Commuting - How competitive are you?

I like to think of myself as generally well-adjusted, but I have real problems being passed by other bikes. Yesterday on a 10km ride to meet friends for dinner, I was moving along at a decent speed, and along the way passed a guy on an old road bike. He then picked up the pace and passed me in what I took to be a passive-aggresive protest at being passed by some gangly white guy on a single-speed folder with a helmet and blinkies. Neither of us made any eye contact -- for about 4-5 km, before I had to make a turn, we fought a silent duel with an uncertain goal. It was supremely silly, but there was some unspoken, underlying need to establish superiority.

How many of you can relate to this? Or am I less well-adjusted than I'd like to think? :D

I like to race, or at least ride with, people. I enjoy the goal of riding a little faster and find that someone going faster than me is really fun encouragment to pick up the pace and push myself.

I'm always surprised at how you always have a little bit more energy than you think you have -- and it seems to be unlocked by getting passed.

Whenever two boats are sailing in the same direction, at least one of them is raceing.
Perhaps this also applies to cyclists?

I'm always surprised at how you always have a little bit more energy than you think you have -- and it seems to be unlocked by getting passed.

I agree. Someone passing me always encourages me to speed up a bit.

got the same problem, do not like being passed by anyone except the day I choose to go for my recovery ride, which is usually riding with my son and it is still hard to hold back, but Iam learning to discipline myself

I'm always surprised at how you always have a little bit more energy than you think you have -- and it seems to be unlocked by getting passed.
I agree. There's nothing wrong with using other cyclists as motivation to work a little harder, as long as you keep it in perspective.

I generally won't pass people who pass me unless they slow down, but I will sometimes pace behind them at a respectable (non-drafting) distance. Those are some of my best commutes.

I have the same problem. I too am working to discipline myself on recovery days. I'm getting better about it. Is it competitiveness or ego?

I don't mine people overtaking me, what anoysme is when I over take someone then at the next set of traffic lights they pull up and stop in frount of me and accelerate away as hard as they can then 20 m down the road I re-overtake as I steadaly accelerate pass them then the do it again, I am waiting at traffic lights then they pull up infrount of me. Why do that? I am clearly gong faster why sit infrount of me after I have overtaken. I just happen to of been caught at the traffic lights thats why I am no further ahead now how have to navergae my way past you as you squirm all over the road busting a gut to keep going. W@nk&rs.

Oh yeah, I'm fiercely competitive. Maybe it's because I ride a recumbent trike, and I feel I have something to prove. Regardless of whatever psychological deficiency is at the root of it, I will ALWAYS try to catch up with any rider in front of me - and pass them if I can. I'm usually successful, because most of the people I pass are university students on improperly maintained mountain bikes travelling at half my speed. Occasionally I'll run into a roadie though, and give 'em a good run before I inevitably have to turn off onto a different street. Good times. :)

I agree. There's nothing wrong with using other cyclists as motivation to work a little harder, as long as you keep it in perspective.

I generally won't pass people who pass me unless they slow down, but I will sometimes pace behind them at a respectable (non-drafting) distance. Those are some of my best commutes.

Ditto. My headlamp tells them I'm there anyway :).

Eh, if you pass me, fine. If I pass you, it's cuz I'm moving faster. I try to stick to a comfortable pace and inevitably I'll be passed or pass someone, sometimes pass the same person over and over. The other guy might be racing, but I'm just riding.

I'll check the other person out as they pass me. If they look like they want to race...then its on. Other wise I'll just fall in behind the other person, pick up the pace enough to follow them and enjoy the workout.

I like to think of myself as generally well-adjusted, but I have real problems being passed by other bikes. Yesterday on a 10km ride to meet friends for dinner, I was moving along at a decent speed, and along the way passed a guy on an old road bike. He then picked up the pace and passed me in what I took to be a passive-aggresive protest at being passed by some gangly white guy on a single-speed folder with a helmet and blinkies. Neither of us made any eye contact -- for about 4-5 km, before I had to make a turn, we fought a silent duel with an uncertain goal. It was supremely silly, but there was some unspoken, underlying need to establish superiority.

How many of you can relate to this? Or am I less well-adjusted than I'd like to think? :D

I'm not sure how I'd feel about getting passed by another cyclist, but if it ever happens I'll be sure and post here. :D

I agree. There's nothing wrong with using other cyclists as motivation to work a little harder, as long as you keep it in perspective.

I generally won't pass people who pass me unless they slow down, but I will sometimes pace behind them at a respectable (non-drafting) distance. Those are some of my best commutes.

+1 from me on this one, too.

My take is that I always enjoy passing someone, and I will always fight to avoid being passed, but ultimately it doesn't bother me much at all when someone passes me. In fact, I try to make a point of complimenting someone when they pass me, because they must be going pretty quick. What I want is the best hard ride I can get, and my best hard rides are always those where I'm competing or racing someone. So if someone is beating me, that's fine because I know I'm going as hard as humanly possible, and that's really my goal. I'd rather do 25 miles fighting and battling but slowly being dropped than to blow by someone and then do the rest of the ride alone and less motivated.

I'll check the other person out as they pass me. If they look like they want to race...then its on. Other wise I'll just fall in behind the other person, pick up the pace enough to follow them and enjoy the workout.
I don't race anyone, since trying to beat any serious roadies while on my beater MTB commuter would be a futile effort.
However, I've picked up the pace a bit to 'admire the scenery' after being passed by a couple of really hot riders before. ;)

I took to be a passive-aggresive protest at being passed by ... a single-speed folder
I'm going to be honest and say I would have raced you too. No disrespect to folders, but it would be a shot to my ego to be passed by one, even if Jan was powering it.

Hi, my name is Pinkrobe.
Hi Pinkrobe!
I'm a bike chaser. I chase anyone who passes me, and anyone I can see in the distance.
Gasp!
It doesn't matter who they are, or what bike they're on, I have a need to reel them in. I... just can't help myself.
I cast thee out!

I personally think its fun to pass a roadie while I'm on my mtb with panniers.

I personally think its fun to pass a roadie while I'm on my mtb with panniers.

If you're passing them on a rig like that, they're "Freds", not "roadies".

In 3yrs. of commuting I have never been passed on a commute, but have passed many.

This is of course not because I am the fastest commuter, but instead because I don't encounter faster riders on my particular route and time.

Al

I've been passed twice on my regular commute in the past two months by someone who wasn't passing while I was stopped at a stop sign or light. Both times I had a full load in my grocery panniers and a headwind and the passing person was a roadie in kit with no load at all.

:P

The ones that irritate the hell out of me are the people that blow past me while I'm stopped at a sign or light, then I have to get around them and pass their sorry a$$es a half block later. I've done the leapfrog thing with one person for 3 miles... every time I stop he passes, as soon as I pass him, he drafts off me till the next stop sign or light. Pretty sad, really... I'm always tempted to slam on my brakes as soon as he gets behind me. I hate tailgaters!

Many of the cyclists on my route who ride at my pace or faster are also pretty sketchy riders (pass unsafely, overlap wheels, etc...). I try to stay away from them... if they can catch me that is :D

I'll chase anything, even buses and trucks!!!

I'll catch up to someone and stay a respectful distance from their wheel. I will not pass unless I am sure I can pass and pull away. I will not pass and just sit in front of him. If I get passed, I will try and keep up but will not hang on a guys rear wheel.

To me it's not an ego thing, it's simply a tool to ancourage me to work harder.

We were three roadies out on a 150 km somewhat hilly ride a sunday some weeks ago. Two of us are approaching fifty and the other is a quite fit roadie in his thirties. We did the ride at an average speed of 30km an hour. Halfway we passed an older guy on a beatup Trek 4300 with one pannier, a plastic miniski for rear fender and a sign with a red L (for learner) stuck on his seatpost. He teamed up with us and after some miles he asked if it was OK that hung with us up this really big climb up ahead. OK with us, no big deal. The hill is about 800 feet of steady climbing. Into the climb he followed but halfway up he started going really fast. He lost my riding buddy and I too had to let him go thinking about the rest of the ride. (not quite shure I could have followed him though). He kept pestering the last of us to go up front but he said afterwards that he had more than enough just hanging on( which he did). The two of us were quite a bit from the crest when the old guy came back down again, he had just raced us for fun. I waved and smiled at him wondering what kind of aging athlete we just had encountered.
Personally I don't mind being passed by obviously superior athletes, but I hate being passed by anyone else!

If competetiveness is a bad thing, then I'm absolutely the least competetive person around.

Ya, I hate to admit it, but when I see someone trying to overtake me, I take off as hard as I can. Afterwards, I feel ashamed of myself, unless I get stomped, then I just start making excuses.

"I'm loaded heavier."

"I've been riding longer and farther this week than he has."

"I wasn't really going as fast as I could if I really wanted to."

;)

A guy went past me on my bent up a hill recently. I wasn't about to let bents get a bad rep, so I took off spinning hard up that short hill. I caught him and passed him just at the top (he was on a path, I was in the road.) As the terrain leveled out, I kept pouring it on, upshifting whenever possible. I was ahead, but I didn't know by how much (he was not in a convenient place for my mirror.)

I came to a 4-way stop and rolled up (and stopped.) I was waiting for my "turn" at the 4-way (I had filtered up past about 20 cars) and about 5 seconds later, he blew the stop sign past me and kept going. He disappeared and I never caught him again. But I had my moment of glory...I'm just glad he didn't have his moment of injury...

I prefer to find a decent person to pace. It seems far more effective at improving my overall time than an all out race.
The exception to the above is when someone irritates the living hell out of me or I simply get the bug to race. I had one a$$hat race me and take a right while he was on my left. Fortunately, I was also taking a right. Still I was doing 30 mph shortly before the turn. Shifted into the large chainring and blew past him up a hill. Take that moron! :p

I am generally riding with a decent load on a touring bike yet people on upright bikes try and race every so often. Why I do not know. Roadies don't even bother. I ain't foolin anyone :p
A few weekend warriors on road bikes occasionally get annoyed at me passing them going up a hill with fully loaded panniers and drop me like a sack of old potatoes. This usually induces a few minutes of laughing out of me and then I return the favor (if I feel like it).
Now why has no one mentioned "dialing it up to 400 watts" ?:roflmao:

Been passed once, quite early in my brief commuting history. Up a good sized hill, he on a road bike, me on my hybrid. I wasn't gonna catch him, but I picked up the pace as much as possible...

I'm gonna CATCH the next one!!!

I don't have a problem with people passing me. I will at times try to run down a bike that is in front of me. I don't consider it being competitive but more of a personal challenge.

Answer: very. I don't like being overtaken. (Not that it happens often:)
I am calming down nowadays, though. I don't hammer as hard all the time, and actually cruise around really slowly sometimes. Then I don't even take offense if sy passes me.

I do this stuff all the time.

I was waiting at a light to take a left turn this morning and saw another rider go by in front of me, right to left. Clearly a commuter, dressed for work, but had biking shoes. The bike was an old road bike with fenders and downtube shifters. Anyway, he got about a 2-3 minute headstart on me because of the light, but I saw him further along my route, where we got onto a MUP. I finally caught him with about 500 yards to go until the MUP ended and we had to go into traffic again. At that point, I just hung back 2-3 bike lengths and we went our separate ways once back to traffic.

This is fun if they're a good rider and neither of you are being a jerk about passing.

I must say occassionally -- about 4 to 6 times a year -- I get blown by by a roadie who is in a totally different league (25-30 MPH on flats) from me.

Oh yeah, I'm fiercely competitive. Maybe it's because I ride a recumbent trike, and I feel I have something to prove. Regardless of whatever psychological deficiency is at the root of it, I will ALWAYS try to catch up with any rider in front of me - and pass them if I can.
I caught this guy on a 'bent the other day. I said, "Hi. I like your bike." He said, "You're not supposed to pass me." "Why not?", I inquired. "Because I'm supposed to be faster than you," he replied. "Oh," I said adding a shrug of my shoulders, "sorry about that." And then I rode away.

I thought it was a funny exchange. But I'm not sure if he did.

I bought my wife a road bike. It's much nicer than my bike. It's about 10 lbs. lighter and I always ride with at least one pack. And now, she's the one in front of me all the time. Oh, she's becomming quite the little racer....

I was racing a bus this morning, over 3 miles I beat it to my turnoff (it did have a wheelchair pickup and dropoff among its other stops and traffic lights). I guess it's only motorized traffic that I consciously race. I call off the race whenever it's clear that I'm going to lose. I do often pace bikes that pass me, unless I'm totally beat up or something.

(Homage to R600 Dura Ace)

This morning, I was riding along the bike trail on my way to work. I had it in my 46x17, dialed up to 88 RPMs. This short guy on a Trek with a Nike jacket calls out "On your left" just as I was about to swerve left to avoid a root on the trail, scaring me half to death. He would have to pay. He instictively knew that "Houston, we have a problem." He clicked it up two gears and accelerated. I looked at my dial. I looked at my dial again. He rode away. I didn't see him again.

ONTH I was on my MTB on Sunday and I fought like crazy with this guy for a few miles off road to hold him off. So it depends on the situation. I pretty much decide how I'm going to ride to work, set a pace and keep it there. So if somebody passes me, I don't care. But if I'm riding tempo anyway and somebody catches me, I'll hang with them.

I generally won't pass people who pass me unless they slow down, but I will sometimes pace behind them at a respectable (non-drafting) distance. Those are some of my best commutes. I did this with a taxi today for a few miles! *evil laugh* :D

In general, getting passed by cyclists doesn't bother me at all. We're not on a level playing field anyway. Firstly, I always obey traffic law which cannot be said of most other cyclists around here. So they get an unfair advantage by flying right by the stop signs I stop at. Secondly, my bike is hardly the fastest machine around and I always haul a lot of stuff for my commutes - hardly a surprise it is when I get passed by a full-kitted roadie. Thirdly, most of the time I am dead-tired and hungry on the return trip, and more often than not I forget my water bottle - so I just take it easy. But above all I just don't care if I get passed. It actually does not happen this often - as far as Toronto non-roadie cyclists go, I'm pretty fast - but I know there are plenty of people faster than me and it does not bother me. I do not aim at being the fastest thing on the road. I just want everyone to play nice... :)

I don't mine people overtaking me, what anoysme is when I over take someone then at the next set of traffic lights they pull up and stop in frount of me and accelerate away as hard as they can then 20 m down the road I re-overtake as I steadaly accelerate pass them then the do it again, I am waiting at traffic lights then they pull up infrount of me. Why do that? I am clearly gong faster why sit infrount of me after I have overtaken. I just happen to of been caught at the traffic lights thats why I am no further ahead now how have to navergae my way past you as you squirm all over the road busting a gut to keep going. W@nk&rs. Oh yes, I just hate that with bloody passion! Even when you try to block them from passing, they'll still do it... squeeze by on your right, on your left - doesn't matter. Very annoying.

I was taking my son to the library a few weeks ago on our Xtracycle (total weight if bike with kid was probably about 70 lbs, then add me at 165). As I was turning onto a road, I noticed a guy on a road bike a block or two back. I didn't think much of it until he blew by us shortly after. Not too long later, we came to a red light and both stopped. I figured I'd try to hang with him up the next hill and suprisingly managed to do so with little fuss. At the top of the hill, I figured "he'll definitely lose me now", but I still managed to stick with him as he went down in the drops and hammered down the hill. I think we hit 34 mph. I conciously tried to stay either far enough behind or to the side of him to be sure I wasn't drafting. In short order, we came to my turn off and I thought "Well, that was fun. Hope he has a nice ride from here." Turns out he's taking the same route as me. Just around the bend, we start up another hill and he really starts to slow down a lot. It got to the point where I simply didn't want to go that slow, so I passed him. Needless to say, I was pleased with myself for hanging with this guy even if he wasn't really going full out. I'm mostly proud of hitting 34 on the Xtra loaded with kid and library books. Kid loves to go fast, too. I think I simply enjoy a nice friendly race, even if it's just in my own head.

Im pretty laid back, but when challenged, I am compulsive at winning or doing my all to win. I push myself alot on a personal athletic level.

I'm going to be honest and say I would have raced you too. No disrespect to folders, but it would be a shot to my ego to be passed by one, even if Jan was powering it.

No disrespect to folders indeed :p ;)

I probably looked even more ridiculous since my gearing only gives me about 67". My legs were spinning like crazy.


As for the guy who passed me, I'll say that a lot of the cyclists who pass me are, like someone else said, general scofflaws. Beyond running red lights, they think nothing of cutting right in front of other cyclists. There's probably a good deal of self-righteousness in my need to race these guys :D

I'm competitive. I'm always trying to keep up with something or someone.
Just last week I was trying to keep up with an old flatbed truck hauling tree stumps. I was doing real well on the slightly downward stretch of freshly paved asphalt. I could see the ole coot eyeballing me in his side mirror as I kept pace with him. Then we hit a nice incline and he gassed it while I gassed out. After I finished the hill I saw him parked on a lawn standing there. As I passed he gave me a good stare. I smiled and went on my merry little way.

Yep - I can't help myself and I am told I should be ashamed. White-haired geezer racing teenagers. The fact that I stomp them doesn't help the addiction. :D

This morning I was smoking coming down the hill. Right at the edge of control on the rock, gravel and other junk. I was keeping up with Motorcycles for Pete's sake! (all down hill with a mountain bike) Normally I use the brakes more.

But I was motivated - you see, my wife left her purse at the caretakers house and I was trying to catch up with her (and she was driving the Montero) so that I could get a purse off my body. ::)

Never did catch up until we got to the office... I guess I am slower than the Montero, even down hill.

I think it was my fastest time ever down to the office. I wonder if she will let me borrow the purse for the ride back....

Yep - I can't help myself and I am told I should be ashamed. White-haired geezer racing teenagers.
Oh, ya! When I'm riding along and a group of little kids on their little bikes sees me, sometimes one of them breaks off and tries to race me. I love to show 'em whose the patron, here. :D :D

Nah, I am afraid the little kids might beat me... and then how could I live with myself. Teenagers deserve the abuse.

The teenagers are actually pretty good at times. Costa Rica is big into cycling. What I won't do is race them up to Ciudad Quesada. That hill just goes up and up and up and up and up.... starts at 300 feet and goes to 7,000 by the time you get to Zarcero - it is rough with a car much less a bike!

Hi, my name is Pinkrobe.
Hi Pinkrobe!
I'm a bike chaser. I chase anyone who passes me, and anyone I can see in the distance.
Gasp!
It doesn't matter who they are, or what bike they're on, I have a need to reel them in. I... just can't help myself.
I cast thee out!

It looks like I'm not the only one in Calgary. :) I do the same and I make sure I do not get passed. I've been passed only 3 times this year once when I was nursing a mechanical faileur on the way home, once when I wasn't paying attention to who was coming up behind me and once a guy drafted me into a stiff head wind after I passed him and then took me when I tuckered out.

If Pinkrobe and I commuted the same route, I think our average commute times would decress substantially. :D

I was riding up a MUP a few weeks ago and I was slowly catching this guy ahead of me in white cotton T and what looked like a cross-bike. I got up behind him and was thinking about passin him when he took off. I hauled ass after him for the next 5 miles, and my my turn-off I could just barely see him about 1/4 mile ahead... probably my fastest commute time into DC from work. I was using my normal 42/17 with full panniers... we were both passing about 10 people every mile or so.

I rarely get passed on that (once a week) commute because I'm heading into the city and all the serious cyclists are heading out for their evening spin. or whatever they do. I see some nice lights bearing down on me from time to time... makes me want HID.

The commute in Calgary is pretty fast, but I usually pass most people. The other day I caught up with an old fellow with some sort of home made power assist unit on a trailer. It looked like a lawn mower engine. He was doing about 30kmh so I passed him and said hello, sure enough he cranked it up and the race was on. His top speed was about 35 so I held him off but just barely as we were going up a fairly decent grade. Good thing our paths diverged there, I didn't have much left.:)

Well, you kept racing him.

I don't mind getting passed, but what does irk me is if someone passes me and then slows down to slower than I was going before hand so that I must pass again to maintain my cadence, and then when I pass that person, they pick up again and pass me again. And if I then pour on the steam to get a little distance between us, they pour on the steam just long enough to pass me and slow down.

I had a moron who did that consistently on my last commute day after day. I eventually had to just change my route if I saw him. It wasn't that I couldn't beat him every time, but that it was morning, I didn't really like the job I was going to and turning it into a race really destroyed my composure and ruined a pleasant morning ride. I couldn't just pass him; and his pace without me in front would make me late for work. So I just avoided him.

Today, an SUV passed me just as we were approaching a line of cars waiting for a light to turn green. I knew that I could keep up with traffic once the light turned green, so it annoyed me. I kept up with the SUV, and was able to pass it on its left as it took a tight right turn (there was plenty of bail-out space to my left). Then I stayed ahead of it until I turned left off the road.

Now, imagine how I feel if someone on a MTB passes me.:eek: