing per se. For example, a
more likely scenario is that he visited his family and found himself
back in an environment where he used, and knew where to score.

Riding a bike is good for you. Bike racing as a profession
is unhealthy in too many ways to count. It is a high stress
occupation requiring travel and the possibility of physical
injury. You stay in motels and host housing, very little in
your life is stable. You have time on your hands, probably
a fair amount of boredom. You hang out with people that you
don't know well.

Gosh, what could possibly be in there to interfere with an
addiction recovery? Especially if that is what was going on
with your life when the problems started. It surely couldn't
happen twice!

Bob Schwartz

Bart wrote:
I fear for what will happen to him within a few
years, as he will have no opportunities to achieve anything anywhere.
Only the ultimate attention seeking will be left.

In the US we have masters racing.

Bob Schwartz

On Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:53:04 -0500, Bob Schwartz
wrote:

Riding a bike is good for you. Bike racing as a profession
is unhealthy in too many ways to count. It is a high stress
occupation requiring travel and the possibility of physical
injury. You stay in motels and host housing, very little in
your life is stable. You have time on your hands, probably
a fair amount of boredom. You hang out with people that you
don't know well.

But I read somewhere that some people think it's glamorous.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...