You never know when, during the course of your regular 26-mile training ride, things will suddenly get interesting. Like today for instance....

Nothing unusual in the first half of the ride. At about mile 15 while on the nice wide, flat parkway road, I picked a spot and practiced what a breakaway must be like. From doing 17's, I grabbed a bigger gear, popped out of the saddle and hammered it up to 23, which I then held while down in the drops for about a half mile until the next stop sign. Little did I know at the time I'd be needing to repeat that process for real on this ride!

Pooped, I was thinking about that burst while puttering around 16 toward mile 20.

Then it happend. "The KNAVE" passed me from out of nowhere.

Some background first. I nicknamed him the Knave about two years ago this stranger, because, well, he just seems to me to be a guy that would be like a knave....always there bugging me, tempting me, egging me on in his own way. He's an older guy on an older hybrid bike with fatter tires. His T-shirt flops in the wind. His regular tennis shoes slide on his pedals. He's hunched over the flat bar with the same beat-up old cloth bag strapped to the rack over his back wheel. This is no roadie! This guy can't be passing ME! Of course he can...and has many times over the past few years.

He's an interesting case for me. He's always, and I mean always out there riding when I am. I see him almost daily, but most times this season he's been going the opposite way. On the one hand, I respect the hell out of this guy for what he does on that bike. But on the other hand, he drives me nuts because he's not firendly (I tried talking to him two years ago and got nowhere) and I know he likes to play head games big time. In my opinion, I bet he sort of gets off on burying guys in riding clothes with their fancy bikes. Just the vibe I get.

How do I know that? "The Look" that's how. He always does it. He'll speed up to make a pass, get ahead and give you 'The Look" everytime. It pisses me off still.

So with that background, here's today's story.

The Knave passes me late in my ride. I laugh to myself inside. Finally we meet, and you've made your pass. I know I can pass back if I want, despite being tired because I've done it before. But do I want to play games this late in my ride today? Not really. I ride about 100 feet back from him, holding the distance and tempted....oh so tempted. But what's that noise I hear now? Da heck? Another guy, white sleeveless jersey on an older Trek goes past me to grab the wheel of the Knave. Now I'm really wondering. A new player in the game!

We all stop at an intersection waiting for a couple of cars to pass. (No words spoken of course)

I take off first, but not hard. I'm going into some wind on mile 22 of 26....tired...and wondering how long it will be before they pass me. They didn't. I pulled as it turned out, even though they said nothing to me.

When we got to a downhill through some woods, white sleeveless pulled a breakaway. It was obvious. He planned this. He picked this spot and exploded off the front. Seconds later, The Knave goes squeaking past me in an effort to keep up with him. I just maintain and watch, not knowing really what I shold do at this point. I figured I'd just stay steady and watch them go at it. Around a turn at about 20 mph they went, me in tow a half block back watching and still debating what to do.

Then he did it.

The Knave gave me "The Look" and as usual, it drove me nuts. Now I too said, "Fine. You wanna play, I'm comin' out too." I could see our leader white sleeveless had spend his load already, riding up and easier along the lagoon now. The Knave and I were gaining on him quickly.

White sleeveless went straight where I turn right. He was probably thinking and feeling pretty good about himself for dropping me. He never knew that I was much closer coming back on him. It wasn't the drop he thought.

The Knave, like me and just ahead of me, turned right as well. I would pick him off next...but I saw it coming. He slowed. I've seen him stop at the Greenfield Park golf course clubhouse before, and it was coming up. I blew by him, unable to have beaten him at speed since he pulled off course. But do know Knave, should you ever read this, that you were going down had you continued on! I too can play games.

I should have gone after that first white sleeveless breakaway right away. Waiting really costs you. It took "The Look" from the Knave to make me mad enough to give chase. Like I said before, I don't know why, but "The Look" gets me every time. You?