Crazy88s

In my 34 years of existence I've never really been competitive about anything because usually I suck at everything but cycling has really brought out the competitive spirit in me. I mean sure I like a leisurely ride every now and then but when I get out on the road I just come alive and I want to go faster every time. When I first got my road bike in February, I probably averaged about 14mph per ride. Tonight I averaged 17.3mph and I want to go faster still.

Anyone else like that?

cyclist2000

I used to be like that 30 years ago, if I saw a rider ahead of me I had to pass them. Now that I'm in the 50+ group my legs tell me to let them pass.

gitarzan

Never cared about that stuff. I guess that's why I'm in my lot in life.

My values are elsewhere.

muz379

I can get relatively compettetive , if i see a commuter up ahead i will almost always pass them as they are most of the time the slowest riders ,if someone whose clearly a lot better than me passes then i try and kee up with them for as long as possible or till they turn off my route .
Thats one aspect im not looking forward to in my charity ride though because im told by previous years entrants that sometimes the people riding are slow but are also pretty dangerous in that they will swerve into your path without looking . Imma try and get off relatively early

mkadam68

I take my competitive urges out at the race course. Other days: I'm on a recovery ride or something, so I have to force myself to not try and beat everyone. It is very tempting, yes.

Mr. Beanz

Nope! I was far more competitive before I started cyling. Now I'm just a friendly recreational rider.

jboyd

I don't have a competitive bone in my body. I do like to conquer a hill or two now and then, but to be faster or go longer then anyone but me is unimportant.

wild animals

Sort of. I am not very fast so it's a bad trait to have. I like a challenge, and I like to show things who's boss. So if I see a skinny roadie go by me while I'm tying my shoe or something, it becomes my mission in life to not let that skinny roadie out of my sight until I turn to go home. Sometimes I look at my current average and try not to ride below that average, at all, for the rest of the ride. Or I try to ride up a hill with a certain protocol, like I can't shift between chainrings, or I can't walk, no matter how many times I stop.

I wish I could pass people all the time (hey, it's happened a couple times), but until then, wanting to beat everyone would be a pretty self-defeating urge If I could, I would probably be a real turd about it!

CliftonGK1

Not so much for speed, but I'm a distance guy. It's fun to see the look on people's faces when you tell them you're doing an "easy" 300k on the weekend. Even better when they ask where you're camping, and you tell them it's a 1-day ride.

Fastflyingasian

my friends and i are very competitive in everything. i am usually better than them in most things but they are much smaller and generally faster when on a bike. if they find anything that they can be better than i they will try to crush me. so my opinion is that cycling to me is about how much pain i can put down and my own survival is optional lol. when i go on long rides like 60 miles plus its all about the scenery and the enjoyment of riding with others most likely because all my friends are too wussy to ride anything long.

speaking of being competitive and setting myself up for failure. just ordered a driver and a putter. im still scratching my head on how i got sucked into golf.

wild animals

I have never ridden and may never ride 300k in one go, but I am definitely going to start describing distance in metric so it sounds 1.61 times as impressive as it actually is

Kneez

I am mildly competitive but I am so out of shape that there really isn't any point in me trying to pass people. I do find myself "marking" people though. When I see someone ahead on the road i do want to try to at least catch up to them. It motivates me to work a little harder. If I do catch someone, however, I tend to want to ride with them rather than pass them.

I was passed today at the beginning of a short hill. These two guys just flew up it like it wasn't even there. When I got to the top I looked down the road and they were already long gone. In cases like this I just resign myself to the fact that it took a long time for me to get this far out of shape and it will take a long time to get back into shape again.

Nimitz87

if you want to be competitive...race.

Chad

Sassonian

I race regularly. And when on group rides there's always a bit of friendly rivalry to the top of a hill or the odd sprint point. Lots of fun.

Used to the be the one they had to wait for after a climb - but no longer.

BigUgly

It depends on the situation. I compete in other sports outside of cycling which probably satisfies my competitive needs. Usually on a group ride I just stay with the group for a nice relaxing time on the bike. If I am by myself cycling then I try to push myself to shorten the time over a certain distance or increase my average speed. There is a Cyclosportif I entered last fall, it was a casual but timed ride and you could make of it what you wanted. I had a goal to finish under 2.5 hours which I did. I got a big rush when I passed some skinny guys on the way up a hill to the finish line. I plan on doing it again this fall to better my time of 2:21. As I have aged I learned to control my competitiveness and relax and have fun. When I was younger I took it way too seriously.

CliftonGK1

Habit I got into when I started riding with the Seattle Randonneurs. Everything is in metric. Rides are 100, 200, 300, 400, 600, 1000, and 1200k. I'm working on bagging a 600k this fall; but even in imperial measure, 375mi in 40 hours total sounds pretty badass.

jasonball

I can put the game face if needed. I always train as ahard as i can just incase I need to get competitive. but right now I'm mostly just pushing myself. no trainning or riding partner.

2Klose

I am a competitive person by nature. However, I am not as competitive in cycling as I was at other sports and things I have done. My competitiveness right now is directed inward. I set a goal for time or miles or average MPH and then push myself to get there. Occasionally, I find myself competing against someone, but usually they don't know about it, so it really isn't fair

2Klose

Crazy, Badass - Same thing

How about CRAZY BADASS.

Seriously that is a bit crazy, but what an accomplishment to say you did it.

Seattle Forrest

I'm not generally that big on going fast, but I am competitive. That's true on and off the bike. Anyway, I pass more than a few of the people I see on bikes out on the road or trail, and occasionally get passed. Often I can ignore the racing instinct, and it will only come on when somebody else challenges me ... other times, it's there, calling me to be the fastest cyclist on the road. Not too long ago, I was coming up behind another bike, a Clyde with a hybrid, flat pedals, and a backpack. For a moment I planned to leave him in a cloud of dust, then I decided it would be too easy, and I would just ride. Then he looked back, saw me, and upped his speed about 50 %. It was on; I passed him going up a slight hill, and kept my speed above 20 mph for the next half hour. Of course I really didn't need to exert myself like that, but once he tried to prevent me from passing him, what could I do?

If you're starting a thread like this, you need to check out Silly Commuter Racing.

Other days, I'm just out to enjoy the scenery and some fresh air.

Barrettscv 

I'm a goal setter. I like challenging myself.

During the last 8 years I've;

Completed a B. S.
Traveled Asia and Europe on business
Resumed Alpine skiing
Put three children into collage
Rode 5000 miles in 2009
Completed a 200k

I've got 15 years to accomplish more while in my prime... ...that's not much time.

Homeyba

I go both ways on this. If I'm out on a social ride like a century of Brevet (like what Clifton talked about) it's all about riding with new and old friends and having a great time. Years ago I used to challenge myself for speed on those types of rides but not any more. Now it's stricly about having fun.

When I enter in a ultra distance race though, that's a different matter. I tend to take them very seriously. I have set or hold several Furnace Creek 508 records and class wins and will be doing my fourth RAAM in about three weeks. Hopefully setting the overall tandem team record and breaking the 6day barrier.

Kneez

I was challenged by another rider on the road the other day. I saw him ahead of me when I came around a corner and I could see that I would catch up soon. As I approached him I noticed he was a lot smaller than I had initially thought. He turned around, saw me, and then got out of his saddle to speed up. At this point I realized that he was probably 11 or 12 years old! I rode behind him a little ways and then moved up along side him and said hello. He didn't answer so I went on my way. He really did impress me, though. He kept the pace up to 22-23 mph for about a half mile or so. I don't think I could have done that at his age.

Seattle Forrest

^^^ I found myself racing a kid on an MUP in the park this past weekend. In my case, the kid was probably about 10 years old, and on foot. So I let him win.

Kneez

I see, you "let" him win. I understand completely!