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The original was posted on /r/velo by /u/FreshCause7875 on 2023-09-26 21:20:01.

Full disclosure–I was a really good soccer and tennis player as a youth. Decent at golf as well. Was also really into running and played tons of pond hockey. But I found cycling at 15 and it ruined all of them for me. It was the end-all-be-all of endurance sports and indeed all sports entirely.

Maybe because it is something it is never really touted to me*: an extreme sport.*

Some recent posts here and what happened at Gran Fondo nationals got me thinking about this. I’ve raced since I was 15. Here’s my tally: two serious concussions from crashes, one that put me out of commission for a year and when I had to go part-time at work for several months. Countless other crashes with other lesser injuries. My best friend’s father got hit and killed by a drunk driver while training in the Midwest. A good friend was hit in the Alpine Gran Fondo and is now paralyzed from the waist down. I’ve been hit by a van and sideswiped by a car. I’ve raced against guys who are no longer with us because of crashes or being hit by drunk drivers.

Is it all worth it, though? For me? 1000% yes. My life is a shadow of itself without the sport. I can’t wait to race next year, even though I’m still doing B Masters races. I have an addictive personality and am (probably) a recovering alcoholic. My extended family springs from generations of trauma and abuse. Maybe that speaks to why I do this.

But I wonder–am I just continuing the trauma by participating in this sport? What gives? Is bike racing an extreme sport?