Special Socks

To the naked eye most socks look a lot a like. Most are the same general shape with the difference being the height of the cuff and the colors chosen to decorate the sock. There are a lot of different styles, but in the end the shape is exactly the same and designed to provide cushion and protection for your feet in your shoes.

To a Cat 3 racer no socks are alike. They all still perform the same function, but there are some that just feel better. The feeling has nothing to do with foot comfort, whether the sock has cushions or are made of special merino wool, but the feeling is all mental. That feeling is knowing the time, effort, and dedication that made those socks yours.

Every racer I know jokes about "racing for socks" and that taking risks aren't worth the socks you will be rewarded with at the end of the race. In the end you aren't racing for those socks, you are racing for something very different and something that you can't assign to a possession. You are racing for achievement and the self-assurance that the time and effort spent over how ever many months it took you to get those socks was worth every minute.

For a majority of racers the dream of being a Category 1 racer in any category isn't unrealistic. The required time, genetic attributes, or financial backing are missing for a lot of category 3 racers, but that doesn't stop them from trying. Ask any 40+ year old category 3 racer about the good season and bad seasons and 9 out of 10 will relay that year where they were on it. They were unstoppable and could ride with the big dogs for a while, even if they couldn't beat them. They could place consistently in their category 3 races and it felt good. The same 9 out of 10 will also relay those years where their job, family, health, or another of life's gotchas preceded their desire to ride their bikes. They lost that year and then it took another year to get back into shape to race at a competitive level in the category 3 races.

I too can relay the good years and bad years, some times one right after the other. There was one year where I won several pairs of socks and then the following year had an accident and took three years to get back to where I could even think about winning a pair of socks.

Sure, you can say that the socks are a display of the glory years, that is a fine analogy. Cycling is too hard to not have something to display for your efforts. Socks may be trivial in many ways, but I still remember winning a pair of Domo Farm-Frites socks in 2003 at a road race where I busted my butt. I can also remember a pair of Descente socks I got at a crit in 1991 in college. I don't still have the Descente socks, but I still have the Domo Farm-Frites socks.

Say what you want, but if the sock fits, wear it.