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08-15-07, 12:29 PM
So, last Saturday we're on a group ride. Not particularly pertinent except that the rule for the return leg is everyone stays together - fairly slow @ 16-18 mph. This lets the slower riders keep up and everyone chats. Approaching some small rollers one of the guys starts edging out front and jokingly kidding everyone else about poking along. As he heads up a small rise, I ask my lovely stoker (via tandem talk) if she wants to reel him in. She agrees. We up the cadence and pull up on him at 20 mph. As we're approaching his rear, I downshift two gears and tell her to stomp on it. She does. We go past at 23 mph and she says to him, "Come on slow-poke". This is entirely out of character for my non-competetive, flower picking wife! I'm aghast because she has, in effect, issued a challenge!
Being relatively new to this group (I ride with them on my single - but us not so much so on the tandem) she doesn't know that there are a number of good riders in the bunch. As might be expected from her comment, there are now 5 or 6 of them on our tail chasing us.
As we reach the top of the small hill, she says, "OK - let's slow down now". I explain to her that once issued, the challenge stands till we crap out or they overtake. This is after all, a bunch of guys she's riding with. In response I get, "Oh" - and more power to the pedals from the back seater. Now we're going 30 mph down the very gradual incline on the back side of the roller and not dropping anyone.
The fun part? We led for about 2.5 miles - till they overtook on the last hill before the stop sign. Probably ran between 21 mph (up the steeper hills) and the previously mentioned 30 mph the entire time. What a blast! Even the non-competetive stoker thought it was fun!
Did I marry the right woman or what?:D
Being relatively new to this group (I ride with them on my single - but us not so much so on the tandem) she doesn't know that there are a number of good riders in the bunch. As might be expected from her comment, there are now 5 or 6 of them on our tail chasing us.
As we reach the top of the small hill, she says, "OK - let's slow down now". I explain to her that once issued, the challenge stands till we crap out or they overtake. This is after all, a bunch of guys she's riding with. In response I get, "Oh" - and more power to the pedals from the back seater. Now we're going 30 mph down the very gradual incline on the back side of the roller and not dropping anyone.
The fun part? We led for about 2.5 miles - till they overtook on the last hill before the stop sign. Probably ran between 21 mph (up the steeper hills) and the previously mentioned 30 mph the entire time. What a blast! Even the non-competetive stoker thought it was fun!
Did I marry the right woman or what?:D