Please read the email below. It is a sobering reminder that we all need to be courteous to others wherever we are, and to represent the DWC in a positive, respectful manner when you wear the club jersey. Let’s all be ambassadors to our sport!
If you have anything to say about this issue please use the comments section below, or send me an email.
Sincerely,
Spencer
[email protected]
Dear Durango Wheel Club,
I applaud your efforts to get riders of all abilities onto bikes and into your club. Your website is well organized and very positive. I am writing to express my concern that some of your membership does not seem to share this belief. I am simply writing to suggest that some of your riders be reminded that when they are wearing a DWC jersey that they should reflect the ideals of the club.
This summer I participated in the Bicycle Tour of Colorado for the first time. My father, now 72, has been doing it for years but he is riding slower than he used to and we were certainly not the fastest people on the course (However, we did finish without once using a sag wagon). We sat down to dinner in Crested Butte with some of your clubs members and one middle-aged individual began to discuss, in front of complete strangers, his disappointment in the quality of rider in the event and it was his opinion that riders of only a high ability should be allowed to participate. In addition, he said that he had discussed this with the events organizers and thought that he would have to stop coming on this ride, as he did for Ride the Rockies, if things did not improve. I was not so upset for myself, but rather for my father, who had to endure these insults directed at him over his well-earned dinner. Two days later, I ran across the same man as I was looking to set up my tent in Buena Vista and he informed me that there were many other sites that were not near his tent that I should consider occupying.Upon recognizing him, I was happy to abide and moved off down the field.
I realize that I am writing long after the event and that your organization is not responsible for this affront, but I cannot seem to forget about this jab and I hope that writing about it will let me move past the incident. I hope that you choose to remind your riders (or at least the ones that did the 2009 Bicycle Tour of Colorado) that they are ambassadors for the club when they wear your jerseys, that their feeling of success in an event should not be hinged on the performance of others less capable than they, and that riding is a lifetime sport whose members should encourage all who participate.
Thank you very much for your time,
Geoffrey
Keep in mind – DWC Jerseys are readily available at your LBS to anyone with $80 .
I think this comment was probably misinterpreted by the complainant.
I doubt it was intended as a criticism of fitness or ability as Geoffrey seems to think.
I have done quite a few of these large tours, and a LOT of the riders have never ridden with more than 2-3 other people on the road… ever. There are a ton of people in these events who have no awareness of their surroundings, fellow riders, cars, rules of the road, etc. and can be a danger to other cyclists.
I hear what you are saying but I disagree: I’ve found that rainbows are a frustrating waste of time. I have NEVER found any gold at the end of one, let alone a pot full of gold. They are also distracting. In terms of driving I’d put them right up there with cell phones. -SC
There will always be jerks out there. I’d suggest that the complainer might learn to shrug off such comments. Life is short. It’d be nice if no jerks wore DWC shirts, but then always having a rainbow would be nice too.