ochizon

So Im out today riding around the golf course, where a lot of guys do. Im puttering along at about 17-18mph. A roadie blows by me. No big deal.

I notice that after blowing by me, he slows down, almost to my same pace. I just keep chugging along, now pacing him (not on purpose, he just slowed to it).

Ahead of both of us are two guys on road bikes. So the guy in front of me starts sprinting, and blows by them like he did me. Then slows again. I at this point had picked up my pace a bit for my own purposes. I am now doing 19-20. I pass the guys that he just passed, and I am coming up on the guy. As I begin to pass him he FREAKS out and sprints ahead to make sure I dont get by.

I just continued my pace.

What is with these guys sometimes?

lil brown bat

I don't know, but if the purpose of the anecdote was to point out the guy's ego or whatever, while at the same time making the point that you were able to catch him without half trying, isn't this a bit like the pot calling the kettle black?

atomship47

"Who are you to wave your finger?
You must a been out your head
Eye hole deep in muddy waters
You practically raised the dead

Rob the grave to snow the cradle
Then burn the evidence down
Soapbox, house of cards, and glass
So don't go tossin' your stones around

You must a been high
You must a been high
You must a been.....

Foot in mouth, and head up ass
So what you talkin' 'bout?
Difficult to dance round this one
'Til you pull it out, boy

You must a been so high
You must a been so high

Steal, borrow, refer
Save your shady inference
Kangaroo done hung the juror with the innocent

Now you're weeping shades of cozen indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle
You must a been high, high
You must a been high, high

Who are you to wave your finger?
So full of it
Eyeballs deep in muddy waters
****ing hypocrite

Liar, lawyer, mirror show me,
What's the difference
Kangaroo done hung the guilty with the innocent

Now you're weeping shades of cozen indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle

You must a been

So who are you to wave your finger?
Who are you to wave your fatty fingers at me?
You must a been out your mind

Weeping shades of indigo
Shed without a reason
Weeping shades of indigo

Liar, lawyer, mirror for you
What's the difference?
Kangaroo be stoned
He's guilty as the government

Now you're weeping shades of cozen indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle

You musta been high, high, high, high
Eyeballs deep in bloody waters
You're balls deep in muddy waters
Ganja puhleeze
You must a been out your mind"

StephenH

You don't often see it to that extreme. But I think it's just human nature, when you get behind somebody, to sort of speed up. And it's human nature, when you don't have anyone in front of you, to take it easy. That's one reason I like having a speedometer on my bike, so I can sort of keep a steady pace when passing people, instead of speeding up and slowing down.

People drive like that too, sometimes, gets irritating. Cruise control helps.

Stujoe

I never - well extremely rarely - pass anyone but when I get passed, I usually speed up for a while just to push myself. I don't suck wheel but just try to maintain the pace from a distance. Similarly, maybe he likes to push himself and attack each pass.

flip18436572

I don't run into that, because I am probably the only one riding the highway north of my town and if I do see another person, it is always the opposite direction for some reason. Maybe once a month at best.

I would bet that if I saw someone out in front of me, I might try and catch them. I don't know if I would pass them, but unless they were running the same pace as me, I would try and continue at my same pace.

ochizon

nope. I get passed ALL THE time, but usually stay passed In this case, it seemed like a show of sorts.

I guess you might be right. I hadnt thought of that angle.


Either way, I just found it amusing, and thoughts some others might. Guess not.

mkadam68

One freak on a bike does not a roadie make. The "racer-types" I ride with, coulda cared less if you--or anyone else--passed them. They know the true test would be on raceday and if you want a real test, come on out.

ochizon

That is how most of the guys I see are. They do their own thing. Some guys ride slow, maybe warming up, cooling down, or just taking it easy. Some guys blow past, keep going, and I never see them again. People generally do their own thing unconcerned about others around. Which, again, is why I found the one guy odd.

lmxloco

While it might be unlikely considering the timing of his sprints, it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could be doing some interval training.

I know I will do short heavy sprints and then back off to pace in order to build my cardio fitness...and sometimes that might look like I'm sprinting solely to pass someone only to back off once I've passed.

Big Scott

They may have been doing intervals or some type of Fartlek training or just trying to dop ya. Fartlek is just like interval training but not as hardcore. I do those at least three times a week to help my sprint. Spin-ups are also good to do even on easy rides.

-Scott

Snapperhead

This is me for sure. I do group rides on the weekends and before I start I think about how I feel and what I want out of the next 30 or so miles. Then I do what I can to improve my own personal average speed, or take the hills faster, or build faster recovery. I’m very often not concerned with what someone else might or might not be doing.

Also, being 6'3" and 220, is like being a drafting magnet. I could care less. If someone wants to suck my wheel for 20 miles and then blow by me, more power to'em. Like I said, I'm out there for me.

CACycling

I usually speed up to pass unless I'm already going a lot faster than the bike I'm approaching. I do this because passing usually entails leaving the bike lane and entering the lane of traffic or crossing into the oncoming lane of a MUP. I then slow back to the pace I was riding after the pass.

If I am passed, I often find myself matching that person's pace unless they are really flying. This happens a lot when I'm riding with my wife (who rides at a slower pace than I typically do) until I look back to see I've dropped her.

As for speeding up to prevent a pass, if anything, I will slow or pull to the right to make it easier for a faster rider to pass.

professorbob

I had a college guy once do the same thing. I'm almost 50 and I think he he felt that if he couldn't blow away some old duffer, then he was in trouble. I let him go with a smile...

BigUgly

Some people just enjoy being schmucks.

unterhausen

people do that all the time on the interstate, but I think that's because they are afraid of cops. I wish people would learn to use their cruise control.

I'm guessing the cyclist in question does pass people quickly on purpose. I know I do simply because I don't like to be out in the middle of traffic or on the wrong side of a bike path. But I never concern myself with the riding of people I don't know as long as they aren't endangering me. If someone did what the OP did, I'd be annoyed.

ochizon

Happy to help

LongarmBiker

Same thing, of sorts, happened to me on my commute home last night. Not a roadie, just a guy on a bike. He was just crusing along, but really picked up the pace when the old fat fart (me) passed him. He passed me on a down hill and then pedal like crazy to stay ahead of me. He was weaving allover the shoulder and the cars and I were afraid to pass him. No point to the story, just amused at people's egos. Besides what else do I have to think about during my hour long commute? LAB

unterhausen

sorry I passed you on the golf course the other day, I was just out building my rep as a roadie p----k

vorkus

Oh, I know what you're talking about. I call it "putting the fear of fat" into them. They see you knocking on their back door and they panic.

I had one guy on a mountain bike sprint his little heart out to get around me. That's fine. I'm doing my thing. He gets about 50 yards ahead and stops peddling for a bit. Keeps looking back. Peddles some more. I keep doing my thing. This went on for about 3 miles. I stayed about 50 yards back. I finally wore him out. He pulled over at the next bench (rail trail).

John

Wogster

It's called insecurity in ones sexuality, they need to constantly prove their manliness. Then you get other guys (like me) who are secure in their sexuality and don't feel they need to prove their manliness. We don't mind wearing a pink shirt and carrying our wifes purse at the same time either.

Sammiches

ah, but the real test is to do so while obtaining feminine products for her at your local convenience store.

Wogster

I've never understood the hangup some guys have about that, obviously your buying them for someone of the female persuasion, it's not like a guy would have a use for them himself.... Yes I have done it, after making sure exactly which ones she wanted.....

lil brown bat

Is it a hallmark of manliness to armchair-psychoanalyze complete strangers? Why...somehow I think it might be. Or perhaps it's just MAS.

Wogster

MAS?