This morning a teenager tried to drop me as I passed through Betania. I came up from behind in and he decided to make it a race. He was riding a cross bike that was probably 100 dollars new - I am riding a Cannondale F900 (2,000 USD) - I am sure my bike is lighter than his and I probably am twice his size.

We are on a rock road so the key is finding the line. I didn't want to just blow by him so I would let him in front a bit and then catch up - just seeing how fast he could go - oh, he didn't have suspension either and you REALLY need it for those roads at any speed. I let him choose the better (smoother) line and stayed on the pegs.

So, here we are moving along pretty good and a hill comes up. End of the fun, he dropped back so fast that I thought he blew a tire or something! I gave him a cheerful "Buenas Dias" and went on my way.

Since he was riding to school, I suspect he arrived a little sweaty - and had a story to tell. He had to tell the truth since there were witnesses to how he took on the old gringo... and lost!