The category 4 men set off at 8:30am for their training race. We encourage them to meet after their cool-down lap for a post-race debriefing. We do this for a few reasons: some 4s are still not on a team (week four is "meet the teams day"), we like to encourage teamwork, the racers like to learn, and the mentors usually have observations to share. Immediate feedback and discussion helps the whole experience sink in.
After a round of appreciation for everyone finishing with all of their skin, a few riders started to gang up on a single rider that they thought was overly aggressive. The topic became the focus of the rest of the post-race meeting. I didn't get to share this story with anyone because I was off to mentor the next group before I had a chance to reflect on what had happened. A more dramatic person than I might have considered it a start of a lynch mob. These guys were angry! The aggressive rider defended himself. His teammate had been standing next to him but now moved away in case the crowd got restless... so... I defended the rider. That probably shocked a few people. What? why are you defending him?
First and foremost, I came to his defense because no one had crashed. No USA Cycling rules were broken either. I also defended him because the five-week Early Bird series is for "training" and it's our belief that folks need to see some extreme acts so that they are not surprised when things happen in "real races". It's true that we teach assertive, not aggressive or passive racing at the Early Birds.
But, there's also a time and place for assertive riding. His competitors just were not expecting to see this type of riding on January 5th. I'm happy no one was hurt or offended, but I am happy that riders had the chance to experience some assertive riding because it will be happening out there in races all season long. Best of everything in 2014! Larry Nolan, Early Birds Director
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