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Old 04-08-19, 10:05 AM
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livedarklions
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Location: New England
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Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

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Originally Posted by indyfabz
I had sort of the opposite experience a few years ago. I was doing a morning ride one Friday in preparation for a Sunday century to Brooklyn. Mr. Flintstone pulled onto the trail a ways in front of me. I kept my pace and started to catch him. When I got somewhat close, I slowed down because I didn't want to draft. The fact that I caught up to him must have triggered 'roid rage because Fred lifted the pace. I stayed with him but kept my distance. He was not happy and lifted the pace even more, trying drop me. I stayed with him, still keeping my distance until I finally turned off the trail to climb a hill and head back home.

You can read all about it here:

Fred Tried to Shake Me on the MUP

There's a stretch of the Minuteman trail going into Bedford MA that is a perfect place to really open it up. It's a straightaway that goes through a swampy area, so there really isn't any cross traffic and you can see people about 1/3 mile ahead with no problem. I've had people accuse me of trying to drop them or get all indignant because they were right behind me when I started going about 5 mph faster because I know I just started that stretch.

When I get to Bedford, I'm usually about 75 miles into a 100 mile ride, so I usually stop at the depot to use the bathrooms and fill my water bottle. One time, I ran the hell out of the stretch, and then pulled into the depot parking lot. About 30 seconds later, a woman comes up to me and said "oh, there you are, sneaking off" implying that I had worn myself out trying to drop her. I didn't have the heart to tell her I had no idea there was anybody behind me, and thanked her for the chase. I then vaguely remembered that someone had rung a bell like they were trying to pass right as I had sped up a few miles back.

Point of the story is that none of us know what's going through someone else's mind as their speed varies. She liked thinking she had tired me out, I let her believe it.

I don't know if my '94 Allez qualifies as Fred gear, but my tshirt, white hair, cargo pants and sneakers definitely did.
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