Fahrenheit531 

I've got a couple of things I find myself saying regularly with regard to commuting, or cycling in general, and I'm wondering if anyone else had some little witticisms of their own.

When asked, "Are you really riding in this?" when getting set to leave work in rain or cold or cold rain or blistering heat I'll often say, "Weather doesn't tell me if I ride or not; it just tells me what to wear when I do."

And of course on hills I'm fond of the classic, "That's enough out of you, legs. Shut up and pedal."

I also make a point to give a wave, nod, or both to almost every motorist who decides to wait an extra few seconds instead of stomping the gas to make their turn ahead of me because I do appreciate it. And I always think as I wave, "Thanks for not being a dick."

What about you?

Wildwood 

A ski patroller saying = No such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing.

nlerner

I don't have anything witty, but when I regularly get asked, "You didn't ride to work today, did you?", I always answer, "Of course I did!"

OldsCOOL

Hills are your friends, dont avoid them.

obrentharris 

For me it's more songs than slogans. On a nice long winding descent I find myself singing "yes, I'm the great descender..." to the tune of The Great Pretender." I'm not really a great descender, competent but not great.
Brent

noglider 

Thursday, I was riding to work and was in danger of being late for a meeting. The meeting was with my boss and his boss, so I really didn't want to be late. I said to myself, "Pour on some speed," so I could go fast. I was only three minutes late, which is good enough, I'm sure. It's a 14 mile commute, and I did it in my best time ever, averaging 14.7 mph, three miles of which are on city streets.

3speedslow

Someone will always chirp up and say " Be careful!" To which I automatically reply " I'm always careful, It's those other idiots..."

what at can you do.

OldsCOOL

I usually have a dozen quick answers to that "be careful" stuff. For cycling I usually say if I wanted to be careful I'd ride on the sidewalk.

Wildwood 

^^^
I like!


"Train on the heavy stuff ... race on the lightweight"

uncle uncle

Whenever I see another rider up the road or path, my head voice immediately says in calm and hushed tones, as not to be overheard, "okay, lets reel them in". Sometime during the hunt, the head voice usually says, "water is for closers", which makes both of us chuckle.

noglider 

That reminds me: When I was in high school and was headed out the door, my mother would say, "Have a good time. And be careful."

My response: "Make up your mind."

Lascauxcaveman 

From the first Star Wars movie, when the tiny rebel fleet is mounting its attack on the death star: "Allllmost there..." as I'm nearing the top of an especially insurmountable hill.

It pops into my head every time, but of course I don't say it aloud, since I'm panting and wheezing like a dying thing.

gugie 

+1!

Drillium Dude 

"F-you, legs - I heard you the first time!"

I've been saying it an awful lot in the past three years or so

DD

RobbieTunes

I have no saying. I'm a decent pace line guy, as I do the obligatory motions for objects, hazards etc.
I do not say "car back." I simply expect people to ride on the side of the lane.

When people used to say "car back" I would often ask "when is there not?" but most cyclist didn't get it.
Now, I just shut up, but think "of course, it's a highway; there is always a car back."

seedsbelize 

Thanks for the reminder. This is precisely why I avoid those things like the plague. Unfortunate, cause it's so much fun to ride in a paceline. I don't have anything appropriate to the thread either.

OldsCOOL

That's good.

Tulok

I always tell my buddies to "finish strong!" at the tops of the hills. Ha ha.

I usually am running a dialogue in my head that reaffirms me of the goal and the current section. Like, "holy sh** I am out of shape. Ugh I doubt I'll make it to the campground section. This part is bumpier than I remember. I'm not ready to puke yet so just stfu and keep pushing!"

iab

"Just keep swimming." - Dory

Wildwood 

From G.Lemond (sorta) = It's not getting easier, ....... I will get faster (maybe).

Miele Man

"DON'T LET THE HILL WIN!"

What goes up must come down - eventually.

Flesh heals; bicycle parts don't.

When mtbing on technical trails; Who put that dang tre there?

When I go to drink from my water bottle and the water's frozen solid; Dang but it might be getting chilly out here.

When leaving other bicyclists, May the wind be at your back and your flat tires few.

Cheers

Fahrenheit531 

northbend 

https://youtu.be/1nbYpY48O24
^ an old Paul Thorn song gets in my head whenever the going gets tough..

lasauge 

I regularly get a snippet of a song in Japanese that includes the line ~mawaru, mawaru recordo~ (lit. "spinning, spinning record") stuck in my head whenever I'm cruising on my Campy-equipped bike, and that puts a smile on my face, even though I know the song is actually referring to a musical recording and not a beautiful Super Record crankset.

More seriously, when I get out of the saddle, or if I'm suffering on a hard climb, my mantra is to start counting in my head 'one Mississippi, two Mississippi...', helps me keep my breathing rhythmic and evaluate my effort more objectively. If the suffering continues for an extended period, I will switch to counting in a different language, or I will start doing multiplication tables or trying to see how far I can take the Fibonacci sequence without paper to help.

Vieux chnoque

When climbing is hard, I always try to calculare the % of the road, using distance and altitude gain in meters. The moment you gain another meter you have to remember, the distance ( km ridden and the two decimals for meters) and keep an eye on the next 100 meters. With heartbeat around 158 it is not as easy as it sounds, getting distracted and you mind is sort of sluggish.
I guess with non metric systems it is even harder.