Itz Spring and the Snubbers are out in force...so sad!

My faithful Man-dog, Loki and I were the victims of a truly unprecedented, premeditated, and unprovoked snubbing yesterday. Of course, sadly I have personally been snubbed many times in the past and while being snubbed ALWAYS hurts, it is fair to say that through extensive Freudian therapy, I have come to hold on to the premise that I must accept that the cycling world is an imperfect place. Yet I never dreamed that I would be snubbed by my own kind...

The fact is that I have come to expect to get snubbed by roadies, tri-athletes, time-trialists, and the like. While most of the time their snubs are intentional, some of the time these elite athletes truly are simply overwhelmed with attempting to keep track of all their vitally important bio-metric feedback gadgetry coupled with the myriad of societal expectations that come with being a potential pro-roadie or tri-athlete. These thoroughbreds are not only pushing the limits of their ultra-techy, electronic carbon rockets, they are also monitoring power wattages, heart rates, cadences, caloric burn and intakes, fluids consumption— all the while dealing with calls from sponsors (and would-be sponsors), texts from the United States Cycling Federation, and a host of other distractions that are totally alien to a lowly guy like me. But this snub was different…Let me frame for you the circumstances—

It was a beautiful Sunday morning with the snow-mobile trails up the Lester River still rock solid from the colder temps from the night before. Loki, the Man-dog, was loving life peeing on everything in sight whilst I felt like a teenager-in-love as I commanded me trusty Pugsley through the picturesque old-growth pines and river valleys that embrace this amazing resource.

Up ahead descending the trail at a fair pace, we spy a duo of snow-bikers and a comely Golden Retriever making their way towards us. I whisper to Loki as he crouches down to wait for their arrival, “Wait until they say itz okay to play.” Loki confidently wags his tail as if to say, “Like that she-dog doesn’t want to sniff me!” Loki is a regal masculine canine that has become a real attraction for the female dogs that we meet on this trail that we follow many times each week.

As for me, I adjust myself including aligning my hat and sunglasses, so to look both pleasingly pleasant and smartly competent. I remember being tormented as to the best method by which to open the dialogue. Should I commence with the “Awesome day” salutation or go with the “He’s really very gentle,” in an effort to give Loki a shot at the lady dog, or should I put the impetuous on them by submitting a heartfelt, “Wow, what a beautiful Golden!”

Suddenly they were on us…my heart soared as I made ready to engage in interesting, like-minded conversation. These are my people, kindred spirits; people who love to ride bikes on snow! They were moving pretty fast as they were descending; correspondingly I was moving relatively slow as I was climbing. Loki was in a semi-sitting position ready for me to give him the nod to do his sniffing thing on the Golden. I called out the, “What a beauti…”

They never looked up, instead they pushed harder on the pedals. The lead snubber yelled for the dog to stay the course. The bikes blew by us in a blur of flying snow as did the dog; all in full gallop. Nothing…not even eye-contact and the Golden acted as if Loki was invisible.

I remember thinking that The Rapture is coming...being snubbed by snow bikers and dog alike. I quietly wept....Loki was inconsolable.

Lord take me I’m ready to meet my Maker… My only hope now is that once my daughter grows up and she has a daughter, that that little girl looks up to my grown daughter and asks, “Mommy what was snubbing!”