"To
give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Spoken
by the late, great Steve Prefontaine
who certainly had a gift, for running....
"The
supporters...It is true that they are dangerous when they run close
to the riders. From there to throwing a punch. That is a step...."
- Gilberto Simoni commenting on tour rider Wladimir Belli punching
a heckler, who happened to be Simoni's nephew, during the last climb
of the 84th Giro d'Italia. Belli was expelled from the race.
"...the
disqualification is unjust, I understand his reaction. You must understand
the riders at certain moments (like climbing an 18% hill) they are stressed
and they can react rashly." - Gilberto Simoni's 18 year old nephew
comments after Belli punched him.... "We
know that the rider was provoked, but we are forced to apply the regulations.
That involves a fine and the immediate exclusion from the race. The
gesture is inexcusable." - Giro d'Italia's Race Jury President
about the decision to expel Wladimir Belli.... "You're
really Frank Shorter, eh?...What happened to you at Montreal?"
- A Charleston cab driver upon learning he was driving Frank
Shorter who won Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and silver in Montreal
in 1976.
"It’s
probably the toughest distance race in the world to win. World class
runners from 1500m to the marathon contest it and instead of just three
runners from each country, like in the Olympics or World Championships,
in the senior men's race there are nine." - Paul Tergat
of Kenya, comments about the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
"If
you were a spectator on one of the mountain passes today, the super-light
bikes would be little different in appearance from the machines of years
ago, pedaled by earlier heroes, Coppi, Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault, LeMond,
Roche. They would look like the bikes our dads rode when we were kids.
But the Tour is a commercial race, and innovation must be given its
place." - James Waddington, Bad to the Bone
"Top
results are reached only through pain. But eventually you like this
pain. You'll find the more difficulties you have on the way, the more
you will enjoy your success." - Juha Väätäinen,
also know by the nickname "the Cruel"
A
fivesome of wisdom from that all-knowing and rarely seen individual
known only by the single word name of Anonymous - 1) "Winner's
don't do different things. Winners do things differently. 2) Trample
the weak. Hurdle the dead. 3) Life
isn't a 100-yard dash; it's a marathon. A woman must pace herself to
be a winner 4) Some
running is good, more is better, and too much is just enough. 5) Most
men take the straight and narrow. A few take the road less traveled.
I chose to cut through the woods."
"Long
slow distance makes long slow runners." - Jim Bush, former
UCLA coach and member of the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame...
"My
career is going to be played out year by year. Will I be here in 2004?
I don't know. The record won't keep me here. Happiness will." -
Lance Armstrong
"Start
slow, then taper off." Walt Stack, who at 73 was the oldest
competitor in the 191 Hawaii Ironman and finished last in 26:20:00,
setting Ironman's slowest finish time record
“I
don’t drink. I don’t kiss girls. These things do an athlete
in." Training secrets of Suleiman Nyambui, distance star
of the 80’s
"Why
couldn't Pheidippides have died here?" Frank Shorter,
at the 16-mile mark of a marathon
"I
give a lot of thought to my transitions. How do I make them as smooth
as possible. A good transition is free time. You can make up some time
on fast swimmers with a good T1 split. The most important thing is to
study the transition zone and then do some mental imagery prior to race,
race morning and the end of the swim. " Peter Reid, when
asked about the keys to a good Ironman transition
"You
really have to make baby steps and not over do it when you come into
the sport. It’s so easy to get caught up in reading these insane
training logs from the pros that the tri magazines print. People
think that they need to go out and replicate a professional’s 30+ hour
training week in order to finish a race. It’s just not true.
I don’t feel that I train any more hours as a full-time professional
then I did when I was working full time. I just get more recovery
and I can do more intensity now. I also think it’s really important
to work with a coach or mentor that is knowledgeable with the sport.
That way you have guidance and support as you learn about the sport
and yourself as an athlete. It really makes all the difference
and streamlines the efficiency of your training." Andrea Fisher,
when asked what a beginner should keep in mind when entering the sport
of triathlon
“It
varies a lot through the course of the year. People are always
interested to hear about my peak of training, which happens about a
month before a big event. That Saturday workout usually features a 120-mile
bike followed by a 22-mile run. That’s about the longest I’ll
go, and I certainly won’t be racing it, but just getting through it,
staying comfortable and visualizing the upcoming course the whole time.”
pro triathlete, Beth Zinkand, when asked about her key workout.
"I
have some stories about my in-laws that are really bizarre. I have seen
a lot of wildlife over the years, but at the XTERRA in New Jersey I
came within inches of hitting a huge black bear on a fast twisting downhill.
It was standing right in the middle of the trail, I brushed by it and
pedaled like mad without looking back." Ned Overend, when
asked what kind of Ripley's Believe It Or Not moments he's had in his
career.
"I
like the Marble Falls ride. Basically it is a really wide loop from
Austin to Marble Falls, TX and back. There are close to as many hills
as miles in the ride and it’s probably around 120. This is the ride
that we usually take newbies on who have come in from out of town telling
everyone what a great rider they are. It really doesn’t matter if you
have been climbing up mountains or training at altitude, this ride will
kick your butt. It has several series of short steep hills (many of
which are late in the ride). I did this ride as my first 100+ mile ride
and I literally had to take a nap on the side of the road before I was
able to finish!"
Pro triathlete, James
Bonney, when asked his favorite workout when he needs a self-induced
butt kicking.
"Like
everything in triathlon…practice! You should be able to site buoys,
be comfortable in a wetsuit, and be able to bilateral breath. It is
good to get a couple people in a lane and do some fast 50’s to get use
to the thrashing that takes place at an event. The most important
thing to remember in open water swimming if you are a newbie is to relax.
Stress takes your breath away." Barb Lindquist, pro triathlete
and premiere swimmer when asked about the keys to successful open water
swimming
"A
long hard bike-run effort indicates my race readiness. Either
a race pace 4 hr bike followed by a 2 hr race pace run effort OR a non-continuous
day consisting of a 2.5 hr run descending to sub-7 min miles and a 5
hour bike ride with a few 45 minute tempo pieces at IM pace or faster.
When I get through days like that feeling motivated and injury-free
and not sick, then I know I’m ready to go." Lisa Bentley,
when asked what type of training day lets her know she is race ready
for an Ironman event.
"Drop
out! The race is never over until you get to the finish line.
Anything can happen." Peter Reid when
asked what's the dumbest thing he's done in a race.
"If
you look from the waists down at these people, you couldn't tell their
age," said 67 year old competitor Jerry LaVasseur at the
USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships which had participants
30-92 years of age
"When
others think you can’t-- You Believe! When you get down--- You
Believe! When you are taking on water trying to conquer the swim--You
Believe! When you are trying to make that first milestone jogging and
your lungs are about to explode-- You Believe! When your legs are burning
and you just don’t want to pedal your bike any more-- You Believe!
When you don’t want to get out of bed on a cold rain drenched morning--
You Believe! When you feel like you are making no progress-- You Believe!
Bottom line-- You Believe!" Michael Pate- Author and Clydesdale
triathlete
"It’s
fun, but it keeps me from doing too many things that I enjoy. I have
a lot of speaking engagements. I want to give back to my sponsors, the
people who have supported me. I want to get a camper and cruise the
country going to expos." Olympic
triathlete Sheila Taormina on why she would be retiring from
triathlon after the 2004 Games
"To
race and suffer, that is hard, but that is not being laid out in a hospital
bed in Indianapolis with a catheter hanging out of my chest, with platinum
pumping into my veins, throwing up for 24 hours straight for five days.
We have all heard the saying, 'What does not kill you makes you stronger,'
and that is exactly it." Former cancer sufferer Lance Armstrong,
after winning the Tour de France
"If
you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won
your race. Your goal can be to come in first, to improve your performance,
or just finish the race its up to you." Dave Scott, hall
of fame triathlete
"It
is suicidal for other runners to copy my hill sessions without adequate
background." - Pekka Vasala, Finnish middle distance runner
who outkicked Kip Keino at Munich Olympics in 1972 winning the 1500
meters in 3:36.3
"The
marathon can humble you." Bill Rodgers
"I
love controlling a race, chewing up an opponent. Let's get down and
dirty. Let's fight it out. It's raw, animalistic, with no one to rely
on but yourself. There's no better feeling than that." - Adam
Goucher, 1999 US 5000 meter champ
"Self-conquest
is the greatest of victories." Anonymous
The
freedom of cross-country (running) is so primitive. It's woman vs. nature."
- Spoken by Lynn Jennings, holder of 39 national titles in track,
road and cross-country in distances ranging from 1500 meters to 10,000
meters, three-time Olympian and the nine-time National Cross-Country
Champion. Overall, Jennings has set 10 American records and is the three-time
World Cross-Country champion
"Most
mistakes in a race are made in the first two minutes, perhaps in the
very first minute." - Jack Daniels, Exercise Physiologist
and Coach
"Worry
about him? I never even heard of him." - Ron Clarke, Australian
distance runner, on Billy Mills 10,000 victory in the Tokyo Olympics,
1964 Billy Mills - "Coming off the last turn, my
thoughts changed from 'One more try, one more try, one more try... to
I can win. I can win. I can win.' "
"Hard
things take time to do. Impossible things take a little longer."
- Percy Cerutty
"Bicycles
may change, but cycling is timeless." - Zapata Espinoza
"Don’t
bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try
to be better than yourself." William Faulkner
“Avoid
any diet that discourages the use of hot fudge." Don Kardong
"Second
place is not a defeat. It is a stimulation to get better. It makes you
even more determined. "Carlos Lopes, of Portugal, before
the 1984 Olympic Games.
"In
the 70's, I was a school teacher and trained at 5AM and 5PM. During
wintertime, I never saw the sun." Tom Fleming.
"I
eat whatever the guy who beat me in the last race ate." Alex
Ratelle, masters runner, asked about his diet.
"Mind
is everything: muscle--pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because
of my mind." - Paavo Nurmi
"If
someone says to you, 'Hey, I ran 100 miles this week. How far did you
run?' ignore him! What the hell difference does it make? The magic is
in the man, not in the 100 miles." Bill Bowerman, co-founder
of Nike and legendary coach at the University of Oregon. He developed
and guided 24 NCAA individual champions, won four national team titles
and coached the 1972 US Olympic track team. In 16 of his 24 years at
Oregon his track teams finished top ten in the NCAA championships while
owning a dual-meet record of 114-20. He is credited with turning the
college town of Eugene into the running capital of the world.
"Believe
in your-self, know your-self, deny your-self and be humble." John
Treacy's four principles of training prior to Los Angeles' 84 Olympics.
"We
sped on, across the plains, toward Metz. I hung back, saving myself.
It is called the Race of Truth. The early stages separate the strong
riders from the weak. Now the weak would be eliminated altogether."
- Lance Armstrong, from "It's Not About the Bike"
"With
a marriage, you can change your mind." Juma Ikangaa, on
the major difference between one's commitment to running and one's commitment
to marriage.
"I
don't train. I just run my 3-15 miles a day." Jack Foster
"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day.
It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong
today? Peter Maher, Irish-Canadian Olympian and sub-2:12 marathoner
"There's
no such thing as a bad carbohydrate." Words spoken by Don Kardong
long before the recent Atkins-induced anti-carb sentiment
"The only tactics I admire are do-or-die." Herb Elliott
"Sweat
cleanses from the inside. It comes from places a shower will never reach."
Dr. George Sheehan
"The
riders (time trialists) come out, knights for the tournament, neck to
thigh in slippery lycra with the sheen of deep space condoms, faired
helmets on their heads like the glans from another galaxy and neoprene
pixyboots to slide the air around their feet, mounted on gaudily caparisoned
donkeys — the carbon fibre monocoque monoblade." - James
Waddington, from Bad to the Bone
"I
run because I am an animal. I run because it is part of my genetic wiring.
I run because millions of years of evolution have left me programmed
to run. And, finally, I run because there's no better way to see the
sun rise and set." Amby Burfoot, winner of the 1968 Boston
Marathon and author of The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life
"Just
remember this: No-one ever won the Olive Wreath with an impressive training
diary." Marty Liquori
"Runners
like to train 100 miles per week because it's a round number. But I
think 88 is a lot rounder." Don Kardong
"I
just want to make sure it's living hell for anyone out there who's going
to beat me." Words spoken about his training regimen by Ken
Souza, who for a period of time was unequivocally the best duathlete
in the world.
"When
the gun shoot, you got to go." - Ato Boldon
"Hills
are speedwork in disguise." - Frank Shorter
"The
will to run is not as nearly as important as the will to prepare."
Anonymous
"Stadiums
are for spectators. We runners have nature and that is much better."
- Juha Väätäinen
"If
the hill has its own name, then it's probably a pretty tough hill."
- Marty Stern
"The
greatest stimulator of my running career was fear." - Herb Elliott
"A
lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has
the most guts, who can punish himself into an exhausting pace, and then
at the end, punish himself even more. Nobody is going to win a 5000
meter race after running an easy 2 miles. Not with me. If I lose forcing
the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself." The
late, great Steve Prefontaine
"The
miracle isn't that I finished The miracle is that I had the courage
to start." John Bingham
"No
doubt a brain and some shoes are essential for marathon success, although
if it comes down to a choice, pick the shoes. More people finish marathons
with no brains than with no shoes." Don Kardong
"Running
recharges me. I don't have all the distractions that drain me. I really
need that part of my day." Paula Zahn, TV journalist describing
an important part of her life.
"Train
to near death, rest, repeat." Anonymous
"It
hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse." Ann
Trason, not only the greatest female ultra distance runner ever
but one of the best regardless of gender
"I
just run as hard as I can for 20 miles, and then race." American
Marathoner, Steve Jones
"Those
who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those doing it."
Michael Johnson's trainer
"The
only way to define your limits is by going beyond them." Anonymous
"Running
is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you
put into it." --Oprah Winfrey after successfully completed
the Marine Corps Marathon in November 1994
"Perseverance:
is not a long race; it is many short races one after another."
Walter Elliott
"He's
a well-balanced athlete; he has a chip on both shoulders." Derek
Redmond, on Linford Christie
"To
a runner, a side stitch is like a car alarm. It signifies something
is wrong, but you ignore it until it goes away." Anonymous
"Enjoy
your pain, you've earned it." Anonymous
"Remember,
the second most important thing to choosing the right shoe, is choosing
the left one." High school coach to his runners
"If
you want to run, then run a mile. If you want to experience another
life, run a marathon." Emil Zatopek
"If
you run 100 miles a week, you can eat anything you want. Why? Because:
(a) You'll burn all the calories you consume, (b) you deserve it, and
(c) you'll be injured soon and back on a restricted diet anyway."
Don Kardong
"If
you race merely for the tributes from others, you will be at the mercy
of their expectations." Scott Tinley
"Champions
do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks,
months and years that they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance
is merely the demonstration of their championship character." T.
Alan Armstrong
"Your
competitor is a gift. He or she gives you the opportunity to do your
best." -- A thought offered by the prominent sports psychologist,
Jerry Lynch
"Running
is the ultimate individual sport. It doesn't matter how fast or slow
you are relative to anyone else. You set your own pace and you measure
your own progress. You can't lose this race because you're not running
against anyone else. You're only running against yourself, and as long
as you are running, you are winning." --Amby Burfoot, Runner's
World executive editor and winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon
'"The
difference between a jogger and a runner is a race-entry blank."
- George Sheehan, runner and writer
"There
will come a point in the race, when you alone will need to decide. You
will need to make a choice. Do you really want it? You will need to
decide." - Rolf Arands
"Thank
God, it's over." - Neil Cusack, after winning th 1974 Boston
Marathon
"If you can't win, make the fellow ahead of you break the record."
- Unknown
"The
trouble with a rat race is that even when you win, you're still a rat."
- Lily Tomlin
I
AM TRAFFIC - cycling T-shirt
"When
the guy says go, you start to suffer -- or you might as well not be
out there. It's a small piece of your life, make it hurt." - Aaron
Cox, former US Mountain Biking Champion
"I
haven't seen too many American distance men on the international scene
willing to take risks. I saw some U.S. women in Barcelona willing to
risk, more than men. The Kenyans risk. Steve Prefontaine risked. I risked--I
went through the first half of the Tokyo race just a second off my best
5000 time." - Billy Mills, gold medal winner of the 10,000
at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics with a 46-second PR.
"Pain
is weakness leaving the body." - Tom Sobal, World Snowshoe
Racing Champion
"A
miler's kick does the trick...A miler's kick does the trick..."
- Rod Dixon's mental refrain as he chased down and beat Geoff
Smith in the last half mile of the 1983 New York City Marathon. Dixon
won bronze in the 1500 at the Munich Olympics.
"Roger
Bannister studied the four-minute mile the way Jonas Salk studied polio—with
a view to eradicating." - Jim Murray, LA Times
"No
one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than
that.' The human spirit is indomitable." - Sir Roger Bannister
"The
man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the
man who will win." - Sir Roger Bannister
"The
mile has all the elements of a drama." - Sir Roger Bannister
"Significant."
- Tim Rhay, City of Eugene Oregon's Acting Park Operations Manager
describing the likely cost of the HazMat team cleanup of more than 50
small piles of white powder believed to be flour found at the base of
trees and light poles in Maurie Jacobs Park. According to a local news
brief, Eugene City Officials speculated the substance may have marked
the course of an unofficial run. Eugene Hash House Harriers
"There's nary an animal alive that can outrun a greased Scotsman."
- Groundskeeper Willy, The Simpsons
"Everyone
in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine."
- John Trautmann
"Pain
is a big fat creature riding on your back. The farther you pedal, the
heavier he feels. The harder you push, the tighter he squeezes your
chest. The steeper the climb, the deeper he digs his jagged, sharp claws
into your muscles."
Scott Martin
"(Scientific
testing) can't determine how the mind will tolerate pain in a race.
Sometimes, I say, 'Today I can die.'"
Gelindo Bordin
"But
to say that the race is the metaphor for the life is to miss the point.
The race is everything. It obliterates whatever isn't racing. Life is
the metaphor for the race." Donald Antrim
"You
only get to negatively affect your DNA." - Manciata's explanation
for why some people can't run a marathon.
"What
was supposed to be a summer of fun on the bike turned into a year, then
two years. It certainly wasn't a calculated plan to have a career as
a cyclist." - Derek Bouchard-Hall
"Perhaps
the single most important element in mastering the techniques and tactics
of racing is experience. But once you have the fundamentals, acquiring
the experience is a matter of time." - Greg LeMond
"I
don't understand this sport. Why is the 200 meter sprint 1,000 meters
long? What's the other 800 meters for? And why can't someone in the
Tour de France make up five seconds in a stage that's ninety-seven miles
long?" - John Scherwa
MY
OTHER CAR IS A BICYCLE - Bumper sticker
"Road
racing is rock 'n roll; track is Carnegie Hall." - Marty Liquori
"The
Ventoux is a god of Evil, to which sacrifices must be made. It never
forgives weakness and extracts an unfair tribute of suffering."
- Roland Barthes, French philosopher, pioneer of semiotics, sometimes
windbag and full-time bicycle racing fan, describes Mont Ventoux, a
13-mile clilmb above the treeline into a desolation of strewn rock,
in the Tour de France.
"Physically,
the Ventoux is dreadful. Bald, it's the spirit of Dry: Its climate (it
is much more an essence of climate than a geographic place) makes it
a damned terrain, a testing place for heroes, something like a higher
hell." - Roland Barthes, French philosopher and bicycle
racing fan, author of Mythologies, describes Mont Ventoux in the Tour
de France.
"Nineteen
hundred meters up there is completely different from1,900 any place
else. There's no air, there's no oxygen. There's no vegetation, there's
no life. There's no life. Rocks. Any other climb there's vegetation,
grass and trees. Not there on the Ventoux. It's more like the moon than
a mountain." - Lance Armstrong, American cycling king, wearing
Tour de France yellow jersey on the Ventoux Stage, 2000
"The
type of valve you have on your tire is determined by the type of fitting
you have on your pump. For example, if your pump is equipped with a
presta attachment, then your tires inevitably have schraeder stems."
- Mike Keefe, The Ten Speed Commandments
"I
don't think I'll be riding my bike home, that's for sure." - Mary
Jane Riech, after riding to the hospital to give birth to a six
pound, twelve ounce girl.
"My
mother and I have a difference of opinion. She thinks I should go see
a shrink; I think I should buy a new bike." - Alex Obbard
"Be
at one with the universe. If you can't do that, at least be at one with
your bike." - Lennard Zinn
"I
thought of that while riding my bike." - Albert Einstein,
on the theory of relativity.
"It
never gets easier, you just go faster." - Greg LeMond
"Cleaning
a bike's like cleaning a toilet. If you do it regularly, it's fine and
easy. If you wait, it's a truly disgusting experience." - Steve
Gravenites
"Anything
could happen during a 6-day race. Riders were jerked from their cots
and rode through jams on the track, then returned to sleep with no memory
of having been awakened. They were like soldiers in the World War who
fell asleep while marching." - Alf Goullet, quoted in the
Saturday Evening Post, 1926
"Maybe
I shouldn't have had breakfast at Denny's." - Jordan Kent (who
vomited after running the 400 meters in the 2002 USA Junior National
Championships held in Eugene, OR)
"Americans
have not had the same successes because of the fact that most grow up
in the lap of luxury. They don't tolerate the type of pain that distance
running demands. You can pass your Physical Education classes in school
by walking a mile maybe twice a year. It seems that the few Americans
who do make it on the international level have a tremendous drive and
tolerance for discomfort. I think the main reason Africans succeed in
distance running is many have to and we don't." - Ryan Wilson
"There
are so many fads in this sport. One good way to figure out if something
is a fad is if it costs a lot." - George Mount
"I
rented a bike partly out of convenience, partly because I had been neglecting
my old Bridgestone so much taht the damn thing would probably relish
the chance to go after my collarbone." - David Story
"There's
no such thing as bad weather, just soft people." - Bill Bowerman
"My
legs aching, my chest aching, my heart thumping and banging away, the
only things to look forward to, the only things that kept me going,
the drinks of water; but only when he offered them, I'd never ask for
them, no matter how I felt, any more than I'd stop till the old bastard
said I could stop. Except twice to be sick, while he just stood watching
me while it all came heaving out, not saying anything; just standing,
waiting for me to go on, while I thought Christ I'll die, I'm going
to die, my guts are coming out, I'll die." - Ike Low, miler in
"The Olympian"
"What
makes a great endurance athlete is the ability to absorb potenial embarrassment,
and to suffer without complaint. I was discovering that if it was a
matter of gritting my teeth, not caring how it looked, and outlasting
everybody else, I won. It didn't seem to matter what sport it was--in
a straight-ahead, long-distant race, I could beat anybody. If it was
a suffer-fest, I was good at it." - Lance Armstrong
"Light.
Strong. Cheap. Pick two." Keith Bontrager
"I
feel the earth and the wind and the trees. I feel its spirit. It puts
me in the moment. I feel the rhythm of the race. It's like music. When
the rhythm gets dissonant and chaotic, it is either a jazzy driving
force behind me or demons inside me." - Gabriel Harmony Jennings,
talking about winning the 1,500 meter
"Some
people endure pain better than others. All things considered, the ability
to withstand—or even deny—pain would seem to be a valuable
ally for the long distance runner in search of significant improvement.
In truth, it is probably a double-edged sword, since medical experts
tell us that pain is the body's warning signal to back off, and that
to ignore such schedules is to roll the dice with both body and mind."
- Mark Will-Weber
"In
the city, ride like you're invisible. As if nobody can see you. Because
a huge percentage of the time, nobody can." - Jason Makapagal"
"I
was totally into football, totally into mainstream sports my whole life...The
media has tried to categorize me, call me a hippie, call me alternative.
I work hard. My social life and beliefs don't get in the way of my training."
- Gabe Jennings, who gave up football his freshman year becoming
one of America's best high school milers.
"Every
time you were caught behind a huge, fifty-man pileup there was a strange,
putrid odor. It took me years to figure it out: It was the smell of
burning flesh." - Bob Roll with a grim description of pro
cycling's dark side.
"Tubulars
are like drugs and motorcycles. People use 'em because they're attracted
to the danger." - Eric Hjertberg
"So
perfect is the safety bicycle (both wheels of similar size), that, if
the rider has sufficient skill not to interfere with its action, it
will travel straight ahead and keep its own balance." - Scientific
American, 1896
"No
one competes with the reckless abandon they should. What is a race?
A race is a complete all out effort. With a few exceptions, runners
run hard, (or think they are running hard) but the races are too controlled.
When was the last time you saw an American distance runner finish a
race and then collapse on the ground? Ten, fifteen years? I'd personally
rather watch someone who runs his guts out, throws his breakfast up
and passes out at the end of the race." - John Schiefer
PRs: Mile in 4:01.90, the 5k in 14:07.32, and a half Marathon in 1:07.21.
"You
make it all sound so simple. Run your guts out...collapse at the finish,
throw up, that makes a good runner. It sounds like you regret not being
more like Prefontaine. Everyone gripes to me that American marathoners
are 'lazy-no-good-for-nothings'. My point is, many people have criticisms,
but few have valid answers. I'd like to know what happened to the guys
that kicked my ass in high school." - Keith Brantly, in
response to John Shieffer's criticism of American distance runners
"I
don't have any more bad days. I have good days and I have great days.
Cancer no longer consumes my life, my thoughts, or my behavior. If I
have a tough week, all I have to do is sit back and reflect on what
I went through, and look at my son, and things don't bother me anymore.
I'm not only alive, but I'm responsible for another life, the life of
my child. When you almost lose your life to cancer, and then win the
Tour de France, and then become a father, it grows you up fast. I'm
more thoughtful, and I resist saying the first thing that comes out
of my mouth. Before, all of my questions were directed toward the "me,"
as in "Why me?" or, "What are my chances?" But now
I've started looking at other people." - Lance Armstrong
"It
is simply that we can all be good boys and wear our letter sweaters
around and get our little degrees and find some nice girl to settle,
you know, down with...Or we can blaze! Become legends in our own time,
strike fear in the heart of mediocre talent everywhere! We can scald
dogs, put records out of reach! Make the stands gasp as we blow into
an unearthly kick from three hundred yards out! We can become God's
own messengers delivering the dreaded scrolls! We can race black Satan
himself till he wheezes fiery cinders down the back straightaway They'll
speak our names in hushed tones, 'those guys are animals' they'll say!
We can lay it on the line, bust a gut, show them a clean pair of heels.
We can sprint the turn on a spring breeze and feel the winter leave
our feet! We can, by God, let our demons loose and just wail on!"
- Quentin Cassidy, fictional miler in running cult classic, "Once
a Runner" by John Parker
"There
is no time to think about how much I hurt; there is only time to run."
- by Ben Logsdon
"There
are too many factors you have to take into account that you have no
control over...The most important factor you can keep in your own hands
is yourself. I always placed the greatest emphasis on that." -
Eddy Merckx, 5-time Tour de France winner.
"Train
your weakness and race your strength." - Chris Carmichael
DON'T
TRUST ANYONE UNDER 5,000 FEET - T-shirt at the 1991 MTB Downhill National
Championship race in Mammoth, California
"Even
if you fall flat on your face at least you are moving forward."
- Sue Luke
"No
doubt a brain and some shoes are essential for marathon success, although
if it comes down to a choice, pick the shoes. More people finish marathons
with no brains than with no shoes." - Don Kardong
"A
mountain bike is like your buddy. A road bike is your lover." -
Sean Coffey, bicycling industry writer.
"It
was the first time in my career that I've finished in the laughing group.
I saw the ass of guys whom I have never seen the face of." - Alex
Zulle, after a bad stage in the 1995 Tour of Spain
"To
be a cyclist is to be a student of pain at cycling's core lies pain,
hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if
you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or
the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain,
you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity.
Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement.
No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy. Might
as well be playing Tiddly-Winks." - Scott Martin
"On
the continent of Europe it is said that 21 July 1969 was an important
day in world history. For two reasons. A man named Neil Armstrong walked
on the moon and a man called Eddy Merckx won his first Tour de France."
- David Walsh, in The Agony and the Ecstasy
"I
almost always hit my maximum heart rate in the downhill. It's like a
pursuit race on the track. The downhill's a short, one hundred percent
sprint with 100% concentration. - John Tomac
"Inevitably,
there's some official bellowing: "Come on! Run through the chute!
Keep it movin'...Keep it movin'!" But you're bent over, gasping,
admiring with salt-stung eyes the good, honest mud of battle, the trickle
of blood from a spike wound, splattered on your still-quivering legs
and too-old (but still lucky) racing shoes. What could be more beautiful?"
from The Quotable Runner, Edited by Mark Will-Weber
"I'm
not ramming the bike stuff down his throat, but he can already say 'Compagnolo.'
" - Joe Breeze, on his two year old son.
"No
doubt about it. Because of the power workouts and short, intense efforts,
trackies have the biggest butts in the business." - Nancy Neely
"If
you desire to be groovy and flowing instead of battling and conquering,
miles-per-hour is the last equation you want to pay attention to."
- Bob Roll
"Most
of my favorite workouts involved specific hill training that could only
be repeated on the same terrain (here in Fort Collins) so it would make
no sense to someone outside of the local area. However, I did one workout
years ago (I don't dare try to repeat it now in my golden years) that
was particularly heinous and might be repeatable on similar terrain.
We called it the wall workout: My friends and I found the steepest paved
hill in the area and did 10 repeats up the hill ending with a 50 meter
flat out sprint. The hill was very steep for about 300 meters and then
eased off to just tough. Where the hill eased off we'd accelerate and
sprint. The idea being: to become fatigued and anaerobic - then sprint
hard for 50 meters. Needless to say, this was extremely painful, especially
when repeated 10 times. 300 meters up a very steep hill is bad enough
but then to try and accelerate was pretty mean. We use to laugh about
how bad our heads hurt (the bridge of my nose use to feel like someone
had hit it with a hammer). It's purpose was to simulate the end of a
race over and over. The value of that workout might well be debated
but it did make the end of a race seem pretty tame. Its workouts like
the wall that make me feel very old when I run now." Jon Sinclair
- TAC Cross Country Champion, Top Road Racer in the 80's and early 90's
"I
will get there first, or they will find my body on the road." -
James Moore, before winning the first bicycle race, Paris-Rouen,
in 1869 (at left in photo).
"There
were something like fifty good, arduous climbs around Nice, solid inclines
of ten miles or more. The trick was not to climb every once in awhile,
but to climb repeatedly. I would do three different climbs in one day,
over the course of a six- or seven-hour ride. A twelve mile climb took
about an hour, so that tells you what my days were like." - Lance
Armstrong, from "It's Not About the Bike"
"It's
the road signs: Beware of lions." - Kip Lagat, Kenyan distance
runner, during the Sydney Olympics, explaining why his country produces
so many great runners.
"The
bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old
and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking
the entire community." - Ann Strong, Minneapolis Tribune,
1895
"Training
is like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the mountain only to have it
roll back down to the bottom. But if you do everything right, you get
to balance the rock at the top one day a year." - Dave Scott.
"It was eleven more than necessary." - Jacques Anquetil,
after winning a race by twelve seconds.
"I
picked my head up during an interval and saw an enormous ostrich zigzagging
in the road. I swung wide to get by- and just as I did he started chasing
me. These guys can motor. I had to sprint to drop him." - Tyler
Hamilton
"I
made the school team, and when I won in a match against another school
it was the greatest moment of my life--even greater than the European
titles. In those school races, I always ran my legs off. There were
girls watching and I wanted to impress them. I was foaming and vomiting,
but I won." - Juha Väätäinen of Finland
"Someone
in front of me misjudged a fairly straightforward bend. I was outside
him and had to go a bit wider and just went straight into the ravine.
At first I thought I was going to go all the way to the bottom of it,
but fortunately the bushes were very thick and broke my fall. You have
the impression that you are never going to stop, even if it lasts only
a few seconds." - Johan Bruyneel, on going over a cliff
in the 1996 Tour de France.
Question:"Why
aren't you signed up for the 401K?" Answer: "I'd never be
able to run that far." Dilbert
"I
lost the sense of balance, to the point Gaston Plaud and the mechanic
had to support me for more than two hundred meters before I could start
again. Finding my way, I had to climb the thread of my own existence
to know who I was, and what I was doing on my bicycle. Then I saw the
'Peugeot' on my jersey and I remembered that I was a cyclist. But in
what race were we? I didn't have any idea, until I noticed the Tour's
yellow plate screwed on the bumper of the Peugeot's team car. Not being
sure of anything, I am inquiring from Gaston Plaud who answered, 'Yes,
we are in the Tour, don't worry, you fell on your head.' " - Bernard
Thevenet, Tour de France, 1972
"Some
people pay a thousand dollars for a tattoo. This scar cost me twenty
grand." - Matt Hoffman
"From
the dawn of humankind's existence we've sought ways to make time stand
still. In our quest for the fourth dimension we've dehydrated ourselves
in sweat lodges, and ingested hallucinogenic plants. We've even fantasized
about building machines that could take us backward through time. But
nothing makes the clock tick more slowly than stationary cycling."
- Don Cuerdon of
Mountain Bike magazine
The
difference between the mile and the marathon is the difference between
burning your fingers with a match and being slowly roasted over hot
coals." - Hal Higdon, from, On the Run from Dogs and
People.
"In
1974, I blacksmithed the now famous klunker from scavenged objects.
Then I started to hear that high form of recognition: 'You can't do
that' and 'It won't work.' I knew I was onto something big." -
Gary Fisher
"I
was on a descent trying to catch up because I had been dropped on a
climb, when I hit the RMO team car. I was stuck on the back of the car
on the roof rack upside down with my face on the bumper. My bike got
left on one hairpin and then the guy floored it down to the next one
and screeched around the turn. I got ripped off the rack and rolled
off the side of the road and down a hill. Two guys lifted me back up
to the road, and someone had brought my bike down from the other corner.
They put me back on, and I finished that stage and rode a second that
day." Paul Willerton pro rider
"I
go over a hilll, come screaming down the other side and Maarten den
Bakker flats right in front of me. I eat it and dislocate my right shoulder.
I'm comletely out of it on the ground. The thing that snaps me out of
it is this sharp, white pain in my right arm. It's some fans, picking
me up and trying to put me back on my bike." Greg Randolph-pro
rider
"Spectators
were running for cover during my run. When that happens, you know you're
going fast." - Remarked by downhill mountain biker Elke Brursaert
"Before
I knew much about cycling, my opinion of my ability used to be a little
bigger- like, say, bigger than a hors categorie climb. A climbing camp
I attended was seven days on Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, following
instructors Betsy King (who among her 400 victores can count the climbers
jersey in the women's Tour de France) and Anna Schwartz (who twice set
the women's solo 24 hour record). On a training ride about midweek the
group dropped me like I was something that had fallen off a tall building.
As I craned my neck to watch the pack scale another asphalt wall in
the middle of farms and nothing else, my delirium seemingly peaked and
I began hearing music- a blues harmonica providing a soundtrack for
my fatigue. Then I spotted a Cat 1 road racer from Chicago named Mike
Zaug sitting up amid the speeding pack, hands off the bar, playing a
harmonica to pass the time. Now there's a climber." - Bill Strickland,
one-time managing editor of Bicycling Magazine.
"The
start of a World Cross Country event is like riding a horse in the middle
of a buffalo stampede. It's a thrill if you keep up, but one slip and
you're nothing but hoof prints." - US elite runner, Ed Eyestone
"I
felt my throat start to close up, and I didn't think I was getting enough
oxygen. I was scared, and I thought about quitting. But you don't want
to quit when you've trained so hard and long for one race." - Deena
Drossin describing the effects of having been stung by a bee in
the back of the throat 100 meters after the start of the World Cross-Country
Championships in Portugal. Despite blacking out and falling during the
8k race she finished in 12th place.
"I
am told that the men who compete in certain kinds of athletics, such
as bicycle racing, shave their legs to prevent wind drag, and also to
avoid getting their hair caught in the chain." - Abigail Van
Buren, responding to a question in her "Dear Abby" column
about male leg shaving.
"I
guess I just have bigger ovaries." - Missy Giove