Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Humbled

Came across another rider this afternoon on one of the cross-overs connecting a couple MUP's. Guy was looking for directions to get to the trail that went up to my town. I told him to follow me for a bit and I'll get him there.

When we get to the trail in question, he takes off. I decide to hang. He is on an old nameless Schwinn, biggest POS I've seen in 20 years. The thing squeaked worse than an old door.

Heading up the hill, we take turns passing each other a couple times. He on the junker, me on my Aluminum frame CAAD4. The guy is moving; I'm huffing and puffing to keep up.

Now, I am no Mr. Beaner, OK? I freely admit that. But, I am also not a total lost cause. When I talk belly fat, I can still see my.....toes. OK, so maybe I can only catch the tiniest glimpse of my belt buckle, but I am in pretty good shape -- for a Clyde.

Well...the guy on the squeaker passes me one last time on the steepest part of my 10-mile hill. I was moving at 18 mph, and I was gassed. There was no way, I could hang. Squeaker dropped me like I was standing still.

Heavy bikes build power ;)

You haven't snarked on hybrids lately, have you? This wouldn't have been the karma train comin' through the tunnel? ;)

Had it been a nice shiny hybrid, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. Heck, even if it had been a well-maintained MTB, I'd be OK with it....but this was a 30 year-old Schwinn ten-speed, with steel tires, that probably hadn't seen an oil can since I was in high-school. :notamused:

Making it worse, this guy looked to be 10 years older than me. :eek:

I have been humbled in similar fashion.

Ask yourself this, he was far enough away from his home turf to need directions. How far does he ride that bike? Each day?

If he was wearing flip flops you have meet FRED...indeed:innocent:

I have been humbled in similar fashion.

Ask yourself this, he was far enough away from his home turf to need directions. How far does he ride that bike? Each day?

+1... He may have been car free, by choice, or by State order. I have a friend that is car free by State order, and rides the biggest POS bikes you could ever care to see. But, he rides them everywhere he has to go, everyday. He doesn't look like it, but he is a very strong rider. I would have to train very hard to even come close to the way he rides.

He had on biking shorts and was running clipless, but was wearing an old T-shirt. By the looks of it, he didn't even break a sweat.

Impressive! I love/hate those days

Another lesson for us all in not jumping to conclusions based on someone's bike. To borrow a phrase, It's Not About The Bike.

I do wish it was though............................

Somewhere, there's a dude posting online about his experience dropping some over-weight poseur/charlatan


Jes sayin'...

:D

Somewhere, there's a dude posting online about his experience dropping some over-weight poseur/charlatan


Jes sayin'...

:D

Cold.:rolleyes:

Somewhere, there's a dude posting online about his experience dropping some over-weight poseur/charlatan


Jes sayin'...

:D


Cold.:rolleyes:

Indeed.

:roflmao:

If the guy was a lot lighter than you, it would explain the disparity in your climbing speeds.

If the guy was a lot lighter than you, it would explain the disparity in your climbing speeds.

I go 220#; this guy was 165 max. Big Disparity! :o

I have a bud, about 8 years ago at age 65 decided to hang with a local race team from an LBS. He left the reststop as the team was getting ready. He said "i'll try to keep up with these young guys. They laughed as he rode an old garage sale bike, old white helmet looked carved from an old styro ice chest, bar tape hanging from his bars. He took off with the group of nearly 15 riders in ,matching uniforms as they laughed at him.

15 miles down the road Gina and I pull up on our tandem as the team was stopped at a small park for water. I asked one of the guys,"so where is the old man?". They just looked at me with awe on their faces," dude, that old guy dropped our arses like hot potatoes". We just laughed and headed on.:D

My bud was old but could average 24 mph on his oldie but goodie!:thumb:

I have a bud, about 8 years ago at age 65 decided to hang with a local race team from an LBS. He left the reststop as the team was getting ready. He said "i'll try to keep up with these young guys. They laughed as he rode an old garage sale bike, old white helmet looked carved from an old styro ice chest, bar tape hanging from his bars. He took off with the group of nearly 15 riders in ,matching uniforms as they laughed at him.

15 miles down the road Gina and I pull up on our tandem as the team was stopped at a small park for water. I asked one of the guys,"so where is the old man?". They just looked at me with awe on their faces," dude, that old guy dropped our arses like hot potatoes". We just laughed and headed on.:D

My bud was old but could average 24 mph on his oldie but goodie!:thumb:

I'm not sure what embarrassed them more: being blown away by a 65 yr-old or being dusted by one that looked like he belonged on a trike?

My pop is 67 and he leaves me behind pretty regular-like, but, at least, he has solid equipment. He spent the winter down in Florida embarrassing hot-shots who rode in pace lines. I don't think he averages 24, but he's not too far off of it.

Some of those guys are just in a different league. I can hold 18 mph avg for a few hours on the flat, but usually slide back to 15 or so over any kind of distance.

I remember doing the Golden Triangle one year, 3 days, 300Km, 5,000 foot elevation gain. Half way thru first day, grinding up an interminable slope, being passed by someone who looked like my Grannie, on a Grannie looking bike, With a Basket!

In your defense. The male in all of us says, "alright, this guy thinks since I have a POS, that he is going to be better or faster and I will show him"

You know he was all out the whole way too.

dont sweat it, I suck but no one loves to ride more than me.

Thanks for all your responses. It's good to know that I am not alone in having had my doors blown off by an apparent "ringer". ;)

Things are not as bad as they could have been. The guy did have a helmet on and, as I mentioned before, he was in clipless shoes and wore the cycling pants. Also, as was stated above by an observant reader, he was far enough from home to need directions. So, obviously, this guy rode.

Still, I see it as a call to get myself into better shape. It definitely showed me how much more work I have left to do. :thumb:

I was riding with a guy today that was probably in his late 50's early 60's, we were riding up a pretty steep hill in Miami. The guy was Italian in Miami to get some training in while the weather was not particularly good in Europe. I asked if he had ridden in the "Snowbird Century" a couple weeks prior. He said "no I have only been here a couple days, I rode the tour of flanders course on saturday" Apparently the day before the race they let riders, ride the course. He said there were 19,000 riders. 7,000 snuck on the course.

I was pretty amazed, if anyone has seen that race on tv the course is pretty incredible. Cobblestones and multiple 20% grade hills.

Where exactly in Ohio is this "10 mile" hill?

Where exactly in Ohio is this "10 mile" hill?

It's stealthy.

Serious, we have this railroad grade incline on the MUP which goes from the river on up into town that climbs for 10 freaking miles. Grown men have been known to weep while coming up it. :D

My mother-in-law-to-be-maybe-someday kept hollering for us to get the car last time (and it was the last time) we tried dragging her up it. But, then again, she only rides a bike once every couple years.

Serious, we have this railroad grade incline on the MUP which goes from the river on up into town that climbs for 10 freaking miles. Grown men have been known to weep while coming up it. :D

One of these days I'm going to come over there and make you show me where all these good trails are. I love riding the Yelow Springs area, but I don't make it over there often enough to know my way around. ;)

-DR

One of these days I'm going to come over there and make you show me where all these good trails are. I love riding the Yelow Springs area, but I don't make it over there often enough to know my way around. ;)

-DR

You're not a "ringer", are ya? :rolleyes:

BTW: I hope to live (and ride) long enough to bicycle that trail they are building that runs from Xenia to Cleveland. It currently goes past London, to Wilson road, over by Darby Creek, W-Jeff, a mere shout from Hilliard and Georgesville. It's 100 miles r/t from here.

You head West, I'll go East; we can High-five in South Charleston. :D