Rolling News. August 6, 2013.
After years of long, endurance road rides, Thomas “Taquito” Tevador called a meeting with his team, where he admitted to being a cross rider. “It was time. I had to be honest with myself and my teammates. They were mostly supportive,” said Thomas. “Some were a little shocked, and didn’t seem sure how to respond. But I think they’ll come around.”
His parents, Jim and Tasha Tevador, were proud of their son. “We’ve known for a long time,” said Jim. “We noticed little things, like he’d come home with far too much mud on his road bike. Sometimes, when he thought we weren’t watching, he’d switch out his tires to 28C’s.”
“We pretended not to notice,” said Tasha. “He’d tell us when he was ready. We’re very proud of him, no matter where he chooses to ride.”
Ellis, a dedicated mountain bike rider, was rather upset when he heard the news. “I mean, road bikes are for the road. Mountain bikes for the mountain. That’s why they’re named the way they are. Taking your road bike and putting big tires on it doesn’t mean it belongs off-road.”
When asked how Tevador’s cross riding would affect Ellis’ mountain biking, he said “Well, it… I guess it doesn’t. But it hurts our cause. We want mountain biking events to be as popular as road biking. Sponsorships, TV deals, the works. Conflating the two isn’t helping.”
“I used to love when Taquito would take pulls,” said Janet, an avid road bike rider and teammate. “He’s a strong, steady rider. I used to be inches from his wheel. But now I’m giving him a lot of space. Who knows? He might just veer off into some dirt or gravel! I can’t be seen riding on dirt! What would people say? What if I, you know, accidentally follow him?”
Other teammates seemed entirely accepting. Bobby, a recent addition to the team said “It’s cool, man. Some people roll one way, some others. As long as you enjoy the ride.”
Though popular in many European countries, cross has only recently started gaining notoriety within the U.S. Only time will tell if cross riders will be fully embraced by the cycling community.