I just think this forum needs some "We can kick *** too" pep! SO I'll start with on of my fine memories.

It was about 3 years ago. I had been training for a big ride with 10,000 ft of climbing. I had trained hard and watched my intake. I'm at 245 now but at this time I was 220 and climbing with ease. A guy at work had asked if I rode mtn bikes. I didn't much at the time but had a TREK 800. A rec rider version of an mtb. No suspension but only paid $250 for it. Slapped on some good tires and I was ready to go.

I accepted his invite to go on an mtb ride at Herky Creek near Idlwilde. He had asked about my climing abilities. I said I could climb but wasn't superfast. I had been training with mtn goats so I guess we had a different meaning of the word "fast". He went on as he was a vegetarian. Always eating veges and a slim wasitline compared to my thick trunk. Later a few other guys gathered to hear his stories. I was actually thinking thsi gu would spank me in the dirt. He described the tough climbs, but heck, I was willing to try after doing a 20% climb on my standard double roadie.

Later in the conversation, he stated that his neighbor was a big guy about my size, strong but just not able to carry his weight up the hills as he could. Then it came to " I don't doubt you are strong, but you can't possibly carry all that weight up a big hill". I was out for a friendly ride, but from that point, it was on BABY! One guy even challenged me to a race. This guy was always talking about his spiffy gun collection. Said he'd put up his prize gun against $500 of mine. I guess his Yeti Superlite was really something.

So the day comes, I meet the vege guy for the ride. He takes off like a bullet across the campground. I'm thinking this guy is fast if he can carry this pace throughout the ride. About 1/2 mile later he slows. I ca't help but go around. The first climb is a dried up waterfall. Really cool but tought keeping traction on a rigid mtb. The vege guy and his full suspension bike quickly fell behind. I scale the first climb and look back. Where is my climber friend? I waited about ten minutes before he showed up. I was just about to go back worried that he might have crashed. I asked if he was ok, he said fine. He asked how long I was up before he arrived. I said about 10 mintues. Wow, ten minutes on a one mile dirt climb. Well. we cut the ride short and I was never invited on a ride again.

As far as the gun dude, he said all bets were off!:D

Yeah, we kick *** too!;)

I plan on breakin' some stereotypes at the Chilly Hilly ride this Sunday. I've been riding all winter, and for the last month I've put in around 6000' of climbing per week, just in my commute. The 2750' on this 33 mile ride should be a cakewalk.

Last year on the TdC ride, I kept getting passed by a group of skinny riders going up the hills and I'd coast past them on the other side while they were grinding their big ring trying to keep up.

Wow.

You da man, Mr. Beanz.

Good going. But the key there is to pick the right skinny guys to race against!

I noticed a similar thing when hiking in the Colorado mountains. I got good at it and lost quite a bit of weight. I was faster going uphill than 80-90% of the other people out there. But still, I noticed that the people that were really good at it weren't big stocky people that had built up huge muscles, they were just people that were pretty slim and fit all over.

I haven't broken any skinny guy's hearts in bike riding, although I've passed a few. One of the neatest times was riding around White Rock Lake here in Dallas. I was riding kind of crossways to the wind, which was whipping pretty good, and this fit-looking guy passed me. But a ways up the trail, we made a turn into the wind, and after a while I passed him and about 6 or 8 other people while cranking into the wind at 12 mph.