Perspective Part 2
After a long haul last week it was nice to have a short drive down to the Tokeneke Classic Road Race this past Sunday. Like a lot of New England races this one has been going on for years in various forms. And like a lot of races that have been around for years there are stories people tell about previous editions.
The story of choice this weekend was the one about "the guy at the finish line with the shotgun". According to the rumor mill the owner of the property across the street from the finish line was not a fan of the race, or of bike racers in general. There were stories of past confrontations, and depending on who was telling the tale one such confrontation included either a baseball bat or a shotgun or both.
Two years ago we worked the race for the first time, but we never saw the property owner and last year's the race was postponed. So when we showed up this year we tried to keep a low profile, be quiet and generally worked the first session with our fingers crossed. Just as the last riders of the morning session were coming in we saw "the guy". He came out of his house and was checking out what was going on, then jumped in his car and headed towards the finish line. This made me nervous. I could see the questions/argument already: "what's going on here- who are you- why are you sitting under a black tent pointing cameras at my house- are you the NSA???" And of course I was remembering the tales of the shotgun too....
But he simply rolled up, waved hi and asked if there was one more session of racing to go. When I said yes, he just said 'ok' and drove off. Not quite what we were expecting. After about 20 minutes he came back, parked at the house and came over to check out the new generator setup. "you're using gas generators?" he asked- "Uh yes..." "ok, can you just be careful- my well is right behind you and I don't want anything to spill." Fair enough. And that started what turned out to be a very enlightening conversation.
Turns out the guy didn't hate the race or bike racers. He had just not been informed about the race the first time around was was a little defensive when all these neon lycra clad people showed up and camped out on his lawn. We talked a bit about the history of the race and the area in general. Turns out he didn't mind the race, he just wanted a heads up on when it was happening, and he didn't want his lawn filled with bottles and trash(the feed zone is right nearby). And he was worried about his well water. That's it. Pretty reasonable stuff.
It was kind of a poignant reminder that while many of us enjoy the circus that is bicycle racing, it can be a bit overwhelming to someone not used to it. And while we're looking at the venue as a race course, the locals look at it like home. So next year we might move the finish line just a bit, and adjust the feed zone location. And for sure we'll pick up after ourselves and maybe take some extra trash home too. After all it's the neighborly thing to do.
The story of choice this weekend was the one about "the guy at the finish line with the shotgun". According to the rumor mill the owner of the property across the street from the finish line was not a fan of the race, or of bike racers in general. There were stories of past confrontations, and depending on who was telling the tale one such confrontation included either a baseball bat or a shotgun or both.
Two years ago we worked the race for the first time, but we never saw the property owner and last year's the race was postponed. So when we showed up this year we tried to keep a low profile, be quiet and generally worked the first session with our fingers crossed. Just as the last riders of the morning session were coming in we saw "the guy". He came out of his house and was checking out what was going on, then jumped in his car and headed towards the finish line. This made me nervous. I could see the questions/argument already: "what's going on here- who are you- why are you sitting under a black tent pointing cameras at my house- are you the NSA???" And of course I was remembering the tales of the shotgun too....
But he simply rolled up, waved hi and asked if there was one more session of racing to go. When I said yes, he just said 'ok' and drove off. Not quite what we were expecting. After about 20 minutes he came back, parked at the house and came over to check out the new generator setup. "you're using gas generators?" he asked- "Uh yes..." "ok, can you just be careful- my well is right behind you and I don't want anything to spill." Fair enough. And that started what turned out to be a very enlightening conversation.
Turns out the guy didn't hate the race or bike racers. He had just not been informed about the race the first time around was was a little defensive when all these neon lycra clad people showed up and camped out on his lawn. We talked a bit about the history of the race and the area in general. Turns out he didn't mind the race, he just wanted a heads up on when it was happening, and he didn't want his lawn filled with bottles and trash(the feed zone is right nearby). And he was worried about his well water. That's it. Pretty reasonable stuff.
It was kind of a poignant reminder that while many of us enjoy the circus that is bicycle racing, it can be a bit overwhelming to someone not used to it. And while we're looking at the venue as a race course, the locals look at it like home. So next year we might move the finish line just a bit, and adjust the feed zone location. And for sure we'll pick up after ourselves and maybe take some extra trash home too. After all it's the neighborly thing to do.
posted by JD at
8:12 AM
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