I know it's not a race, but...

My commute includes a decent climb - I don't know the grade or elevation; people in San Fran or Seattle would probably snicker at what I call a climb - but here in the flatlands, it's a decent climb. When I started cycle commuting a year ago, I took that hill in my granny gear, and a few times got to watch a much stronger rider blow past me on the way up. Today, as I rode up the hill using the middle chain ring, I easily overtook another rider spinning in his granny gear. It was kind of like seeing a distant echo of myself.

I'm not the fastest guy out there by any stretch, but it was nice to see how far I've come in the last year.