Road Bike Racing - I enjoy dropping roadies

Late last year I started racing so in order to race I have to ride at a slow pace (20kph) a few days a week to serve as recovery rides after a race or between harder training rides. None of my weekly rides are flat out, only Saturdays race.

This brings me to the question of why do people get such joy from "dropping roadies" as is often reported on various cycling forums.

ie. I dropped a roadie on a $5,000 bike and man he was slow, never saw him again!

I don't get the hostility that some riders like to dispense about someone they know nothing about.

Why should I have to ride an older bike for the slow days? Why can't I ride my race bike for these days? I am out there for an 1-2 hours on the slow days, so I still wear knicks and a jersey, does this now make me a poser because I am riding slow?

There is way too much hostility in cycling! Ride and mind your own business.

CHEERS.

Mark

I agree with most of what you said. However, I am also reminded of the guy on his ultra spanky $3,000 roadbike who refused to talk to me when we met at a set of lights. I really enjoyed dropping him on my $600 MTB (especially as he'd already made one attempt to drop me first).

However, in most situations I don't really think of it as a 'victory' as such. After all, if they've just ridden 175km with three mountain climbs, one might expect them to be a little tired. You can't always tell.

Sadly, many cyclists have an ego problem.

Instead of dropping 'em why not lift 'em - i.e., encourage them. Ride alongside and pep 'em up with "Come on! You can do better then this! Here, let me show you." What's wrong with ego anyway? :p

I think that a lot of has to do with lack of opportunities to race or the unwillingness to (at least in certain parts of the country). I mean that a lot of guys don't actually race to establish themselves as superior, so they satisfy this need by beating up on people in training rides.

And yes, if you race on weekends and then other guys hammer you on your easy/recovery day, they will often gloat and "know" that they can out-race you because they have evidence; They dropped you on a Wednesday night ice cream ride.

Sometimes I too am amazed by the hostility. But then I also have some of the greatest times riding with teammates and friends and meeting new people.

Take the good with the bad.

I enjoy dropping people regardless of what they are riding. I think its mostly because the challenge it presents myself. I always ride faster when I have someone to chase/pass. I always hope I can maintain the energy after the pass.

I have no hard feelings for the guys, I just like the personal challenge. And often I am dropped like a brick ;)

Originally posted by Dutchy
This brings me to the question of why do people get such joy from "dropping roadies" as is often reported on various cycling forums.

ie. I dropped a roadie on a $5,000 bike and man he was slow, never saw him again!

I don't get the hostility that some riders like to dispense about someone they know nothing about.

Why should I have to ride an older bike for the slow days? Why can't I ride my race bike for these days? I am out there for an 1-2 hours on the slow days, so I still wear knicks and a jersey, does this now make me a poser because I am riding slow?

There is way too much hostility in cycling! Ride and mind your own business.

CHEERS.

Mark


Mark,

Some good points. IMO true competitiveness is striving to be the best you can be and work hard toward that goal. I look at Armstrong as an example to follow. I - too - recovered from a life threatening condition - and took up cycling. Gradually I learned more about proper nutrition, food intake, a balanced workout, etc and I ride as hard and long as I can with consistency.

The unk riders I may pass I pass - it means absolutely nothing - since I know nothing about them, their life or their reasons for riding. We should be happy for people who ride and are putting forth an effort.

In the final anaysis much of it boils down to human pride and emotional immaturity - which is based in fear and insecurity. Add to this jealousy in some cases - because someone can afford a nice bike.

As I said to someone else - last time I checked UCI rankings were not a requirement for owning a nice bike - I saved up 1 1/2 years to get a Colnago Master-X - and that's nothing special around my area - where guys ride around on C-40s like there's been a firesale. More power to you if you can just whip out a checkbook and buy $5k rig. I started out on a cheap Huffy - and guess what - I was proud of that stupid thing :D !!!

Ride and mind your own business is not a bad motto - though I try to say "hello" when I meet others along the way :)

Happy riding,

~Michael~

I only enjoy dropping the snobbish roadies. And when I do, it is sweeeeet!
Here's some guy in all his "kit" (usually USPS), coupla thousand bucks worth of bike. Nothing wrong with that, ride what you like/can afford. Wear what you like, I don't care. But, they look at me... with attitude. I wave, they turn up thier nose.
Occasionally, I'll get the opportunity to race them.

290 lbs, $150 90's model road bike, and there I am hammerin right beside them. Sometimes I win, most of the time I lose, but I ALWAYS earn a little more respect by the time we're done, thank you.

Originally posted by ChipRGW
I only enjoy dropping the snobbish roadies. And when I do, it is sweeeeet!
Here's some guy in all his "kit" (usually USPS), coupla thousand bucks worth of bike. Nothing wrong with that, ride what you like/can afford. Wear what you like, I don't care. But, they look at me... with attitude. I wave, they turn up thier nose.
Occasionally, I'll get the opportunity to race them.

290 lbs, $150 90's model road bike, and there I am hammerin right beside them. Sometimes I win, most of the time I lose, but I ALWAYS earn a little more respect by the time we're done, thank you.

ChipRGW,

I've seen the guys you're talking about - since I ride in the same area - I'm usually done by the time they start (I'm out there by 0500 - to beat the weekend rush). You are right - some of those guys can come across pretty arrogant.

I have a thing about wearing official gear - strictly my perspective - I don't like wearing USPS or other pro gear since I feel it has to be earned. Esp. when it comes to a trophy like the Yellow Jersey. I'd never wear one since I don't deserve it. But again - strictly my opinion - I know it's a big marketing deal and much money is made selling this stuff. Another view point is of course that you wear it in support and admiration - what the heck - it's a free country ;) ....and opinons are like.... including mine.

Regards,

~Michael~

well, this is a tough one -- as i have sometimes myself felt quite cool dropping a roadie on my mountain bike - or in years past dropping a decked out arrogant poser on my $150 used road bike i raced in college...

on the one hand it's just natural to want to race and chase and win and it's part of cycling... and one should expect that guys who have nice bikes and wear all the gear and flashy jerseys should be a mark worthy of feeling good about dropping...

but as long as people aren't total posers and arrogant/rude to others, then there is also nothing really wrong with guys who really aren't very good who buy all the expensive crap... although i do really despise the few who DRIVE to the top of a pass and then unload the $3000 road bike and do a descent with all the gear to look cool.

back when i was a poor college student i had no money but i rode every day. i knew little about training or nutrition, but i rode every day - and i rode hard. my bike was crap, my helmet was the dorky old stryfoam bubble, i had one old jersey someone had given me as he wanted to throw it in the trash and i had no clipless pedals and rode in regular trainers and my bike was old and always squeaking as the components were pretty much worn out but i had to make do... and i rode every day... and guys with fancy stuff on training rides and at races used to laugh at me and make comments about the state of my gear - some were downright rude. so yes, i took a lot of pride in dropping almost every one of these guys in both training rides and races with their top$$$$ gear -- actually i thought it must have made an even better point when someone "like me" with such crappy stuff who wasn't a "real cyclist" beat the crap out of them... seeing the looks on their faces when i would catch them or sometimes when looked back after leaving them was even better!

anyway, as long as people aren't rude and arrogant and unfriendly about it --- why not try and "race" the guy next to you? i also feel a little funky on my recovery/spin days when someone flies by and i have force myself to watch my HR monitor and my speedometer and tell myself "no, today is recovery! i'll be faster if i don't chase"

I love it when a mountain bike gives me a run for my money on my road bike. Much props. Let them try it for 60 miles though.

When I pass someone on a road bike, I hardly think twice about it, unless I've been hunting them for 10 miles. By that time I'm so whipped up into a furver that I should be slapped.

Originally posted by Dutchy
Why should I have to ride an older bike for the slow days? Why can't I ride my race bike for these days? I am out there for an 1-2 hours on the slow days, so I still wear knicks and a jersey, does this now make me a poser because I am riding slow?

Read the follow-ups and try to count the number of assumptions the posters have made about the drop-ees. Doesn't matter. It's a testosterone thing.

Ride what you like... good for you if you hold your easy pace on slow days.

Damn, there are some insecure people out there...

It's amazing how people justify ******** behavior

Some rules I live by...
1) Don't assume everyone with an expensive bike/ gear is a racer. Most of them aren't.
2) Don't assume that everyone on an older/ beater type bike is an obstacle. Some of them will drop you like a bad blind date.
3) Don't be a snob to anyone on the road. We all ride together, let's all be civil.

I try to be friendly to everyone. I know some riders get way into thier training and don't acknowledge others on the road. That's fine as long as it's not accompanied by snobbish attitude.

I'm saying, if you fit into rule #1, and violate rules 2 & 3, you might get embarassed.

One guy in the club I ride with is a snob. He has a pretty CF bike w/ full Dura-Ace. Everytime I see him he has some shiny new upgrade, and asks if I've upgraded anything on my bike "yet". I usually respond, "just the motor". Which is the ONLY thing this guy hasn't upgraded. He has made a few rude comments about my weight.
He's all of 5'-3", probably under 150#. His bike probably weighs all of 16 pounds with the water bottles. I weigh close to double what he does. My bike weighs 50% more than his.
Yeah, when I get the opportunity to drop this particular guy, on a bridge especially, I'll do it. With great pleasure. He hasn't quite learned yet, but he IS getting better.

There are a lot of guys JUST LIKE HIM, that ride in our area.

Originally posted by bentrox!
What's wrong with ego anyway? :p

Nothing. But SOMETIMES it gets out of hand.

I haven't met too many egos yet. Everyone I've ridden with has been friendly, supportive, and are always willing to extend their advice and experiences to me. I'm blessed to ride with a great group of guys (and a couple girls).

everytime this topic comes up, I hear people talk about how some "jerk roadie" that has the most expensive stuff but that "I" dropped them on my old bike while wearing shorts and boy, was he mad!

These same people say how they, themselves, are so friendly. Yet they will continue to berate riders that have expensive equipment as not deserving or somehow worthy to be dropped.

It seems that these are the insecure people with attitude problems. Look, if fancy bikes and equipment were not an issue, you wouldn't be talking about it. Fact is, for some people--and some in this forum, obviously-- seeing a rider with an expensive bike or "race" gear is an issue and they need to take some personal vendetta to badmouth them, or feel happy about "dropping" them.

It all reads like the cries of insecure people to me. If you are happy with yourself and your biking than you won't feel the need to critic someone's personality based on what they look like and because they don't feel like talking to you or saying hi. Maybe some people are shy or thinking of something else? Do you expect every stranger to say hello to you at a traffic light?
For everyone that said, "I enjoyed dropping that roadie" or "He has all this expensive crap and I loved dropping him", etc,etc. Get a grip!

The only cyclists I see in my area are ones that ride 2x2 on very narrow, winding, hilly, highways. :(

They make me think 'no wonder drivers try to run me off the road.... no wonder they hate cyclists...'

rX,
I'm not sure if you are referring to me, but if you are...

I thought I was pretty clear about the "attitude" being my key to judging other riders. If I am friendly, and they are rude, then they deserve whatever rude treatment they get back. Equipment notwithstanding. I just happen to think it's funny when someone thinks they are "better" cyclists than someone else because of thier equipment. If I could afford a pretty new CF bike with all the goodies, I'd buy it myself. But I wouldn't ASS-U-ME it would make me a better rider. As far as I can tell, so far, it's more about the "motor" than the gear.

ChipR

Originally posted by RacerX


These same people say how they, themselves, are so friendly. Yet they will continue to berate riders that have expensive equipment as not deserving or somehow worthy to be dropped.

It seems that these are the insecure people with attitude problems. Look, if fancy bikes and equipment were not an issue, you wouldn't be talking about it. Fact is, for some people--and some in this forum, obviously-- seeing a rider with an expensive bike or "race" gear is an issue and they need to take some personal vendetta to badmouth them, or feel happy about "dropping" them.

It all reads like the cries of insecure people to me. If you are happy with yourself and your biking than you won't feel the need to critic someone's personality based on what they look like and because they don't feel like talking to you or saying hi. Maybe some people are shy or thinking of something else? Do you expect every stranger to say hello to you at a traffic light?
For everyone that said, "I enjoyed dropping that roadie" or "He has all this expensive crap and I loved dropping him", etc,etc. Get a grip!

RacerX... you said it well and I completely agree.

I might add...I am one of those with an expensive bike...and I could give a rats bottom if someone passes me hauling a** or I pass them. :lol: It doesn't concern me what anyone is riding as long as their enjoying themselves. :P When I go out for a ride, I am not seeking to build my self-esteem on false pretenses. I am looking to enjoy feelings of personal accomplishment.

I used to be a distance runner and was fairly accomplished. One day I was riding in the car with my dad and there was a runner going along on the sidewalk at a rather pedestrian pace. Young and fit looking, but just kind-of jogging along.

Being young and cocky, I remarked about how slow the guy was going.

My dad, without even looking over at me said, "He's out running. Most people never will be. He also might be doing a twenty miler. How far did you run today?"

My dad taught me a lot about judging people.

I still think that guy might have been doing a twenty miler. And he might be the nicest guy in the world. On that day, I sure wasn't.

Say hi and smile when you pass people and when they pass you. World will be a better place.

Originally posted by easyrider


My dad, without even looking over at me said, "He's out running. Most people never will be. He also might be doing a twenty miler. How far did you run today?"

:thumbup: Kudos

I don't judge people by what they wear or the bike they ride. I met a bunch of guys last year that I race with. If you saw these guys standing by their bikes, you wouldn't think they had much speed. Some are over 50, some have hairy legs, some have old bikes, but they could drop most people half their age like a bad habit, including me.

CHEERS.

Mark

I dont care about who is passing me or who i pass but it brothers me when i am passed without a little on your left to warn me and then the guys have to pass me as close as they can get,jerks everywhere,riding all kinds of bikes.The worst is the riders who pass,get in front and then staying at your same pace,you have to pass them and THEY look at you like,you just have to pass me dont you.I read a long time ago if you need to pass somebody,you better stay passed.

Originally posted by shokhead
The worst is the riders who pass,get in front and then staying at your same pace,you have to pass them and THEY look at you like,you just have to pass me dont you.I read a long time ago if you need to pass somebody,you better stay passed.

Really good point - it gets uncomfortable. I decided just to ride really early - usually around 0430 - 0500 hrs - I get my riding done before it gets busy and before the trolls wake up :D

Regards,

~Michael~

Maybe there are some folks out there who got on a bike one day after never riding and immediately discovered that they were faster than everybody they met. Dude, not me! Sure, I've gotten faster since I started riding but I'll slow down any day to give a pull to the guys who pulled me when I was a stone newbie.

I realize that this is the racing forum but the spirit of this thread seems to be more about attitude than racing. Since I started riding, I've only ridden off and left one guy, not becuase he's slow but because he insists on riding in the middle of the lane. Our entire group pleaded with him for weeks to realize that motorists see him as a reflection of us all to no avail. So Sunday, we left him in the dust. I hope he gets a little humble and comes back with a new 'tude. I'll happily pull him all day long then.

Peace y'all,
Lou

I just started riding after a 20 year layoff. I rode every day back and forth to college from off campus housing, it was a hugh campus. I am in great shape and through the years always conditioned at a health club.

I have to admit, I ride for my conditioning and not to "beat" anybody. I do find it humorous when some people ( teenagers) try to race me, because it is all about average speed. I keep my fastest consistent pace I can and I always pass them early.

I bought a nice road bike, Fuji Ace, and it seems fine to me.

Bike riding is all about improving one's self. I hope we all try to compete with ourselfs and not others, because in the end it is us we are trying to beat.

Cheers

Originally posted by Garbear
RacerX... you said it well and I completely agree.

I might add...I am one of those with an expensive bike...and I could give a rats bottom if someone passes me hauling a** or I pass them. :lol: It doesn't concern me what anyone is riding as long as their enjoying themselves. :P When I go out for a ride, I am not seeking to build my self-esteem on false pretenses. I am looking to enjoy feelings of personal accomplishment.

My sentiments also Garbear. A disciplined rider on a training program may be riding along at 16mph and you blast past them at 20mph. But the day before he was passed by you/me/whoever he was riding at a 22 mph pace. It is not a race unless everyone is in on the idea and wants to participate.

I have problems from time to time keepping myself from chasing down riders who are obviously arrogant but now I now longer
even give it a second glance. I ride the pace I mean to ride and let it go at that.

There is one guy that shows up on our group rides from time to time who always breaks at the last 2 miles som he can be first back to the parking lot. But during the ride he never pulls up front.
We got sick of it one time and decided to up the ride pace and mileage. After a 40 mile ride at a 22+ mph pace he was glad to stay with the group the last two miles. So sometimes a jerk needs to be taught that they are a jerk.

Originally posted by SamDaBikinMan
My sentiments also Garbear. A disciplined rider on a training program may be riding along at 16mph and you blast past them at 20mph. But the day before he was passed by you/me/whoever he was riding at a 22 mph pace. It is not a race unless everyone is in on the idea and wants to participate.

I have problems from time to time keepping myself from chasing down riders who are obviously arrogant but now I now longer
even give it a second glance. I ride the pace I mean to ride and let it go at that.

There is one guy that shows up on our group rides from time to time who always breaks at the last 2 miles som he can be first back to the parking lot. But during the ride he never pulls up front.
We got sick of it one time and decided to up the ride pace and mileage. After a 40 mile ride at a 22+ mph pace he was glad to stay with the group the last two miles. So sometimes a jerk needs to be taught that they are a jerk.

Sam is "The Man"... :lol: Jerks are jerks no matter what sport, activity, profession, culture or post... they can't change their spots. :p