OP Thanks for a good story. I have learned many things in my short tenure with this forum, amongst which includes:
1) No matter how much it appears I am racing someone on a ride, there is good chance he is just training,
2) If I tell a story, make sure I consider that I will have an expert review it.
3) You cannot be hardcore enough, unless you too hardcore, then you might be a Fred (which btw appears to have a floating meaning that varies from thread to thread).