Who & Why?

First off, let me just say thanks for taking the time to visit this blog. Hopefully, you'll get a chance to laugh a little and maybe...just maybe, you'll come back for more. Alas, only time will tell!

Anywho, why Peloton Fred you may ask? Any cycling newbie can figure out what the heck the peloton is, right? Right? If you've spent any time watching the Tour de France then you know exactly what the peloton is, or at least you pretend to know. Now that we have that out of the way, how about the Fred part? Well, according to various cycling slang websites, a "Fred" is someone who is an inexperienced cyclist who usually buys high-end gear when he has no business buying it and has no clue what it means or what to do with it. There are also various other definitions and uses but the bottom line is, a Fred is a newbie cyclist who is wack (More on urban slang later). With those bases covered, it is time to come out of the closet and admit I was a Fred. Actually, I'm probably still a Fred but I'm getting better (I didn't buy the Radio Shack race kit or Leopard Trek kit to go with my new Madone this year)! And no, my real name is not Fred!

Long story short, we were all cycling newbies whether we like to admit it or not. Yes, even the guy with Pinarello bike that was 12 grand that leads all the Thursday evening fast rides. Yep, that guy was once a Fred too! Although, legend has it that he was born while his mother was completing her 417th century ride. We were all Freds or Friedas (for my fellow female roadies) at one and we should remember that. No new cyclist wants to be made fun of while taking a bold step out to join the local club ride. Not only have you ostracized the person but you could turn them off from the sport altogether and that's the real tragedy.

Enough blabbing for today. I'll be sure to post some of my Fred stories in the coming days and I hope you'll share some of yours too! Until then...vive le tour...hey, that's what the guy on the Thursday night ride told me to say!