Friends, I am truly overwhelmed with the positive side brought about by our audax rides... the posts on camaraderie, meeting new friends and testing ones mental and physical endurance are just a few of the wonderful things that we all get out of this ride. However, not all audax rides are perfect and it saddens me to hear of alleged cheating again (see my post in this group last September 5, 2013). Ive ridden Audax rides in Singapore, Malaysia and France and it still bothers me that there would be some cheating done in my very own country. I will repeat what Ive written before, THE CHEATER OR CHEATERS DID NOT ONLY DISRESPECT THE VERY INTEGRITY OF AN AUDAX RIDE BUT HIM OR HER OR THEY HAVE JUST DISRESPECTED THE VERY PEOPLE WHO WORK HARD TO FINISH THESE RIDES. As an organizer, it is very hard to police everyone over such a distance. I rely a lot on peoples honesty and good character. My staff was able to capture in video and in photos some of these acts of dishonesty but I was glad that these people were honest enough to tell us at the end of the ride that they didnt bike the entire distance. This helped me avoid any stressful confrontations. However, I heard of more stories after Saturday and I just have to speak up. I always reiterate before each Audax ride that this is NOT A RACE. It still baffles me why some would resort to INTENTIONALLY drafting behind motorised vehicles, holding on to their support vehicles, riding their support vehicles in portions where they think they are not seen by any other participant, etc. Please dont ruin the Audax spirit by such actions. The audax rides were created with the utmost love and sincerity for long-distance cycling. There is no shame in not finishing these rides within the cutoff time. There really is no point in cheating as you are only fooling yourself. As a long-distance cyclist, I WILL CONTINUE TO RIDE THE AUDAX AND WILL NOT LET THESE CHEATERS RUIN THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE FOR ME. I encourage each and every participant, who understands these rides, to be more vigilant. I dont rely on hearsay so please provide evidence before bashing anybody in social media. This is not helping. As much as possible, confront the person involved with utmost respect (even if we think the cheater doesnt deserve our respect). This will be my final statement regarding this matter. Proven cheaters will be banned from our rides. Just like my post in September 2013, please read on another timely article written by Chad Davis. primedforyourlife/tag/cheating-in-races/
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 12:38:39 +0000
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