there's been a very interesting discussion thread on the d20 list regarding results and expectations.  thread starts here with a post from patton but drags ass and doesn't really pick up steam until bill comes through with some good material here.

the best post, hands down, was this one from cusmano:

I was liberated from the tyranny of the numbers when I realized that some of my fondest experiences racing did not result in a strong finish. I mean, some of my other fondest did -- don't get me wrong -- but rocking out with a leadout or a strong chase or getting in a break, even if I got dropped, those were great things. For those of us maybe not born to win the field sprint, the sport still offers these great experiences. Although sometimes just knowing that two-thirds of the people who started either didn't finish or finished behind you can be a cool thing, too.

yup.  liberated from the tyranny indeed.  he could have inked some sections of the manifesto himself.  if i was capable of getting religion, i'd say hallelujah.  however, i cannot.  i am told that i am on the bullet train to hell.  (c'est ici, le train a grande vitesse (tgv) for you angry french strikers who keep posting in the damn comments) 

so i will simply say "right on" to comrade cusmano and echo his sentiments.  bicycle racing is a hobby.  the reality of this hobby is that virtually all local races pay only a few spots, the uscf offers upgrade points to only a few spots and local recognition is available to a portion of the riders that finish.  the reality of the situation is that there are a few riders in the lead and a number of other riders who all finish at roughly the same time.  the reality of the situation is that most of us do not get the filthy lucre or the upgrade points or the local recognition.  we just don't.  you race because it's a whole lot of fun.  you race because you love to race.  you race because you want to see if you can do a little better by whatever standard you measure your performance by.

i would politely suggest that if an extremely accurate accounting of your time and/or place is critical to you, then you should not race.  you should begin to move towards events which cater to this such as cyclosportif, time trials or multisport, or branch out into touring or adventure racing.  these are tremendous fun and rewarding adn you generally won't run into issues where your competitors tell you to slow the %$#@ down.  that seems to be the issue here.  people out of contention are told patiently and logically not to sprint for placings.  they are told why it can be a problem.  they don't have to agree with me that sprinting for 39th place is stupid.  however, they can't deny the fact that the majority of people who are obviously out of contention are sitting up, and they are accelerating into or through those riders at a reckless pace (high risk) for a low placing (no reward). 

please note that i am not saying that finishing a race has no value.  it's just where the value is.  i sometimes worry that prize winnings or reimbursement concerns or bar points or other forms of recognition motivate people to do things that they would not do ordinarily.  isn't drugs in sports just a particularly egregious form of this exact same concern?  people have lost the concept of amateur athletics as a hobby, a recreation, a productive outlet.  you can be passionate about cycling while still keeping everything else in perspective.

- posted by scott