Originally Posted by SteveE
I used to have this problem when I was a slower rider. I felt a compulsion to try and catch riders ahead of me. Now that I've joined a racing club, gotten faster, and started to some road races, I really don't feel the need to prove myself when I'm just out on a training ride. I might speed up if it's someone in the club or if it looks like someone I might want to ride with up ahead, but otherwise -- no, not any more. Just completing one of our club's A-rides or a local hammerfest (e.g., Spectrum or Noon Ride) with the main bunch is challenging enough.
Same here. A few years ago while living in Chicago, I used to think I was really fast because I passed
everyone on the Lake Shore path. I would hammer by in a "one sided race" as the inocent bistanders scattered. But once I started riding with organized groups I realized there were better places to put the hammer down, than on "cycling paths". I think trying to catch people on the cycling trails made me faster in the begining, but once I got a little more experience I learned to chill and save my energy for the real hammerfests out on the roads.