Quite amused by a discussion with my mother earlier. Asked what I'd been up to recently. Mentioned a few bike races, a few half decent results. Reply was "well it's nice that you enjoy your hobby". I could easily have said I'd just won a World Cup round and I'd have got the same response 🙂
Well, she's not wrong.
Edit: w what did you want? Champagne and autographs?
Yes dammit 🙂
Seems like she has a full appreciation of how little it matters to the wider world.
Assuming that you did actual enjoy it and were'nt just doing it for adoration/fame/biatches/coke and hookers.
My folks try to be interested but they didn't get it at all til one year, the adventure show had an episode from the world cup... "You don't do that, do you?" "No- I ride the same stuff, just with much less skill". Now they do kind of get it.
Similiarly workmates- colleagues doing a sponsored 5K run got loads of attention because people understand running. But when I did the EWS rounds people understand "world series" and they at least have something to hang it on.
It's important to us, it's not important to anyone else... But I think it's important to us that people understand it's important to us, yeah? I couldn't give a damn about football but I know what it means to my dad and my brother, it could be kabaddi or pro-celebrity macrame and it doesn't make any difference.
I remember talking to a family friend who's son also rides trials and she was telling me there was no point as I could never make a career of it?!
Also makes me laugh my wifes familys view on sport, she got back from a run the other day (she's training for her first marathon) and she was asked by him and his mate how many calories she thinks she burned, they also keep telling me that I needn't bother going to the gym I should just go up the yard and clean some calf pens out or fork silage up.
My former mother-in-law used to lecture me sternly about doing exercise. She said exercise is bad for your heart! She massively disapproved of me doing MTB.
Yeah that's another I get from the mother in law, I shouldn't go to the gym so much because I could get addicted....
I was quite taken aback the other day when a colleague at work described me as "sporty" to another one...I've never thought of myself as like this at all- I like running, cycling and mtb but see it more as a hobby or "outdoor pursuit" more than anything, never really thought of it as sport especially as I don't really race on the bike.
I always think of team events as sport...football, cricket, rugby etc and I don't have much of an interest in these. I follow football a bit but don't play.
I like exercising but most popular sports pass me by really. Some of my mates are obsessed with anything that's even remotely competitive, right from football thought to athletics, darts, golf but never been bothered myself.
That'll be me. I can't understand the fascination with watching it on TV, reading it online or in the papers and talking about it endlessly on the internet and in the pub/at work/when socialising.
+1I like running, cycling and mtb but see it more as a hobby or "outdoor pursuit" more than anything, never really thought of it as sport
I once had an elderly relative ask when i was going to give up cycling, as it was for kids and poor people.
They offered rugby or golf as alternatives. "Like my cousins".
Yes, my mother has also asked when I'm going to stop playing around on bikes and wasn't I a bit too old for that now!
She has also previously commented on how a family friend must be "an adrenaline junkie" because he goes to the gym occasionally.
TBH I think the root of this thread goes back to childhood when I was a pretty decent runner. Parents gave pretty much gave zero encouragement. Funnily enough it all made a lot more sense when I finally met my birth parents!
I like running, cycling and mtb but see it more as a hobby or "outdoor pursuit" more than anything, never really thought of it as sport
I am referring to the racing and training as sport. Just messing about on the trails, yes I'd say more an outdoor pursuit I guess.