Lets put this into perspective. I am by no means a fast rider. For my weight, and for my skill level. I am fast. For my weight, and my skill level in the classes I race in, I am a mid pack rider. I am okay with this. I am not the slowest. I am not the fastest. I am quite literally the best trollface rider there is.
I've been in a discussion on a forum about Clydes and sandbagging.. well not so much a discussion but just realizing that more and more people defend themselves voraciously using the same argument that a 250lb guy is trying to make. Only the light guys are right and heavy guys are wrong. Its the ignorance that bothers me the most. Not the classes. Fat guys should train harder and not be fat, so they can compete with the guys who should train harder, drop the 1lb, and race in age categories where their times are on par with podium, or near top times.
The argument about training harder for the fat Clydes now applies to you as well. Personally, while I do have a bit of investment just due to starting to bike at 312lbs, and chipping away to a much more competitive 249, I understand where the 275lb guy who's at the top of the hill gasping for air is mentally at that point. Hell I even get there now with some of the stuff that 150lb guys just ride up like they're on a quad.
Personally, I don't think there really should be a category for guys who are 250+lbs or whatever. I don't, and because I just don't think its needed. I actually wouldn't even be in that category anymore now that I think about it. But really its not the case. I train pretty hard to go as fast as I can at the weight I'm toting around. I'm not fat by any stretch of the word.
The case to me is that while there are guys who cling to 201lbs but race in the Clyde category acing 275lb riders by well over 10 - 20min a lap on a 17km track, they're the same guys who tell the 250lb riders that they're whining if they bring up sandbagging. Easily dominating the category is okay for them, but if you bring up the fact they could move to another category and still be competitive but not win, its time for you to shut up fatty.
I'm done with the back and forth on this particular subject, its actually useless to continue to argue it. Some guys will race in Clyde because they are fat. Some guys will race in Clyde because they used to be fat, and are now leaner and faster. Some guys will race in Clyde cause they can't hack it in their age group. It's the way things will be, and from what I've seen... has always been. Nothing I can do about it, except train harder.
Citizen class race this weekend. I looked at the times from last year. The podium finishers all have times that EXCEED or are on par with the times in some of the Masters and Elite categories. One has a podium finish in masters if he raced there. More mileage in those categories overall, but average speed was on par.
If by chance I ever get to a point in my racing endeavors where I'm dominating a category *Read: Probably never*. I'll move on and get my ass kicked somewhere else. I'd actually rather finish mid pack of a hard race, then finish first and berate those who come out and provide enough support to keep the category I'm sandbagging alive.
Overall I finished low mid pack in Paris to Ancaster overall, but in my age category I finished end of the pack. In Clyde, I finished mid pack almost exactly. I have a lot of training to do, and these times will get better as I train and as I'm getting experience.
But I won't ever look down on a beginner or a heavier set rider in a race.
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