You're not my coach.
 

Depending on my route home, I usually only get onto White Rock Lake's MUP to cross the bridge. Then I'm back on the roadway. Occasionally, I will follow it around and enjoy the lake, before turning off towards the house.

Last night, I stayed on the path and there is a small incline that goes for less than a quarter mile. It's not really steep enough to call it a hill, but it can slow you down a bit.

I was about halfway up this incline, when I herd a voice behind me say, "Don't stop." The sun was just setting behind me so when I looked in my rearview mirror all I could see was the silhouette of a cyclist coming up the little hill.

"Keep going." He says.

I was thinking, "Does it look like I'm having a problem, here? Does he really think that he has to encourage me to stay on my bike?"

"Push...push...push...push"

His rhythm was a little faster than my cadence, so I picked up the pace to match time with his "coaching." (I was still thinking, "Who is this guy and why does he feel the need to talk me up this little hill?") He was in a higher gear, because even at the same cadence, he was gaining on me.

...
"Don't stop."
"Keep at it."
"Push...push...push...push"
...

I was just topping the slope, when he called out, "On your left!"

Now, I use that shout out so as not to surprise anyone who may be unaware of my presence. If the others already know I'm there, why issue the warning?

I thought, "Well duh! Obviously, I know you're on my left. You just talked me up the hill!"

That's when I looked over and realized he was on a tandem. He wasn't talking to me at all. He was encouraging his stoker.

I suddenly felt rather silly. I gave them both a nod. They are probably still wondering what had me all tickled, as they went by.

:roflmao:

So does this qualify as self-pwnage? Nice story. :D

that was a good story. like oboeguy said, you totally pwned yourself.

:roflmao: :lol: :roflmao:

That's pretty funny.

lol, good story

HAHAH

Awesome

Reminds me of the joke about the guy in the toilet stall who thinks a guy in the next stall is talking to him until he hears the guy say, "Just a second, I gotta hang up because the jerk in the next stall keeps talking to me."

:)

I've had one encounter with a tandem. It was on my morning commute a couple weeks ago. I caught up to them and passed. Then, the wind, the headwind kicked in. They caught me, passed me and kept widening the distance until they left the bike path. They were a retirement age couple and thoroughly humiliated me. Then, I learned about tandem bikes and wind.

I have since caught them and passed them while riding their touring bikes. I didn't have time to stop and talk. I wonder how many bikes they have.

My ride home, the lights are about 3/4 mi apart and timed for rush-hour cars. If I push it, I can make it through 5 or 6 without stopping. One time I got moving pretty good and a tandem fell in behind me. They were pushing it but couldn't overtake me, and we all got stuck at the next red.

"gotta hit 28 and hold it to make it through that one" the cap said
"you almost had it!" said the stoker

i'm just smiled and nodded (completely winded) thinking, "damn, ok next time YOU guys pull!" but they just waved and made a left. felt pretty good though :)

That IS funny.

Up until the "On your left" it might have been some lone cyclist making a bit of extra cash doing phone sex. The imagination boggles.

That's hilarious!

Quality! I like the fact you were clearly hacked off by this guy, and it turns out he was doing nothing like what you thought! If he had been, he'd have been the weirdest guy ever though!!!

Great story!

reminds me of the story about the guy and the stranger next to him that keeps eating the guy's cookies. Good story.

Me and the little woman like to dust off those spandex kitted, carbon fiber laden roadies on our MTB tandem.. it's funnier than heck. More her than me, but still quite funny none the less.

She'll put on an old tie die shirt, and I'll go with a Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned and flapping all over the place...cut offs and Teva's finish off the look. Then we peddle up to the spandex highway and lay in wait. It doesn't take long until a lance-wanna-be blows by like it's 100 yards to the finish. We wave and say hi, but most of the time it's a snobby one that just snubbs us as he passes.
They try to get away, but on the flats, there is no escape from a tandem...even from older, overweight people on a tandem.

We push to reel them in then hang back a 1/2 block to wear them down a bit. As the road graduates to a slight downhill we'll click up the last remaining gears and blow by them like they are standing still. The smartpants woman on the back usually makes some witty comment as she goes by with no hands and snatches up the poor roadie's over inflated ego. Tandems are fun.