Bikes-N-Drums

There's something in some of us that drives us to outdo the other guy (or girl).
I was out for a slow-paced, relaxing ride yesterday when in my mirror I could see another cyclist approaching from the rear and chugging away. He was trying to overcome me. I let him get about 50 yards behind and then I really layed on the heat. He was still gaining on me...we were neck and neck, both of us furiously trying to outride the other! And all of a sudden, I thought to myself, why was I doing this? Why do I even care? Why did he? I'm no racer. I don't compete. And more importantly, I was out for a relaxing ride, not a training session, not a race. Why was I all at once unable to resist the urge to compete?
What was it that caused this sudden competition between two unknown cyclists? Was this simply a manifestation of our egos? Was this an opportunity that presented itself to each of us to push ourselves beyond what we could achieve riding alone, using the other cyclist as a benchmark for our own performance? Were we defining ourselves by defining the other rider first?
In the forums, clubs and LBS', we're colleagues and friends... but as strangers on the streets it seems we're enemies to be outdone! Who else falls victim to that competitive spirit for no apparent reason?

a2psyklnut

Every time I ride!!!

Even if the other rider is coming the other way. My average speed seems to climb 1 or 2 mph.

My friend and I were on an easy paced training ride, and lo and behold, we came up on two other cyclists. We kept a steady pace and as they got closer, they noticed us and began to speed up. We then, subconsciouly sped up to continue to overtake them.

After the ride, my buddy pointed it out to me. I didn't even realize we had increased our average speed by 3 mph due to this "little race".

ChipRGW

It is human nature. Better, stronger, faster, farther... It drives mankind in many ways good and bad alike. It is what took us to the moon and to the brink of destruction.

My wife and I were riding a couple weeks ago. This guy on a nice MTB comes up behind us and passes. (Keep in mind, this is while I was riding the Roadmaster POS) I couldn't help but to step up my cadence and fall in line behind him. He picked up his pace. So did I. He grabbed his highest gear. I increased my pace again. It was evening twilight, he wasn't equipped for riding at night, but my light kept his legs nicely illuminated. He picked up his pace again. I finally grabbed the next gear staying on his tail. He seemed to be getting frantic trying to escape. He was pedalling like a madman, he even stood to try to sprint away and break my draft. I still had another gear, but I left it untouchedand continued to dog him, my wife left far behind. Finally, we approached a stop sign. He didn't, I did. I have not seen him since. 2 days ago (riding my new Sirrus roadie) I was riding the same path at the same time of day. Oh how I hoped to see my MTB friend again. But it wasn't to be. I think when he realized he couldn't escape my fat a$$ on the POS he may have traded his bike in for a moped.

ChipR

Greg

It happens all the time.

I like having someone way ahead of me on the road or path. I'm able to study their style, cadence and body language and watch if they coast down hills or push up them. I alter my actions to slowly gain on them.

I find I can dig deeper than normal if I'm in a hunt.

Every time I'm out on a "simple spin" and someone blows by me I can't help but try to regain them and pass.

Often, after a 10 to 20 mile "race" I've turned to the total stranger and thanked them for the challenge. Never any weird feelings.

WoodyUpstate

Maybe you are a racer!! Perhaps you've been repressing your competitive desires.

Matadon

I've done the same thing. You must admit, it makes for great training.

RonH

It happens to me all the time.
If I see someone coming up behind me I'll pour it on. I even do this when I returning home and am in the cool down mode. :confused:
I've even done it when the person coming up behind me is much younger -- like 20 years old. Who am I kidding? There's no way in hell I'm going to beat this person. What am I doing???
Then when I am totally spent he/she flies past me without a word. Just a wave or "on your left" and they're gone.

I guess it's just the competitive side we all have.

Isn't riding fun?!

roadbuzz

Testosterone.

morsen

This all seems so foreign to me. I have no idea what it's like to get caught.

SoreBum

My father (also a cyclist) has always said:

"One cyclist goes for a ride, two cyclists go for a race"

Maelstrom 

I try out here but most people on a bike in this town are above average athletes / riders. I do ok but almost anyone I see on the trails I run can smoke my ass all over whistler ...

Now put me back in Ontario...then I will be screaming past people.

Gavin

This summer I did my first extended ride on the KVR Railgrade here in B.C. It was a five day trip on a railbed that has had all the ties pulled. It has become fairly popular. Anyways, their were 4 other gruops on the trail that we would see every day. All of these groups were carrying the bear minimum in gear as they were all staying in the lodges at every stop. Every day my girlfriend and I were the last to leave the rest sites. It would drive my girlfriend crazy because I had to charge untill we caught the first group. We even managed to reel in a group the had an 1 hour and 45 five minute lead on us. They were a larger group however that were making lots of stops. To make it even more interesting we were the only ones with full suspension bikes. Groups at the beggining of the trip who were asking if the full suspention was a wise choice were muttering " here comes those two on the full suspention bikes" as we would fly by them with full paniers. It was fun, every time I would catch a glimps of a group in fromt of us down the trail visions of being in a 24 hour race would start playing in my head and I had to go for it. This competitive syndrome also has its drawbacks however during those times when I was putting the pedal to the metal in the morning I was also zoning out all the awsome scenery around me. My girlfriend got a little anoyed about this, and she was making a good point.

fubar5

If you want a real challenge, try to NOT race other unknown cyclists when you see them.

Michel Gagnon

That kind of competition does not really inspire me.

If I accelerate a bit before passing someone, it's mostly to pass another person more quickly and get back in line.

And when I see someone who wants to pass me, I often slow down a little bit so the other person passes me quicker.

Regards,

Bandit

not me, man. i couldn't care less if i'm overtaking or being overtaken. i think it comes from being older ... all the testosterone has been wrung out, leaving a prune who likes to spin and sitesee.

reminds me of the old joke: two bulls are standing at the top of a hill, looking down on a pastureful of beautiful cows.

the young bull becomes very excited and yells to the old bull, "old bull, let's run down there into that pasture and #$% us a cow!"

to which the old bull calmly replies, "let's STROLL down and #@$# 'em all."

hillyman

I must have been born with a little Henry David Thoreau blood in me.To me cycling is just a Sunday ride in a convertible but I am the motor.I might miss the lake or the overlook if I ride too fast.Work is what I want to hurry up and get done,not my riding

flyefisher

Frig it. It's fun to overtake and sometimes you're overtaken. It can all be in good fun and the spirit of competition. Competition does not have to hold any animosity.

Pete Clark

That was me! Curses, foiled again!!@@$%!^

Speaking of competition, I was thinking exactly the same thought today, and had pondered a thread about it.

CURSES!!! #)@**($!!!



(I was going to call it, "Pride makes you stronger." If you think about it, while pride does go before a fall, competition makes you push yourself. Seems a bit perverse, spiritually speaking, so I'm going to ponder it a bit more...)

(...good thread, even if I say so myself! :thumbup: )

The Speaker Guy

Segue to this old joke:
A farm has a large herd divided between two established bulls. One day a truck delivers a new bull. He asks politely, but neither of the old guard will let him have any of their cows.

The next day a truck delivers a behemoth bull bigger than all of them combined.

The two old bulls chime in real quick "Oh, he can have some of my cows, yesiree." The young bull just paws the ground and snorts at the big bull. The two old bulls say "What are you doing that for? You don't have any cows to fight for"

To which the young bull replies "I'm making sure he doesn't think I'm a cow!"

willic

B-n.D.!

I believe the competative edge lies in all of us.

It is a latent savagery lying dormant in our sphyco from the time when we were still living in caves and battling each other for a share of the Hairy Mamoth kill. In terms of brain size we have only increased a tiny fraction on the evolution scale since those days.

Any sign of another person even hinting at competing with us , raises that flaw in our nature.

Bandit

"latent savagery lying dormant in our sphyco "

gadzooks, man ... this is a family bulletin board. have you no shame?

webist

A specific incident comes to mind when pondering this thread.

Several weeks ago a friend and I were doing our Saturday 20 miler. I have a third eye mirror. He doesn't consider them stylish. We are casually riding up a gentle grade of about a mile and having a conversation. Though I had noticed the approach from the rear, I hadn't said anything when a person carrying a greater number of pounds per inch of body height than we, yelled "Good morning" and "On your left," zipped around us on a hybrid at about 10 MPH. I noted that we were moving at about 8 MPH at the time.

My friend made several irreverant references to the BMI and several gender specific harsh remarks regarding the other rider and then caastigated me for not using my mirror to warn him of the impending humiliation. Before he could leave his saddle for the sprint, the other rider turned into a driveway and waved at us as we passed.

Now, whenever we do that section of road, my buddy sprints without any specific comment. It irritates him no end that I maintain my pace and am unbothered by the perceived "humiliation."

Truth is, I wasn't using the mirror at the time and usually tend to stick to my "game plan" for a ride rather than respond to other riders.

Often my game plan will include chasing down other riders, a 1 minute sprint every time I spot a roadrunner or a rabbit, some one legged pedaling, or hill repeats. I have a lot of fun no matter my plan. I will frequently review my riding form when encountering other riders, but generally will not deviate from my intended workout.