Recumbent - Got drafted for the first time yesterday
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unixpro
03-04-08, 04:39 PM
I was leaving work on my commute home. I was stopped at a light. Just when the light changed, a roadie came up beside me and passed. No problem, but I was feeling a little cocky so I pressed into it and went on past the guy. A little bit further down, I checked the mirrors and didn't find him. There were no turn-offs, and he wasn't riding on the sidewalk, so I did a quick shoulder check. Sure enough, the guy had tucked in right behind me and was drafting!
I kept it above 17 until the next light, when I stopped and he slid on past.
I wonder if the guy might have behaved differently if he'd known that I've only had the bike for a couple of weeks and about 250 miles :)
Sometimes I'll pass someone who will then step up their pace to pass me, then once they're ahead they invariably slow to their original pace and leave me riding up on them again. If they're insistent on leading and are traveling at the same speed I am I'll gladly let them tow me along for a while. Sounds like that's what might have happened with you.
unixpro
03-04-08, 06:53 PM
Nope. I passed him at 15 and leveled off at 17. I held my speed until the next light.
BlazingPedals
03-04-08, 07:20 PM
He was probably just checking how fast you were going, then decided at the next light to resume his normal ride. Do I read into your story that he blew a red light?
redorblack
03-11-08, 01:41 AM
Curious what your riding and what sort of terrain. 15-17mph isn't very fast on a flat, but faster than I could maintain with about that sort of bent mileage. A few weeks ago I went on a group ride and a couple of us broke off and were cruising around 21-22 after one lady who could drop me at will last year passed me and I decided to reel her in and show off a bit. I caught her doing about 22 and then took the lead and had to get up over 26mph for a couple of miles to make her drop. We took a breather and then cruised the rest of the route with one other guy at about 21-22mph... after which I got to solo home 10 more miles (it was a mostly flat ride except for my ride to the ride). I've gotten about 1300 bent miles in since November and it took about 500-800 miles to get me up to matching my DF speeds on average, now I'm quite a bit faster on the flats.
It's fun to go fast, just remember to keep it fun.