Here I go again. Last time I posted an article about something not mattering, I had the Velominati Glitteratti tear me a new one and every Tom, Dick and Fred telling me my orange bar tape was an abomination not seen since, well, this.
Who else gets sick in their mouth looking at that?
I digress. Today I am going to put a shot across the bow of those people that spend their every cycling moment in the hurtbox consuming massive amounts of HTFU. The hurtbox can be found on the corner of Testosterone Terrace and Machismo Mall. Easy to find because of the massive bronzed statue of Jens Voigt, the current king of the hurtbox.
Hurtbox Head Honcho, Jens Voigt
Jens knows how to suffer. He busts his arse time and time again for the brothers Schleck, for very little reward. He is also a professional athlete. Paid to do it.
Then there are the hurtbox aficionados, you know the ones, they are always on the rivet, pushing through the pain barrier, putting in 110% and on it goes. Usually the first advice you will hear from this sadistic subset of the cycling world is the HTFU. It matters not what the question or complaint is.
“I think me saddle may be a little low” will be the statement and no sooner have the sound waves made it into your inner ear than the purveyors of pain are telling you to HTFU. Or offering you a can of HTFU. Or offering to put you in the hurtbox.
If I want to enter the hurtbox, I will put my bed flute in a vice, or post that I have orange bar tape.
I am happy for people to push themselves. I do it myself. But, if you are my age, even this has to be done with a little more respect to your body than when I was 20. People of my age need to take a little more care. Trying to keep up with 20 year olds is only going to end up with us in a different type of hurtbox.
Do people actually enjoy being in pain, or is it a sense of satisfaction in the achievement of having pushed hard? Please tell me it is the second choice. They send people to brain doctors that intentionally hurt themselves.
Much like what I said in the Rules don’t matter post, I think it is more important to encourage people to get out on their bikes, not continually tell them they should be suffering and to HTFU when ever they have a question about cycling that shows any sign of perceived weakness.
Jump into the hurtbox when ever you like, just don’t drag others with you unless they are willing. Some people just want to have a pedal with out the pressure. And if you think you have been in the hurtbox, stick this name into your Googlebox, Fiorenzo Magni and check out his little trip to the pain barrier in the Giro of 1956. How are you feeling now?
Now, where is that vice.
