seypat

I've ran into all kinds. I ride C&V bikes with toe cages and straps Stiff soled cycling shoes tend to give me Plantar Fasciitis. I'm currently giving cycling shoes/clipless yet another try. I have to find some without uber stiff soles. Anyway, the most frequent conversation starter from chance encounters is, "You really need to go clipless. It will greatly improve your cycling!"
To which my reply is, "Ding, ding, ding, winner winner, chicken dinner! You're the XXXX(the number changes) person to tell me that. Tried them before. They gave me medical problems."

The funniest encounter was when 2 scrawny climber types caught me at the top of a hill. It was a century ride with a halfway turn around lunch stop. We crested the hill and the terrain flattened out. I went through the gears and began to leave them in the dust. They started whining/crying and asking for help. I slowed down and said I would work with them. I asked them for a speed number then we began to work. We were rolling along and everything was hunky dory. Then we hit another decent hill. They quickly tried to drop me like a bad habit. I said, "Hey, what happened to this working together so we can get down the road faster biz?" They said, "if you can't keep up, that's your problem." They then dropped me. Over the next 15-20 miles the terrain would change from flat to hilly constantly. I would catch and go by them on the flats and they would do the same on the hills. We caught a longish hill and they left me. I topped the hill and the turn around spot was off in the distance. Then I spotted them. They had about 200 yards on me. They turned and spotted me and the race was on! I was closing fast and they were out of their saddles giving everything they had as was I. At the end, I ran out of real estate. I had closed to about 2 bike lengths when we hit the turn around spot. We all dismounted and glared(the look) at each other as we stood in the lunch line. It was one of the better times I've had on a bike.