Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Mr. Beanz
09-27-08, 11:32 PM
Gina thinks this pic is a terrible one but I dig it bigtime! Shows the effort she was putting into our ride today. Got into a little friendly competition with a couple different pair of dudes. I'm a guy that enjoys riding into a headwind, one of my strongpoints. We had just exited the trail we frequent then turned onto Pacific Coast Hwy for a few extra miles. As we hop onto the hiway, I notice a couple of guys coming up from behind us. Only reason I look back at them is to make sure we don't get in their way if the happen to be rolling fast. I see them rolling about the same speed we are so no problem, I don't hinder their pace. I also see a couple other guys a bit behind them.
So we roll up to the stoplight at a crowded intersection. Cars on our left and on our right in the turning lane. Gina and I get ready to roll with traffic when the light turns green. Maybe a foot of space on our left, and maybe a foot on our right. We are single file for safety as we are between cars. As we are stopped a the white line, one guy squeezes between us and the cars. I look at him like WTF! Then his partner squeezes through, double WTF! The first guy looks at me and smiles then says hi! I felt like saying something but whatever, I though it was a stupid move on his part. An arrogant move like as if we are in his skinny little way!
So the light turns green and we are off tightly between cars. Just then the other two guys sprint around us in tight quarters without as little as a "onyerleft", pretty much buzzing us as they fly by. Allright MOFO's, now it's on! We are riding into a headwind so I plan on pacing with them, about 20 yards back so that they realize we are behind and that we aren't drafting them. So the two pair of guys are competing with eachother. I'm just cruising and I feel strong. I plan on blowing by ther butts when I see them weaken. I know they will cause their powerful sprint off the line aint looking so powerful at this point!:D
So the second set of guys begin to drop off the other two. Oh goody, you guys are dead meat! I lift the pace and Gina stays with me. We roll around them so I look in their faces and smile just to tease them. One guy is looking desparate and I know he's a goner. I let them on our wheels then lift the pace again. "Hey nice bike", then I lift the pace more. OK, byebye!:D
Then I notice the other two are weakening so I keep the same pace. We roll up behind the second guy but off to the side so that he knows I don't need to suck his wheel. He's looking a little weak in the face kind of like 'twitchy' here!:twitchy:...So we roll on by the two skinny guys!
But we get stopped at another light! Darn, this is where Gina loses ground with her 'not so fast' takeoffs. So again they sprint ahead off the line! But yes sir, once again we catch them and roll around. But again, DARN, another light!
At this point I see Gina really suffering as the sprints off the line are killing her! That's where the picture comes in. Not so pretty but the look on her face is that of suffering. One thing that makes for a great pic is one that shows the determination, the suffering and the effort a rider has applied to his or her ride. Well, at this point she just turned to me and said, "I can't anymore". I knew the sprints were killing her but she gave it her all and did well. Blew away the other two but this time, this Athena just didn't have it. Not bad, we had 40 miles in at this point so she did all I could ask! If I had been alone, I would have blown their doors off with a smile, but since Gina was with me, I let them go! No fun doing it alone, much more fun when the wife kicks arse too. And she did, the picture show it!:thumb:
" I JUST CAN'T ANYMORE!" The wonderful look of 'earned' pain!
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/tired.jpg
So we roll up to the stoplight at a crowded intersection. Cars on our left and on our right in the turning lane. Gina and I get ready to roll with traffic when the light turns green. Maybe a foot of space on our left, and maybe a foot on our right. We are single file for safety as we are between cars. As we are stopped a the white line, one guy squeezes between us and the cars. I look at him like WTF! Then his partner squeezes through, double WTF! The first guy looks at me and smiles then says hi! I felt like saying something but whatever, I though it was a stupid move on his part. An arrogant move like as if we are in his skinny little way!
So the light turns green and we are off tightly between cars. Just then the other two guys sprint around us in tight quarters without as little as a "onyerleft", pretty much buzzing us as they fly by. Allright MOFO's, now it's on! We are riding into a headwind so I plan on pacing with them, about 20 yards back so that they realize we are behind and that we aren't drafting them. So the two pair of guys are competing with eachother. I'm just cruising and I feel strong. I plan on blowing by ther butts when I see them weaken. I know they will cause their powerful sprint off the line aint looking so powerful at this point!:D
So the second set of guys begin to drop off the other two. Oh goody, you guys are dead meat! I lift the pace and Gina stays with me. We roll around them so I look in their faces and smile just to tease them. One guy is looking desparate and I know he's a goner. I let them on our wheels then lift the pace again. "Hey nice bike", then I lift the pace more. OK, byebye!:D
Then I notice the other two are weakening so I keep the same pace. We roll up behind the second guy but off to the side so that he knows I don't need to suck his wheel. He's looking a little weak in the face kind of like 'twitchy' here!:twitchy:...So we roll on by the two skinny guys!
But we get stopped at another light! Darn, this is where Gina loses ground with her 'not so fast' takeoffs. So again they sprint ahead off the line! But yes sir, once again we catch them and roll around. But again, DARN, another light!
At this point I see Gina really suffering as the sprints off the line are killing her! That's where the picture comes in. Not so pretty but the look on her face is that of suffering. One thing that makes for a great pic is one that shows the determination, the suffering and the effort a rider has applied to his or her ride. Well, at this point she just turned to me and said, "I can't anymore". I knew the sprints were killing her but she gave it her all and did well. Blew away the other two but this time, this Athena just didn't have it. Not bad, we had 40 miles in at this point so she did all I could ask! If I had been alone, I would have blown their doors off with a smile, but since Gina was with me, I let them go! No fun doing it alone, much more fun when the wife kicks arse too. And she did, the picture show it!:thumb:
" I JUST CAN'T ANYMORE!" The wonderful look of 'earned' pain!
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/tired.jpg