Bike World News would like to introduce our guest columnist, Tim Rugg of the Lupus Racing Team. He’s not your typical pro cyclist, and has a unique view on the cycling world that we are sure you will enjoy. Look for more articles posting soon on racing, life, and everything in between.
I just want to get this out of the way and call a spade a spade. As bike racers, we’re trapped in a balancing act of being proud of our accomplishments or simply coming off as narcissistic and arrogant. I know I sway back and forth; nevertheless, it’s important to set the stage with that. What we experience through our riding is enlightening, but I can’t ignore the indoctrination early on of self-entitlement, self-marketing, and self-image that forces you to prove your worth time and time again. That’s not the story I’m going to tell. I just want it to be clear that we all have a story and we all want it told. The more stories, the better; but this one’s mine.
I’m not your typical bike racer and I’ll probably never be one. I’m not saying there’s a mold, but I’m entering my first year as a professional cyclist at “Racing Age” 30 still working a full-time job remotely to pay the bills. It’s not supposed to work like that. The sport of cycling is structured to require youth development and involvement. Beyond that it doesn’t really make sense how I made it to this point in my life at all. That being said, my perspective and opinion will definitely shake up how you view domestic racing and what’s it’s like to be a professional cyclist in America. When we race, we give everything for almost nothing. But I’ve been rewarded with a lifestyle that is so exciting and so much more than just bike racing that it’s worth the world to me.
I have worked for various humanitarian aid organization here in the US and in some remote areas in East Africa. I was a front-man for a touring Hardcore/Screamo band. I’ve got the tight jeans, gauged ears, tattoos, and lip ring scars along with a Myspace page exploiting noise from my throat that only a raptor should make to prove it. I enjoy going to the ballet and watching musicals and I have recently taken up singing opera. I got my degree in Information Technology and entered the white-collar workforce, working on computers and slinging coffee on the side to develop my image as the ultimate hipster. I have the coffee, computer, arts nerd trifecta. I played ultimate Frisbee in college for crying out loud.
I’m just barely brushing the surface to say that I fell in love with riding when I was 23 years old and started using a bike to commute to work. Cycling was never a dream of mine, becoming a professional athlete even less so. Don’t get me wrong, watching the Olympics has always inspired me to do the impossible, but I tried “team sports” and it never seemed to be in the cards for me. I’ve always been good at pushing myself further than anyone thought I could, but never enough to make the team. Enter sports like cross-country and bowling that were fun and I was competitive at, but lacking the level of tactical and endurance aspect of cycling I’d learn to put above all sports.
From the wise words of Slim Shady, “I am whatever you say I am. If I wasn’t, then why would I say I am?” I started riding bikes because I got tired of sitting in traffic on the opposite ends of my 9-5 lifestyle. I didn’t have someone holding my hand as a teenager promising me the Tour de France, Ferrari’s, and million dollar contracts. I couldn’t have afforded bike racing growing up anyways. The pay-to-play option doesn’t work when you survive off government subsidies. The only guys I knew who rode bikes were drug dealers or homeless guys around the trailer park.
I have nothing against those kids who are fortunate enough and honestly most of them are my heroes in the sport right now. Look at what they are up against and what they are trying to achieve and you really get a frightening look at the dichotomy of professionalism between the domestic hard-men, glory-only racers and the world-class, everything dialed to the T, all-in, shoot for the moon or quit, racers. I’m closer to the former, trying to imagine the latter; but it’s all so different for me. Having the option isn’t supposed to be allowed. The whole top-bottom infrastructure of the sport would fall on its face if you could choose.
I go on tangents a lot, but it only took me two months of being a bike commuter before I showed up in a v-neck t-shirt, swim trunks, gym socks, and a department store bike to my first race in Maryland. The Tour of Washington County, a soon to be big-time regional race that has developed at the same rate I’d say I have. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a pro-race next year. I managed to do pretty well there, was addicted to the entire production, and six years later I’m still doing pretty well and I get to race all over the world in spandex and some of the best gear in the business.
The sport of cycling wasn’t even on my radar before that and I’m as torn as I am thankful for where I am at in this unique position and time in my life and in the sport. I’m learning how to be a leader when all I wanted to do through my progression was prove everyone wrong, that I could get paid to race my bike one day. Nowadays I find myself trying to prove people right; to prove that I am capable of being one of the top domestic bike racers in the United States. Wow, I say that and immediately have to sit back and force myself to stop laughing and believe it; because it’s the only way it’ll happen. And it’s funny that those same people were the one’s I was trying to prove wrong originally.
I have had an atypical entrance and experience throughout my years becoming and achieving that elusive title, Pro Cyclist. It’s time to own it and I want to share what it’s like from my saddle, front row against the best, trying to be the best, trying to live the dream because it wasn’t one before, but it feels like one right now.
Two months ago I traded in rent for an RV. I traded in my furniture for sleeping bags, an air mattress and a tent. I donated anything I couldn’t fit in my mobile home to friends and charity and set off across the country from Virginia. Take my point of view as a grain of salt or join me in my journey. The first big race on the NRC calendar was Redlands last weekend. I found myself side by side with World-Tour rejects and Pro-Tour aspects and I was humbled and validated in those five days. Strap on your helmets and get ready for a bumpy ride!
Ride on,
Rugg
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.
So cool! Proud of you, Tim!
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