One thing this season has taught me is that there are more than a few of us middled-aged folks whom never seem to have grown up. They tend to think the world revolves around them, they whine when they don’t get their way, and nothing is ever good enough for them.  Sound familiar? If you’ve got a four year-old at home, you probably get this behavior all of the time.  However, it’s a little ludicrous for a forty year-old to act this way.

I could devote a few paragraphs to BMW drivers, but I’ll focus on my fellow cyclists instead. The majority of us are relatively laid back, extremely competitive racers, who are mostly out to enjoy the sport. Note, the “majority” qualifier.  There seems to be a few that have the sportsmanship of that kid who loses the game for the team because he wants a home run, when they really need a bunt.

This season I’ve seen a few guys yell at tractors to get off the road during a TT (and you wonder why courses are disappearing), berrate other crit racers for not moving over so can get by on the outside (umm, it’s like pack racing, dude), scream at volunteers for not being able to stop traffic (they’re not cops), and complaining about not getting their $20 prize money before they leave (they’ve already loaded their $4500 bike into their BMW SUV ). The most ironic thing about this is that most of this behavior has come from 3-4 teams. I guess these types of people tend to attract each other.  Now, I know what teams NOT to join in the future.

What drives “grown ups” to do this?  Were they spoiled, overprotected, or molested as a child?  Who knows, but my guess is that psychiatrics have found many trends that lead to these types of personalities. I hate to blame people for who they are, but come on, you’re adults.  Start acting like one.

Thankfully, most of these guys aren’t THAT good.  They aren’t bad, but the best racers tend to be some of the coolest guys around.

So, to all you whining, immature racers, either grow up or find a new sport that would better fit your persona. Like golf.