What should I say?

[lordofthemark]

Friend who bikes (recreationally, fair weather, has done the Israel Ride) posted on FB that she “just biked two days in a row!”

It does not feel write just liking or posting something generically positive. It just doesn’t. OTOH, saying that I have ridden on 35 days since January 1st, on several days it was below 10 degrees, etc, would probably be a jerky thing to do, right? I was thinking of posting that she should do Freezing Saddles next year but I don’t think that is right either.

I am thinking of just pretending I never saw it. But your ideas are welcome, as they are sure to be interesting.

Topic

[Anonymous]

@lordofthemark 110671 wrote:

“just biked two days in a row!”

I KNOW, me too!!! And my toes didn’t even freeze!!! WOOHOO SPRING!!!!!

(myself, happy to betray winter)

[lordofthemark]

@PotomacCyclist 110704 wrote:

I don’t understand the problem.

I guess its that I would be giving the impression I had not ridden at all till the weather got better. And I guess yeah, after the “agony and the ecstasy” it feels bad to hide my winter riding. But I guess y’all are right.

[lordofthemark]

@ShawnoftheDread 110708 wrote:

I think you’re over-thinking it.

I was thinking about posting something on the other thread about which metro stations have kiss and rides, which do not, and why, but decided to ask this instead

[lordofthemark]

@Rod Smith 110715 wrote:

Wait a minute. You only rode 35 days this year?? :rolleyes:

Wait. Till. Next Year.

http://www.amazon.com/Wait-Till-Next-Year-Memoir/dp/0684847957

[dasgeh]

@lordofthemark 110723 wrote:

I guess its that I would be giving the impression I had not ridden at all till the weather got better. And I guess yeah, after the “agony and the ecstasy” it feels bad to hide my winter riding. But I guess y’all are right.

Liking something someone else did doesn’t imply anything about your actions. Except that you like what they did.

[hozn]

@lordofthemark 110723 wrote:

I guess its that I would be giving the impression I had not ridden at all till the weather got better. And I guess yeah, after the “agony and the ecstasy” it feels bad to hide my winter riding. But I guess y’all are right.

Rule 5.

As in, HTFU and stop worrying about someone possibly thinking you rode less than half of the days since Jan 1.

Her post has nothing to do with you and, as dasgeh so aptly notes, you liking her post isn’t about you either.

[Jason B]

Wow! Why wouldn’t you encourage her to ride????

Anytime someone thinks they are the BMOC cyclist, they should realize there are about 5 levels that are are riding way more intensely than themselves.

Anytime, anybody rides you should encourage it, regardless if they ride 2 miles or 200 miles.

[lordofthemark]

@Jason B 110752 wrote:

Wow! Why wouldn’t you encourage her to ride????

Anytime you think you’re the BMOC cyclist, you should realize there are about 5 levels that are are riding way more intensely than yourself.

Anytime, anybody rides you should encourage it, regardless if they ride 2 miles or 200 miles.

I don’t want to not encourage her to ride. And she is, as I said above, riding more intensely than me in some ways. Whenever we talk biking, she encourages me to start training for the Israel ride. Its not that I am looking down on her riding, or thinking she is a lesser rider than me – if she were, this would not have come up at all. Its that she is a strong rider, who doesn’t ride in cold weather. Her posting that she rode two days in a row was not simply about that she is riding – riding that much is routine for her in the summer. It was completely about the weather.

As Shawn said, I have overthought this a little, and now am in danger of overthinking more by wanting to respond here. I will go ahead and just like her post, and make sure next year to post a bit more on Facebook about freezing saddles (emphasizing the joy of riding in winter, not my own accomplishment, which as people have helpfully reminded me, is really not that much )

[Crickey7]

@lordofthemark 110758 wrote:

I will go ahead and just like her post . . .

That ship sailed. Now you have to write a nice comment.

[lordofthemark]

@Crickey7 110762 wrote:

That ship sailed. Now you have to write a nice comment.

You young people seem to be faster with social media than (some of) us older people. :p

[bobco85]

lordofthemark, from reading the almost stream-of-consciousness going on in this thread, I believe you’re experiencing the spotlight effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotlight_effect

My recommendation? Stop what you’re doing. Take a deep breath. Write a quick positive response (pretend the Backspace/Delete keys aren’t working). Keep it short and sweet. Post it. Done.

[Vicegrip]

It is also OK to not want to ride in the cold or wet.

There I said it.

[ShawnoftheDread]

Blasphemy.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@lordofthemark 110758 wrote:

… emphasizing the joy of riding in winter, not my own accomplishment, which as people have helpfully reminded me, is really not that much )

You’ve had a good start to the year. Keep it up.

[dkel]

@ShawnoftheDread 110772 wrote:

Blasphemy.

Hear, hear! Double blasphemy, I say!! There’s a rule about it! (#9!)

[Author]

Replies