jyl

When I was a little boy, I used to have this fantasy: that I was transported to a planet where everyone was so slow, weak, uncoordinated, small, etc that I, little me, was a world class athlete. Gold medals draped around my neck, I basked in the awe of everyone on this planet. When I ran down the cracked sidewalk in my new PF Flyers, crowds cheered as the best athletes of this planet fell away, unable to match my blazing speed.

I still play this game in my head, sometimes, during the daily commute. As I churn a huge gear into the brutal Belgian wind, mercilessly reeling in the old lady on her Dutch bike laden with groceries, thousands of imaginary spectators roar their adoration. It's not even Cat 6 racing, it's Cat 7. The imaginary race against oblivious opponents. Hey, it's satisfying. In fact, it's the most fun you can have on your own, besides, well never mind.

Yet even my childhood fantasy game has its limits. Self delusion goes a long way, but isn't infinite. I've had to accept that even in my Walter Mitty daydreams, I'm not a soaring climber. Because, you know, the fantasy only works if you can actually pass someone. Virtual reality can turn that pigtailed little girl on her pink bike with tassels and basket into a lean, snarling World Tour pro, but when the little girl drops you on the hill. . . I'm also not a contre la montre monster, even in my fantasy world, not when the tourists on their rental bikes are disappearing down the road.

I've decided that, in my imaginary peleton, I'm either a rouleur or maybe a sprinter. After all, I can usually heave myself out of the saddle and come around the dad hauling his two tykes in a trailer. Sure, he might pass me a block later, but you know, I'm warming down by then. Cruising to dope control, maybe sign some autographs, before heading to the podium to smooch the podium girls.

So, my question for you all is, in your Cat 7 imaginary peleton, what kind of rider are you? Climber, rouleur, cobbles king, breakaway artist, time trialist, bunch sprinter? And do your bikes reflect this identity?

texaspandj

Time trialist or "race of truth" from yesteryear, with 30 year old cycling technology. Strava, strategy,watts,nutrition, kitted, strong team,CF, steel mean nothing to me.
In a TT, A to B and back to A, will let you know who's strong that day.
So when I'm out on the road and I see a speck in front of me, I'm probably gonna catch you. And if I see you sneaking up behind me I'm gonna make it difficult for you to catch me.
Fantasy speaking, I imagine I'm racing against Bernard Hinault, Greg Lemond, Mike Pigg, Mark Allen, or a teenaged Lance Armstrong.

iab

I'm mid-pack fodder. Gregario. At best.

Barrettscv 

I dream of being a pass-hunter. You know about pass hunting? It's that French and Japanese sport of collecting mountain passes you've ridden over. The only rule is that the pass must be marked by a sign or on a map. Do 100 and you get a pin or certificate or something.

The Governing body:

https://www.centcols.org/

The rules in English:

https://www.centcols.org/regle_du_jeu...f_the_game.htm

Other sites and photos:

https://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~uc6y-ssk...unting_00.html

https://www.geocities.jp/jitensha_tou...collection.htm

https://www.rsf.org.uk/

In Japan there are several models of bikes made specifically for pass
hunting. Usually they are like lower geared randonneur bikes.

I imagine living along a the Mediterranean and riding my bike over the coastal mountain range. I don't have to be fast, I just have to be able to climb 7000 feet of elevation. Typically, I climb continuously for 15-20 miles. Once I'm above the coastal plane, it's a steady 4-7% climb. My dream bike is a vintage De Rosa with Campagnolo Chorus.

I'll climb until I'm ready to turn back, the descent is spectacular.

I get to live out my fantasy on a regular basis;

masi61

I like to think that I ride “against the grain”. I love to be heading away from town (not back to civilization) as the sun gets low in the sky. I enjoy empty bike paths and I like to ride that empty path on the far left side for some odd reason. I do promptly return to the normal right side as incoming people, riders approach.

Getting low and staying low, has been a worthy cause this past year. I have adopted regular yoga classes as an (attempted) antidote to age related hip pain and inner thigh adductor weakness that manifested in 2017. So riding on the drops for long intervals becomes a visualization/fantasy type of thing where on group rides I have become a loyal pack rider/drafter who despite not being a big sprinter my little trick has brought me to the front of my local group time & time again. So relaxing, breathing, rolling out - FAST - imagining being that 22 year old I was 33 years ago. And being AWAY more than “back” from any given journey. This creates its own cocoon of repeatability that is the nugget. Wearing out tires, having blown by arbitrary (but important nonetheless) benchmarks for the new season - your first 1,000 miles for example. Seeking QUIET on the bike and relishing it for the return trip home.

Lazyass

I'm a climber, in the image of Marco Pantani without the doping and cocaine. I even climb like him with my hands in the drops. But I climbed like that before anybody knew who he was.

jimmuller 

In my daydreams I'm not racing. I am putting in long days from point A to point B on nice roads I've never ridden before, possibly with a friend or two or another BF member, but not in anything resembling a pace line. The fantasy part is that I actually have the time and opportunity to do it.

cycleheimer

Fantasies? I AM like the great Eddy Merxx at his very best! Just kidding HaHaHa. I still still delude myself that I am preparing for a 7 week, NY-to-CA cross country ride. At least I sold my touring bike, replacing it with a Panasonic DX5000 for more realistic 7 hour "cross county" rides.

Wildwood 

I dream about warm days, empty roads, and smooth pavement.
My perfect ride is a classic vintage, rich color with nice pinstriping, tubular wheels & supple tires.
I focus on smooth spinning.
My fantasy is going up those hills effortlessly.

obrentharris 

I have done enough racing over the years to disabuse myself of the fantasy of ever being anything but pack fodder.

I live in a beautiful part of the world with lots of great riding, both on-road and off-road, but my current fantasy is to bring our tandem on a cross-country car-camping trip with my wife, stopping to ride in all the beautiful places that you folks post in the "Where'd you ride today thread." We may actually pull it off in a couple of years.
Brent

northbend 

Have you ever read "Tomorrow we Ride" by Jean Bobet? Chapter 7 has a passage called La Volupte'.

I've had those types of moments a few times while on the bike and dream of them often always wishing I could summon them up as easily as choosing a beautiful route to ride

2wheeljonz 

I'm fighting for lanterne rouge

fietsbob

Ian Hibell

RobbieTunes

Credit card tourer. Bronson on a bike.

Dfrost 

In my fantasy rides, I’m credit card touring as we did in 1998 (3-week credit card tour from Geneva to Nice for our honeymoon), or 2001 (3-week cc tour in Tuscany, Umbria and Marche to celebrate being past my wife’s first bout with cancer). Those were pre-digital camera-wise, but our photo albums and notes re-read occasionally help to maintain those memories.

An observation: wife and I both find that our memories of those and other bike trips are remarkably vivid down to the individual rooms and meals we shared, while other trips by car are not nearly so clear. Of course, there aren’t those notes and copious photos from the latter either.

We’re contemplating the next “big trip” now, and realize that the wear on our bodies in the years since those European trips says that the point-to-point tours probably aren’t for us anymore, but we are considering options for a “clover leaf” type trip, where we stay in one location for a week or more (gotta love Airbnb options!) while exploring the area more intimately and connect more with the locals.

The Golden Boy 

Yup. My "training" is riding 5 miles and taking a "break" to munch down snacky-cakes.

canklecat

Jacques Anquetil. I want to be the devil-may-care bad boy who gets paid and gets the girls.

Steve Whitlatch 

I like to imagine that the old man or the 14 year old girl that passed me was really Lance Armstrong and I blame it on the dopping.

Lazyass

Off the bike I'm Mario Cipollini.

The Golden Boy 

Oh yeah- I can't also forget my secret plans of riding across Europe!

DMC707

That guy has yet to be eclipsed here in the modern era. He was/is a character for sure!

Sagan is doing his best though

Lazyass

Cipollini kept motivation on his stem.

OldsCOOL

This.

Where reality and fantasy meet. It’s all about the chase or not letting them catch you. Thanx, I now have spring fever.

JReade

In my head, I dream that I can land big jumps on my MTB. Reality, I'm too chicken to try, and woefully underinsured.

droppedandlost 

There's no way that rider up there is faster than me. Must catch! More watts!

Ok, decent rider.

This is taking a lot longer than I thought it would.

Sheesh! Even the locals are doping now!

I have to stay in zone 1. For training.

Hey! Is that a pub?