Sorry, I guess this topic's probably dead by now, I'm a couple of days behind on my list-reading.
In a message dated 6/20/07 11:17:29 PM, Don writes:
>> Moreover, to me, a poser is someone who is at
the front of the back in boastfulness and equipment, but at the back
of the peloton (or not even present) on a real club ride ...
- Don Gillies San Diego, CA
Ah, well that is a much broader definition than just the guy who dons team gear and pretends to be a racer.
I gotta admit, I can see myself in this definition to an uncomfortable degree (though let me make it clear that I take absolutely no offence in your having brought the matter up).
Let me say that I feel a bit guilty that I don't ride as much as I could or should. And perhaps I find myself enjoying polishing and tweaking my bikes just a bit too much. And when visiting the bike shop I know that I enjoy talking about my bikes such a degree that I get carried away... and only later think, "Dang, does that guy think I'm a poseur because I'm talking and not riding?"
I love to hang out at the bike shop and I've got some great friends there. But I have wondered on more than one occasion about how I must appear to them, with my vintage bikes and my middle-aged spread and my reluctance to participate in any of the group rides with the youngsters because I prefer a more leisurely pace (and frequent stops to photograph wildlife). Yep, they must think I'm a poseur for sure.
I freely admit that there are times I actually care what they think... I attribute this to an insecure childhood, never quite ridding myself of the notion that what others think matters in some way. Thankfully, that concern never lasts long... when I am tooling along some back road at fourteen miles an hour, looking at the clouds and listening to the birds, the opinion of others seems so very far away.
Bob Hovey Columbus, GA
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