My favorite quote has to be "Comparison is the thief of joy", often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt.
It's a quote that cuts both ways. If you're constantly comparing yourself to people who are fitter, faster, or more skilled, than you're not giving yourself the space to enjoy riding. On the flipside, if you derive your sense of self worth by comparing yourself to people who you deem to be beneath you (cheaper bike, wrong clothes, etc.) then your joy is really just vanity-stroking.
Most of us fall in the first category, and I'm always trying to improve on that. If I see someone who can clean a techy climb or clear a tabletop that I struggle with, then I try to make my first thought one of stoke for them, rather than jealousy on my part. People in the second group are usually jerks, and I try to avoid them when possible.
If I compare myself to anyone, it's usually myself, which make progression so fun in this sport. But that runway is only so long, and I'm not getting younger, so I'm going to have to find another way to find joy in riding when the progression stops and I start backsliding.
June 26, 2023, 6:46 a.m. - Kyle Smith
My favorite quote has to be "Comparison is the thief of joy", often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt. It's a quote that cuts both ways. If you're constantly comparing yourself to people who are fitter, faster, or more skilled, than you're not giving yourself the space to enjoy riding. On the flipside, if you derive your sense of self worth by comparing yourself to people who you deem to be beneath you (cheaper bike, wrong clothes, etc.) then your joy is really just vanity-stroking. Most of us fall in the first category, and I'm always trying to improve on that. If I see someone who can clean a techy climb or clear a tabletop that I struggle with, then I try to make my first thought one of stoke for them, rather than jealousy on my part. People in the second group are usually jerks, and I try to avoid them when possible. If I compare myself to anyone, it's usually myself, which make progression so fun in this sport. But that runway is only so long, and I'm not getting younger, so I'm going to have to find another way to find joy in riding when the progression stops and I start backsliding.