"Who is the Mop"- A not so quick History.

Some quick history

(not going to be quick)

It was 2004 in December, I was sitting here not unlike how I am sitting here at this moment. . I had been riding a mountain bike agressivly (3-5times a week) for two years. Decided to pick up a road bike that October, and LOVED IT! It was the cold months. I decided there had to be somebody, online to talk to, about cycling. I did some searches and found the UCA , I just wanted to chat, and get some cycling talk going, to get rid of the winter dull-drums.

This is how it all started!!!!

I'm sitting there, signing up for an account. What should my name be?, I say to myself 'These guys like good nicknames, they all have them. I feel like 'A Mop' right now, dirty scruffy tired. So... without much thought "I'm The Mop!"

It's not like I want to post, to the UCA. Every body was very quite on the forum, like they still are. So... heck with it, I decide to post a few questions. Good Old Ryan, steps up and has a nice joke...After a few posts, Ryan is like "Hey, I'm Ryan Barrett star of The hard road, and some other thing... " He had a whole Schick back then, very tongue and cheek. Then he finishes off with "Who are you?" .

Being ME.... I smart off, and say.. "Great Question, I think i've been trying to answer that question, my entire life "WHO AM I?". It's a good way to deflect. I had a chat with Travis who ran the web site, a few times. I used my regular email. Ryan, had a weekly Coaches chat. I used to go to it, just for fun. Learn something new about cycling. I could ask questions. I even swear, I told him my name. Seriously, it who I was was never a "Secret". I think, I even sent Ryan an email or two, with my regular e-mail.

I sort of gave it up, at the UCA, everyone was a serious racer... there was a whole racing vibe going on. I'm not a very competitive person, and I wasn't in that kind of shape. That and it seemed like "I wasn't One of Them", even to them. The UCA also seems like it has a pecking order, and it's determined at the races. So, some random schmoe like me... didn't particularly "Rate" a voice at the UCA. Which is true, i'm not really a big racer... I just love the bike. Which is of course, what is wrong with the fourm, that anyone who "Rates" being on the Forum, is probably to tired to post.

I was going on cycling trips, at the time. It was cold, and I had to get where it was warmer. I started snowbirding it down to St. George I think I even spent the weekend before Christmas in Springdale, Just checking it out... since I would rather be in Springdale, than St. George. Even though it's 10 degrees colder.

But those trips were lonely, Just me and the bike.. it was nice.. I decided to start a blog.. I didn't tell anyone about it. After a few weeks, I decided that I could put the blog on my UCA profile. I figured, nobody would read it. Also, I started writing... Personal stuff, all the odd thoughts one has from time to time... Odd jokes.. some of the quirky things, I'd think of On the bike. A few embarrassing, or even dirty things.

Spring starts happening, everyone gets active, race season starts. I start digging all the local races, the local competitions, between teams, good stuff. It's fun personal drama.

Still the question at the UCA is "Who is the mop"? See it from my perspective. I know the Internet. If you put my name "Bob Williams"(not my name) and Utah together. Every sane Employer will google you. So, what if I have some cycling Phobic boss, who does this. He goes "Bob Williams is some kind of Cyclist.". Most of us know how ignorant people are, 'He is some kind of freak'. You can lose work, because some Jackass doesn't like what he comes up with when he googles you. Point being, stay off the grid!... I'm serious. Your idiot ex Girlfriend, or your former/future employers co-workers. Have no business, knowing a single thing about your life.

As far as I was concerned, being private is every bit my right. The great tragedy on the Internet, is that anonymity is going away. So now it's a less honest place, you can't tell the author of the worst story you ever read, or that you think that DOW scrubbing bubbles are a Bullshit Marketing Gimic, or the guy who writse the newspaper how bad it was. Have a spine, people are not going to like what you write. Tough it out, people don't like you, but you don't need purple smoke blown up your ass.

Suddenly, It's a game And a ton of people want to play "Who is the Mop". Being me, I turn it into something a little bigger. The idea being, "Everybody is the mop", or "The mop is just that guy you dropped" so, don't be a dick head. We all love the bike. That is enough. Point was "I could be Anyone".

And I love to tell a funny story, or a self deprecating story.

Now... Part 2... where are we going!!!