Originally Posted by joe932

I had fun a couple days ago. My girlfriend and I were riding our $300 road bikes at a snail's pace. A bike racer whipped by us. I caught up to him and challenged him to a race to the small hill about a kilometer away. He confidently agreed. He increased his speed to lead-out speed. I sat on his wheel. At the last moment, I whipped by him and beat him to the top of the hill by several bike lengths. His excuse was that he just rode 100 miles.

He was riding an expensive road bike with carbon wheels. He is a lean 20-something bike racer, probably cat 2. I was riding a heavy $300 aluminum mail order bike with downtube shifters, toe clips, toe straps, $10 sneakers from Walmart, and baggy sweatpants. I am a 188-pound 44-year-old who has not raced since 1991. I beat him despite the fact that my chain skipped because I need a new chain and cassette. It is very enjoyable to ride faster than guys who have expensive bikes.

To be honest, I did have to stop after the sprint to rest because I felt like my lungs collapsed.