 |
All Among Friends: Nicknames in the Cycling World by Katie Lambden |
| One of the things I love about the cycling world is the intimacy among teammates, competitors, and others regularly involved in the racing scene. We spend so much time together; converging on random and sometimes remote locations to race: we stay in hotels or host housing together, we eat at the same local restaurants (all carbo-loading the night before the big event); we stand around in the same Port-O-Potty lines. My favorite demonstration of the intimacy in the cycling world is the nicknames that many riders are given. I can remember as a new rider, just dipping my toe into the fast-moving current of the National Racing Calendar, being amused and also a little awed by the familiar terms of endearment used in place of racers' names. It was just like the nicknames given to European pros: Eddy "the Cannibal" Merckx, Bernard "the Badger" Hinault, Marco "the Pirate" Pantani, Paolo "the Cricket" Bettini, etc. To paraphrase Churchill: some are born with nicknames, some achieve nicknames, and some have nicknames thrust upon them! For the U.S. bike racers in the latter category, the one person most responsible for bestowing those nicknames is probably Dave Towle. Dave is one of domestic cycling's biggest fans and loudest mouths - which I mean in the most complimentary sense, since he is so good at what he does, which is announcing races. Dave's the one who fires up the crowd, interprets the action for the spectators, and introduces the riders. To add spice and fun to his introductions, he identifies racers not just by their legal appellation, but also with a custom nickname that highlights some aspect of their appearance, personality, or racing style. Laura Van Gilder, short in stature but an amazingly strong sprinter, hails from the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania. She has been known for years on the NRC circuit by her Dave Towle nickname: "the Power-Puff of the Poconos." Tina Pic, another sprinter, also has a nickname based on her home state; she is affectionately called "the Georgia Peach." Christine Thorburn, Olympian and time-triallist extraordinaire, is often called "Doctor Christine Thorburn" for her M.D. credentials. If you have a special and personal nickname from Dave, it means that - as a bike racer - you've arrived. My teammate this year, Brooke Miller, is a relative newcomer but has been on a tear, winning a ton of races in the early season. I can't wait to hear what Dave ends up calling her. So far he's been tossing around a few different possibilities, some of which are Dave originals, and some of which he's picked up from other people. My personal favorite - "the Braided Bomber" - refers to Brooke's trademark pigtails. (I think she prefers this nickname to the one she got from her collegiate cycling buddies - "Quadzilla." Sometimes you just can't wait to leave a nickname behind!) Ever since I started cycling, I've yearned for a nickname. But it's something you just can't force, you know? I had to wait for the nickname to come naturally. Last year, I raced with a composite team organized by Team TRIA at a UCI stage race in El Salvador. Our mixed U.S. team became good friends with the Colombian team, since we were staying together and went on a few training rides with them before the racing started. Most of the Colombians did not speak English, so our Anglo names were difficult for them to remember. One of the girls, Damaris, was having particular difficulties recalling "Katie," so finally she created a mnemonic device to help. In her Spanish accent, "Katie" sounded a bit like "Keirin" (the velodrome event). She figured if she associated my name with the track race, she'd remember - or close enough. However, one day she was getting frustrated. She was trying to get my attention and kept calling what she thought was my name, but I wasn't responding. "Scratch! Scratch!" she shouted with increasing impatience. She had forgotten which track event my name resembled, and had substituted Scratch - another type of race - for Keirin! Thereafter, all the Colombians and my teammates referred to me as "Scratch." I love the nickname because it reminds me of my Colombian cyclist friends, and the great time I had in El Salvador. Since I've shared the story with my new teammates this year, the name has started to catch on. It may not be glamorous or strike fear into the hearts of my competitors, but it's my nickname and I'm proud of it! |