Ultruism and enduring self-sacrifice

Onnavolgbare humor van Max Jensen, een buitengewoon sympathieke tochtgenoot uit Australië. Een open brief aan Susan, de vrouw van Tom. Geeft zo’n mooi inzicht in onze peloton-humor (en waarheden ;-)) dat ik hem je niet wilde onthouden. Het woord is aan Max:

Hello Susan,

At the commencement of this cycling journey across America , our tour leader Mike Monk stated that this may be a life changing event. Over the last three weeks I have been observing the actions of Tom and his three fellow cyclists Floris , Dave and Roger and  I can see a transformation unfolding. I read your response to one of Tom’s earlier bogs and can guess that that the words I used in the title of this email  may initially come as a surprise to you and some of the bicycle riders in this group.

Let me explain

Superficially what happens each morning, is that Tom and his group leisurely stand at the back of the queue and let all of the other cyclists load their bags into the trailer. They depart last and within the next ten to twenty minutes blast past each other group at ten to fifteen miles an hour faster than we are doing. On approaching any group they initially slow the pace but the rapidly accelerate to give maximum impact. Initially I and all of the other mere mortals thought they were only showing off , boys being boys or maybe more correctly old men pretending to be boys. As the days have gone by I have come to an entirely different conclusion , that I am certain you will be delighted with.

The real reasons the “ A “ team race by, are as I can gather, are two fold

a.       To assist Barbara set up for lunch. This morning’s briefing actually became slightly embarrassing for the rest of us when Barbara described them as “ experts “ If this was not enough Mike offered to pay them for the selfless work they are doing. Susan, I appreciate you will find this difficult to believe but I categorically assure you it is true , and would encourage you to verify this as fact.

b.      To arrive first at the hotel so they can unload all of our bags and carry them into the hotel lobby. I am so pleased that I have learned the true meaning of their intentions , but it has not been without personal cost. On Monday if it had not been for me buying milk shakes for Jodi , Shane and Gary we would have all inadvertently arrived at the hotel and interfered with their chosen goal.

I see there are some important insights for both you and the other wives of the “ A “ team and the balance of us second class riders to learn from.

For us it should be to encourage these selfless goals , we all should immediately

• Resist from making all disparaging comments as the “A “ team races by
• Instead we should shout words of encouragement.
• We need to recognise that an expression such as “ Go you old bastard “ is considered by Australians as a term of endearment.
• Assist the four to achieve more in their dedication to looking after us other riders. For example if you have more than one bag point it out to one of the four , as I am sure they will endeavour to place all of your bags together each night. It is up to us to help them , help us.
• At the morning sag , instead of going to Barbara , ask one of the guys. We all heard it this morning they are experts and the only way we can help them is by giving them the chance to do more.
• At the lunch sag we should do all we can to encourage them to move on. Do not hesitate in sitting in one of their chairs , they cannot afford to be complacent and let their leg muscles get stiff. They need to arrive at the hotel first. Do not interfere.
• Comments such as “ Why are you lot still here ? “ are most appropriate. We need to get to the point and give positive encouragement.
• Always remember these guys are on a mission and the rest of us , we are just here to enjoy ourselves. Do not interfere with their mission.

For the wives of these four noble , altruistic champions the future , as far as I can interpret , looks very promising. I would suggest you consider the following logic.

• If this is what these “ A “ team guys will do for 20 other cyclists ( who show absolutely no respect , continually make disparaging comments , take all of their dedication for granted and increasing treat them like hotel bell boys )  What will they now do for you when they come home ?
• To me it is obvious there is a latent desire to perform  domestic duties. I would encourage all of you to make a list of all of those chores you would like them to do. If you cannot make a significant list by yourself consult widely with you girlfriends , they will help. Always remember Barbara rated them as experts , they would all want you to give them a higher score.
•  Question why would they give this devotion ( it is not too strong a word to use in this occasion ) to a paid member of staff and 20 second rate cyclists. I can only assume they are feeling guilty for being on this extravagant , quite luxurious actually holiday. The only and very obvious solution for you is to allow them to show the same devotion to you. I would not want to encourage you to be extravagant , but in a financial sense if you thought of dollars per mile ridden , I am sure you would come up with a fair figure that they would indulge upon you.

Sadly I cannot aspire to these selfless levels , I am just a self-indulgent Aussie who will go home completely unchanged. ( but I am enjoying the ride )

Best wishes,

Max Jensen