That guy was on the wrong show, he should of been on Jackass. Not only is he a fool, but who would want a husband/wife that would make you choose like that.

I guess I'm spoiled though. I'm a stay at home dad and my wife works. She just bought me a new bicycle!

Okay, if he promised to cut back on his biking and pursue love that would be one thing, but cutting it up? Any chick who is that obbsesive is going to be big trouble. Of course all of this ranting is coming from someone who doesn't even have a girlfriend.:(



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I don't work here, I just live here

If my significant other was incapable of understanding comitment, desire, and all those things required of a dedicated age group triathlete as well as not realizing that at least I was not sitting on my a** in front of the television, out of shape, and unmotivated...then I would be telling her not to let the door hit her in the ass and I would go for a ride. Helmets off to all of those wives, girlfriends, and significant others who understand and love us because of it. They wouldn't have us any other way.

As Theodore Roosevelt put it best:

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failures...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."

I saw that too. I think it was a Griffen Vulcan. The guy said he rode 6 days a week/4 hours per day. Being a family man, I can see how that could cause some trouble. BUT, did they ever hear of compromise! Man, he should have kept the bike. As others have said, that is just not going to work. My guess is that six months from now he'll be dropping another 5 grand on a new bike. I wish I was friends with that guy so that I could bust his ba**s relentlessly!!!

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Andy

'You'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Thinsg Are As They Are.'

If you have to choose, that ain't love. My wife encourages me to ride. It keeps me happy, healthy, and gives her Saturday mornings to herself. She doesn't particularly like going to my races, because she finds them dead boring, but she sincerely hopes that I can qualify for IM Hawaii someday very soon.

The fact that most men have no close friends by age 40 and no exercise regimen whatsoever is chilling enough, since these lifestyle choices lead to obesity, heart disease, depression, and a whole host of other illnesses. The fact that this guy's girlfriend(I assume he is the same guy who wrote to Bicycling a few months ago because his girlfriend gave him the same ultimatum) says he can't ride if he wants to be with her is pathetic. If he is riding every single day and all day on weekends, he might cut back a bit, but if she doesn't like this guy's riding obsession, they are obviously wrong for each other.

Love is about accepting someone for who they are, not for who you want them to be.

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so what's he going to do with the 24 hours a week he has now?? watch reality T.V. ???

Becuase it's June I'm at 20 hours a week of training but our T.V. is still on at least that much. 40+ hours of T.V. I could watch by cutting out training.

when crap like that comes on T.V. and my wife or I get sucked into it I think maybe we should give up T.V. television, videos games, kills more people than biking without a helmet. it just takes longer.

Speaking from the distaff side, I can say it cuts both ways. When I met the man who is now my husband, he loved - I mean loved - motorcycles, still does. On one of our early dates he took me to the club races at Sears Point. From his behavior it was obvious he wanted to be out there more than anything, but he thought he had to wait to finish school, his Navy obligation, etc. I asked him what it would take to get on the track, and as he listed out all the steps: obtain bike, race-prep it, go to race schools and track days, he started to see that he could make it happen by setting up a plan and a budget and then following it. My part was to support, and in order not to get too freaked out by the danger, I learned two-stroke tuning so I could take care of the bike's jetting and other stuff. Somehow in his mind I got the credit for helping him to go racing, and I'm pretty sure that's when he decided I was The One. I knew he was the one long before that, but I digress. When we married, a well-meaning but clueless person - might have been his mother - suggested that now I could get him to stop riding motorcycles. I couldn't imagine doing anything of the kind. You can't say you love someone and then try to make them be someone else. I knew I married a motorcycle guy for life, and even though it's dangerous (although much more dangerous commuting than racing), I accept that risk, and make sure that he knows every day that he is loved for exactly who he is.

Flash forward to triathlon and multisport. He has tackled triathlon with almost the same passion he has for motorcycles, but the difference is we both participate in this sport. I actually believe that our training together helps us to stay strong in our relationship, because it's one more thing that we share. And because we share it, the hours involved are less of a problem, even when he did Ironman training last winter for IMNZ. For his part, he equally supports my far less competitive efforts, makes sure that my beloved bike is in good shape, makes his special Cytomax mix for me, and sees me off on the mornings I commute by bicycle. I think it would be a bit harder if I did not also participate, but we would still make it work because of the commitment we have made to each other. Bottom line: no one should ever have to give up the things they truly love in order to find love, because what you find won't really be love at all. I'm glad for all the guys who have responded here that they have mates who understand this.

But I blame the chick more than I do him. I can remember being so madly in love with a woman that I'd have gladly cut my bike in order not to lose her. I would think that most of us have been there at some point in time. The difference, is that a woman who also loved him (or me, or you) would never want us to do that. I love hearing about all the guys who have wives/girlfriends who are supportive of their tri habits. Mad props to chicks like Jaquie who support their men regardless of the endeavour - and I'm really glad to see that he supports her as well. That's what love is.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
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I knew I could count on someone here posting a reaction to that show/segment. I, too, shamefully admit to having watched the program last night. My fiance and I cursed the TV and cringed with horror at the moment of fate hanging on to the dwindling notion that they had a brand new model waiting for him behind curtain B. Agree with all others' comments...anyone who forces you into such an all-or-nothing decision with another aspect of your life which makes you "you" is truly a despicably self-ish tart.

They say Love is blind, and marriage is the eye opener!!

But that was crazy, if you love somebody then you love them for all that they are the good things and the bad things. You don't change a person to fit into your life, you compromise. So he rides longer on some days and faster and shorter on others, so that he can be home earlier. Or maybe he buys her a bike and gets her riding and he can take some easy rides with her. Life is about making a plan. But you don't SLICE YOUR GRIFFIN UP, what was this guy thinking. I just hope that when he wakes up in a months time when all the fun is over and she finds the next thing wrong with him the cost of his replacement bike hasn't gone up that much!!



Shame, shame, shame....

Ha iwas given that ultimatum in 1986 by my then fiancee. [I was racing cat 1-2] lose the bike or lose her. I said don't let the door hit you on the way out.

forward to 1999 when I met my wife. she had a nice carbon fiber tri bike was racing 8 races a year and was looking for a training partner to make her faster on the bike. I helped her better her WF PR by 6 minutes. we each have 3 bikes these days and she turned me into a triahlete

the guy on TV is a LOSER

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"on your Left"

Man, I know you guys were wishing he just saddled up on the Griffen and rode right off camera. That would have been great. He has to be a bit wacked ... Don't you think he would learn that the girl for him is out there somewhere? She is just too fast and rides to far for him. More training and he might just catch her. Would make a great Gatorade commercial ... Love at first sight gazing across the 7-11 with bikes outside racked closely on either side of the light pole ... riding off hand-in-hand, now finally satisfied (with the Gatorade, of course). He will never know if he keeps on making such poor decisions. Can the bike be saved?

CH

>>So my question is: Would you slice up your bike for your significant other?<<

HA! I'd slice up my S.O. before my bike! That guy is so PW'ed.

My tri gal friends have decided it's best to stick to same-species dating, but that includes runners, swimmers or cyclists, aside from triathletes.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I agree with CLM. PW'd. No matter how much I may have loved her, at that instant I would have realized I was dealing with a non-compromising bitch and rode away. With all but the most stubborn people, communication will usually nip the bud before it gets to the ultimatum point.

No way would I cut up my bike. If he is not biking he is going to be doing something else with his time: golf, drinking, etc.

It does sound like he was doing a lot of riding...the best solution for the "happy" couple would be to cut his bike riding in half.

I am going to take up for the SO. I can guarantee you that this ultimatum did not come out of the clear blue sky. I can also guarantee that he has promised at least three or four times to compromise and cut back, but failed to follow through each time.

Now that I think more about it, the SO is insane if she thinks anything will change. That guy went to the EZ Auto-Pawn this morning and has a new bike by this afternoon. Within a week he will again be riding 6 hours a day or whatever and she'll be bitching and moaning about it. If she's not going to be on a bike with him this is a hopeless relationship. Unfortunately, they will probably get married, have a child and be divorced in two years.

I agree that you can't change people, but people can change themselves if they are willing. You don't reach all-or-nothing ultimatums with someone who is willing to compromise.

I must admit, I wouldn't be on this website if it weren't for my guy. When we first started dating 2 years ago, he was struggling to prepare for his first big race, a marathon. I read somewhere that cross training was a great way to go and he loved mountain biking, so I encouraged him to try it to get a break from running. Fast forward to today, he's an avid athlete who trains for triathlons, mountain biking, road biking and marathons. He wouldn't have caught the bug without support for his training and goals by everyone around him, including myself. I love having the time on the weekends and I look forward to his races and "off weeks" of training, so we can spend some time together. I would never ask him to cut up his bike! I've put too much energy into supporting him, reading up on nutrition/training/bikes and learning how to mix up energy drinks!! I'm even on a first name basis with the bike shop and understand the importance of brick workouts compared to easy days. I want him to succeed and of course, if you can't come to that conclusion, you deserve every bad thing that comes your way. As my boyfriend and I agreed last night, the resentment alone from cutting up his bike will most likely kill this relationship overnight. I hope this dummy gets what he deserves...a obsessive b****. As many have pointed out before me, it won't last long for those two.

For the benefit of a non-American, not bang up to date with the vernacular, could you please elaborate on PW'ed.

Is it 'pistol-whipped'? Is it a phrase I could drop into a conversation with my (American) employers? Or would that be best avoided?

Whatever it is, I guess it's somewhere I shouldn't be.

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"Language most shows a man: Speak, that I may see thee. It springs out of the most retired and inmost parts of us, and is the image of the parents of it, the mind. No glass so mirrors a man's form or likeness so true as his speech." - Ben Jonson, Timber, or Discoveries made upon Men and Matter.

You are close but I believe the P is standing for a slang term for a portion of the female anatomy (could also be another name for a cat). I would recommend using it with american co-workers unless extremely comfortable with these people and sure of the meaning of the expression.

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"which is like watching one of your buddies announce that he's quitting booze and cigarettes, switching to a Vegan diet and training for triathalons ... but he's going to keep snorting heroin." Bill Simmons, ESPN

As a service to my fellow triathletes and cyclists who have gone on blood-pressure meds since witnessing the travesty last night, I have to disclose that the guy who diced up his bike had clandestine meetings with both David Copperfield and Pixar studios last week. His real bike is unharmed and is sitting in a clean room at the Bikesport, Michigan offices. Tom Demerly reports that the gentleman in question requested that he install Hed carbon aero bars, Campy carbon cranks, and ZIPP 404 wheels with the ceramic bearing hubs and then return it "in a couple of days."

-007

He should of turned the saw on her!

Hold on...another name for a cat..hmmm...female anatomy...ahhh...

Gotcha!

Think I would be singing for my supper if I was to ask any of the grands fromages if they get a good PW'ing from their SO's.

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"Language most shows a man: Speak, that I may see thee. It springs out of the most retired and inmost parts of us, and is the image of the parents of it, the mind. No glass so mirrors a man's form or likeness so true as his speech." - Ben Jonson, Timber, or Discoveries made upon Men and Matter.

I did not watch the show, but I wonder about alternatives. Did they consider getting a tandem and spending time together on the road?

>>I did not watch the show, but I wonder about alternatives. Did they consider getting a tandem and spending time together on the road?<<

Ah, now that would have been boring TV! (Note: I didn't watch either.)

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com