Post by Ryan CousineauSorry Ryan but this subject line makes you look like a putz. If a guy
holds support from a teammate and then drops out or gets 18th then
he's a selfish fucking cunt and deserves the worst.
But if a guy does these things believing he can win and then does it -
that makes him a god.
I said "worst teammate," not "worst racer." As you note, Grewal
achieved cycling greatness that day.
But he took an awful risk. He relied on being able to outsprint Bauer
heads-up, but he got away with it. As he notes, the good-teammate plan
would have meant delivering Kiefel and Phinney to the finish, with
extremely good odds for the USA.
The meta-problem at the Olympics and Worlds is that national "teams"
are largely a crock, featuring minimal functional loyalties (as
opposed to pro teams, where the personal and financial ties are
usually stronger). Even club teams are more of a real team.
Exactly ! How is anyone (Alexi especially) expected to have
allegiance to guys he barely rode with? Just because they all have
the same super gay stars and stripes jersey on?
There's merit to this.
This is the exact same problem that haunted the US 100k teams for the
80s and 90s. The ten speed drive boys - working as friends that rode
together often - typically went 4-8 minutes faster than the ad hoc
teams the coaches threw together again and again (the definition of
insanity) and sent to international events.
I'm just boggling here at the idea that anyone cares about 100k TTTs
outside of England.
Alexi had one allegiance that day and that was to work for himself.
Anyone that's won eventually second guesses (often much later in
life ) as much as the guys that got second or sixteenth.
Fuck Davis Phinney - if he didn't have the sense to bring enough food
and drink or try to gain advantage be wearing a skinsuit with only 1
pocket then he deserves the place he got.
I'll venture this - in a three up sprint with Phinney, Bauer and
Grewal - Grewal still could win because he would be smart enough to
take advantage of those 2 marking each other and would enter the end
zone untouched.
Maybe. On the day, he strived to make them work each other, while he
sat on breaks until Bauer finally started stretching him. That wasn't
the bad-teammate part, that was pretty much where he should have been.
From reading his blogs and news stories it's clear Alexi (as a human)
is going through a stage where he's trying to rationalize his life,
justify or pardon his past and have it all make sense.
I think he's trying to get something to do. Reading it, you realize
he's got no money, can hardly find work, and they didn't even bring
the big new Sponsored Race to his preferred town. None of that is a
knock on Grewal, but I will use it as a whip for my favorite
hobbyhorse: pro bike racing is a stupid career.
That day in 1984 he inspired 10s of thousands to ride and put in the
miles (me included) and that vision kept me riding many times for many
years.
I'm going to anonymously quote a friend of mine: "When Grewal made his
final move and pipped Bauer at the finish, it was the closest I've
ever come to putting something through a TV Elvis-style."
Let's just say that Canada was not inspired.
If you or even he wants to piss on that candy now - well OK that's
everyone's right - but it doesn't change the fact that for years his
ride inspired every loner, every misfit and every one that wanted to
do something for themselves and prove to the world and lastly the
internal doubts we all have that they have value and can do something
incredible.
Let's be clear: bike racing isn't real. Grewal didn't steal penicillin
from children; he "stole" a gold medal from a "teammate" who went on
to live a happy life (and great pro career) regardless. Indeed, I'll
go so far as to suggest that had Grewal not medaled, he would have
been out of cycling much sooner, and likely ended up as a carpenter
much earlier, and likely have sufficiently more practice and so much
longer of a client list that today he wouldn't have to be content with
being a month ahead on the rent and scavenging insoles among the
collection of his dead friend.
We're agreeing, really, about all of this: the team structure at these
events is notoriously loose, to the point that "Ted" publishes an
annual list of pro teammates at the Worlds, since that is noteworthy
information when watching how the race develops.
I don't know him, never raced against him but Alexi Grewal is the
greatest "teammate" ever because at 23 he got it right.
The race is with ourselves. The things we do only mark our souls. And
no one really keeps our score but ourselves.
I'm more simplistic than that: I think the meaning of Grewal's story
is that bike racing is fascinating, and the race doesn't always go to
the swift, nor the battle to the strong (but that's the way to
bet...).
So in the end - maybe your subject line isn't so bad - calling someone
like Alexi "the worst teammate ever" is about the best damn compliment
one can make.
1) Yay! I get the gold medal in Usenet Arguing! I feel like Loretta
Claiborne!
2) My subject line was a bit facetious (or at least putting the most
sensationalist light on Grewal's cool story), but if there was one
"worst teammate" moment that stood out, it was him withholding food
from Phinney at the end. He didn't have to hand it over, and he
understood the effect, but in terms of sportsmanship, we've seen
rivals share food and drink before. And note that Grewal admits to
having a secret feed zone just for himself, too. He made a (post-hoc
justifiable) decision to profoundly screw Phinney in that moment,
though Phinney unwittingly handed Grewal the screwdriver when he put
on a skinsuit.
It's just a great story, really.