That’s just being a dick and racing like an a$$hole.
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First, my post was not a strawman arguement. Look it up.
Second, he basically doubled down on what he said. If you ride directly towards a pothole with someone on your wheel so that they may hit it, there is a high likelihood that they will go down or damage their equipment (or both). That is literally riding with the intent to harm someone.
Riding the gutter in the crosswind is legitimate and accepted race tactic (which, but the way, is also true of riding someone’s wheel).
They are not the same thing.
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First, that’s not how you spell argument. Look it up. Pettiness aside (Yes, I’m guilty of that too), I do think what you said was a strawman argument. Explained below.
Second, intent is everything here. How did you come to the conclusion that hitting a pothole will cause him to go down? That’s not how I read it. Hitting a pothole, manhole cover, drainage channel, etc can force the other ride to slow down, sure.
Go down or damage a wheel, in a short, closed-course crit? That would have to be a pretty damn big pothole, in which case race organizers should’ve rerouted the course. I simply don’t see malicious intent here. If this were a longer road race where the organizers couldn’t possibly identify every obstacle, that would be a different story.
I also disagree about the gutter, as if it’s totally safe in comparison. Recently there was a video posted on IG where someone was riding the gutter (at CBR, no less) and then had to pull away last second to avoid traffic cones. Guy behind him hit the cone head-on and endo’d. People were saying, “well the guy had a chance to preride the course so he should’ve known it was there”. 
Pusher specifically said he would bunny hop the pothole.
What kind of idiot would bunny hop inconsequential things in the road that are incapable of causing a crash, mid crit?
The potholes he is talking about are very clearly of the dangerous variety.
Glad we’re on the same page now.
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Same.
Wow…speaking of strawmen. Yes, a singular example of someone using a tactic improperly was exactly the point I was making. 
And just so we are clear, the example you cite would fall into the exact same category as what PusherMan described. Sorry to be intellectually consistent.
Yeah, ‘cuz a typo is the same thing as a logical fallacy.
I think we are done here.
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Ok I concede to everything you’re saying.
Pusherman is clearly a cold blooded killer.
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For a guy who said others used strawman arguments, you sure are good at building them.
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To quote the original post:
He stated he is intentionally riding directly towards a pothole as someone’s riding his wheel. Given the circumstances, namely closely drafting, the high speed in a race, and the need to bunny hop, it is pretty clear as a lead rider you are intentionally causing a dangerous situation. There is a reason we are taught to call out or clearly avoid obstacles and not make sudden corrections that may cause crashes behind you. Why would you want to do the exact opposite in a race and proceed to justify it as anything more than intent to cause damage and/or harm.
Intentionally riding towards an obstacle is in no way comparable to guttering. You gutter riders in order to minimize the draft effect. Unless the gutter has an obstacle you’re clearly aware of, it is not at all the same …
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The Tour of Hungary neutralized stage 5 yesterday due to the weather. Despite being a World Tour race and not 100% applicable to us I thought it interesting listening to the thoughts of the commentators about it. Worth a listen perhaps.
I see your point and totally agree he should be incarcerated.
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If there is an UNEXPECTED obstacle it should be pointed out even in a race. But once everyone knows its there there is nothing wrong with using it. It is bad form to ride someone into an obstacle but, on lap 20 into the race if there is a pothole everyone has passed 20 times (not even counting the decade + of racing on the same course every year) the situation is much much different. If you can bunny hop, its a perfectly acceptable race tactic to ride over it with the hope the guy behind you is going to have to pull a bit out of your draft to miss it because he can’t hop it. That really is no different than guttering.
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Maybe not incarcerated long term…but certainly convicted of a misdemeanor, or the subject of a serious civil suit.
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Hard, and I mean hard, disagree. If you’re intentionally putting somebody at risk of bodily injury so you can try to win an amateur crit that nobody actually cares about, then you’re not only a sh!tty racer, but also just a terrible human being. You’re willing to hurt somebody so you can try to win a race that literally has no bearing on your life, that’s bordering on psychopathic. If you’re fine with that, you need to look in the mirror and reevaluate some things bud.
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I dont think this is even really a gray area for psychopathy.
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Difference between guttering and riding someone towards an obstacle in the hope they are capable of bunny hopping, they’re capable of remembering the pothole and they’re capable of noticing it in time to react is considerably different. Unless the gutter has obstacles/dangers you’re aware of and are intentionally riding into them of course. In which the gutter is irrelevant.
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There’s no excuse for it. You would have to be an incomprehensible combination of stupid, ignorant, amd inexperienced to not understand that the people following your wheel are in a vulnerable position, and rely on your line choice for their personal safety. Probably MOREso 20 laps in with tunnel vision
To take advantage of that trust and endanger humans to gain places in a a race is beyond abhorrent behavior. It’s just disgusting to even think someone I share the same hobby with would do such a thing. It’s a bit depressing honestly.
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Wholly agree. And it sickens me that we even have to argue against it.
Edit: If I recall correctly, this happened to @Nate_Pearson in a gravel race. He was following somebody’s wheel and the guy swerved at the last second to avoid a pothole and Nate didn’t have anytime to react. I believe he broke his collar bone and suffered a concussion. And I don’t believe the guy in front of him had any malice or intention. To do this purposefully as a race tactic is sub-human and truly sickening.
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Strange crit technique to make yourself an unsafe wheel to follow. Crits are 95% working with the people you’re fighting for the win. I don’t see how anything is gained by doing this. Which is probably also why I have never seen this in a crit.
Are you sure you’re not talking about zwift? 
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