Just recently I was casually riding in a local park just cruising along (in jeans, T-shirt, and tennis shoes), when a guy on a brand new Felt road bike with his full team "kit" passed me as we started a hill. I said "Hi" and kind of waved but he just glared at me and stood up to (apparently) really put the hammer down. I increased my speed some and easily kept up with him on the hill, all the while comfortably seated and pedalling at low rpm while he was standing and cranking so hard I thought maybe I had stumbled upon an organized race I hadn't heard about. We were only going about 17. :D Then on the down hill he continued his frantic pace, glancing back occasionally only to see me right behind him. I thought about passing him but it would have just been awkward for us both. :o

Its good to hear these mph speeds, makes me realize that I'm actually pretty fast.

So with all these stories of who dropped who, I saw something on my ride home today that is fitting:

I pull up to a red light at one of the busiest intersections on my commute (Good Hope and Green Bay for locals). I realize that I'm rolling to a stop along with two lawn sprinkler installation trucks from competing companies, an ACME pickup and a Toro van. I laugh to myself thinking they should race. The ACME guy must have the same idea, cause he "rev revs" his engine and looks at the Toro guy. Toro guy waves him off and says "this thing's geared way too low, I get bigger jobs than you." The ACME guy (and I) chuckle. Light turns green and the Toro guy lays rubber and takes off like a bat out of hell. The ACME guy (and I'm) laughing our *sses off.

I guess the Toro van was a real sleeper. He sure dropped the ACME dude!

I'm a strong rider, but I don't get sucked into trying to keep up with roadies who are just as strong, carrying half the weight and geared better for the high end. One guy passes me every morning, I just wave and say 'mornin' as his lightweight, thin-tired, carbon racing machine blows by my bastardized Bianchi or my beautiful, but stout, Fuji. I don't ever see him when I am on my bad weather bike though...wonder why? :D

I never see anyone on my commute. I wish i did. Its fun to try and catch someone faster than you, especially if they are on a road bike.

I inevitably try to drop everyone I see on the street, but I find my better experiences come from just hanging out with other people riding through the city. For example:

Tonight I came up to an intersection with construction on the other side. As I was rolling up to the cross-yellow and getting ready to [wattage comment], some dude on a full suspension mountain bike who was already there and waiting for the light to change looked over at me. Since he was at the intersection first I nodded him through and dropped behind him. The guy took about two pedal strokes and then broke out a wheelie that went straight through the intersection and past the construction barriers. That had me laughing my ass off so I pulled past him, got up to speed and did a ridiculous fishtail skid to dodge around a parked car.

Two guys being jackasses on their ride home, and a lot of fun too. :)

... then I dropped him. *eye, tiger, etc.*

For some odd reason, I never have issues sleeping. :p

Heh, a roadie caught at mile 3 of my 11 trek to work. He was wearing ankle weights, never saw that or heard mentioned before. I beat him to the beginning of the Busway Max mup path in Naranja. About three miles up the path he finally passes me again. My bike an mtb with Schwalbe Marathon rear tire, Eggbeater platform pedals, Sette spd sandals, Nashbar weird handlebars hiking shorts, tee shirt seatpost rack with big tool bag for my clothes, lunch and bike stuff.

Two miles after he left the path just ahead of me, I flatted the front tire. Thankfully, the roadie had given me the time I needed to change tubes and still get to work on time! :)

I have only seen 1 cyclist going the same direction. I didn't try to drop him, but was ahead of him, since we were on the sidewalk. Too dangerous. I just said hi at the next light.

Otherwise, I see a wrong way cyclist in the mornings when I am late. I just take the lane and he rides the sholder of the road.

Here in Denmark, mopeds ride on the bike paths all the time (I think it's legal, but I really don't know). Occassionally I'll drop in behind them and watch while they continue to check they're rear view mirror every few seconds. Neither wise, nor impressive, really, but entertaining.

Then, of course, there are the 40-something women who ride 20km every day. I swear some little old lady on a 'Shopping bike' (think Wizard of OZ) was pacing me on my Lemond up a hill the other day. Don't worry, I threw the bike over the top to claim the KOM points.

In my first ever Cat5 race (a crit) early this spring a 'unattached' rider launched off the front about 2/3 of the way into the race. With a stiff headwind leading into a short climb, everyone let him go 'knowing' he'd be back. Every lap the time gap just got bigger and bigger. He won easy. Turns out he'd recently completed a loaded (trailer and all) ride across America. Wicked strong and knew how to solo for sure. Beware the guy with the bags!

Hahaha, ya definitely. Take anyone who's done loaded touring/commuting, put them on a 16 pound race bike and then get out of their way. There's at least one guy in Toronto who's a messenger during the week and then does the "Donut Ride" every weekend. That's a century ride that a huge pack of roadies does on Saturday and Sunday. So this guy does like 700/week "just 'cause" ... I can't even begin to imagine what his legs must look like, but I've heard some stories about how easily he drops the full kit carbon guys every weekend.

I'm the mightiest and fastest in the land! No one has ever passed me in the last 4 years! Of course I haven't passed anyone else either. In fact I have yet to see another cyclist commuting on my 24 mile R/T route.

<Insert comment about getting off the rollers here.> ;)

I usually see at least one cyclist on my commute. Problem is they are almost always headed straight for me!

Ocassionally a roadie will blast past me and I'll try to keep up. I'd probably be more successful at this if not for my annoying habit of stopping for stop signs and traffic signals. ;)

At least you will live to see another day. Eventually, you will probably pass one while he\she is being loaded into an ambulance.

You'll beat them some day when their knees are blown.

Heck, I'm not sure I'd be commuting on your route either, but if I did, I would definitely be trying to stay in front of you, so your elevated lights would be covering my six! :p

I love sneaking up on roadies while on my Monkey with 2.3's at 35 psi.

I can sometimes barely hang on for a while, then if a hill comes up I know
I got them nailed (mostly) ..I grew up in a hilly town and my ass is
a climbers ass. freaking strong. anyhow...I will hang with them up the hill
then as it crests I shifts up 2 times and stand up and will stand and hammer
for 1/2 mile or more. it usually blows their minds that I can stand and hammer faster after
a brutal climb. but I train that way. when you get to the top you don't rest but
one or two seconds, then really let the hammer down. if they aren't ready, you
can gain all the gap you need, -then- you recover at high rpm and they are
catching back up a bit, then you are ready to go full bore again. I love it...
especially on fat 29" 2.3 tires. this doesn't work with an organized group roadie ride,
they'd team up and slaughter me in 2 miles....only works with
the occassional 'fit group of roadies' out for a day. I love it and it gets me the interval training
I wouldn't have otherwise.

I always say 'good work' when I pass someone when they made me suffer a lot just to catch and
pass them. if they start the cat'n'mouse...it is a good day all around ! everyone wins. I will
concede readily....then sometimes i take that back and surprise myself and recover when I thought
i was done. weird how the body works. some days you got unlimited power, some days ya don't.

lately I have been having incredible power...but I found out... and have corrected a blood sugar problem
and that has everything to do with that scenario. much less toxins build up when I go Above lactate
threshold, and they flush out faster. so i can do my games and bounce back quite a few times on a ride.

I am loving riding all over again. losing over 45 lbs since december helps a lot too. on the flats it
doesn't matter, but the hills just seem...I dunno...less frightful. I just think keep pedaling don't think about
it the pain is good everyone else hurts too...how bad do i want it. then at the top i turn it way up.

fun fun fun fun fun

I have enjoyed reading the accounts of dropping guys on the commute. I've been a staunch advocate of getting out there and rolling and smoking anyone and everyone I can. Until this past week. I have been fighting age and weight, and did some research, I learned that going balls to the wall wasn't helping me burn fat, I was going anaerobic, and burning proteins and carbs, to burn fat I had to adjust my HRM and not let my HR get over 120. OMG, I have so much built up testosterone from not chasing, and the things I have seen riding "sensibly." I feel like a fool just out pedaling on the 3 speed Raleigh with this stupid smile watching as kitted freaks blast by me on a busy multiuse trail. I wonder where their heads are at to ride at 18 plus just to look good for the roller bladers. If they'd slow down they might be able to talk to some of them too.

Actually higher cadence spinning strengthens knees typically.

Now, sometimes the consistency of fixed gear riding gets to some rider's knees, because they cant get rest when they need it, but if your sporting a SS spinning at 110 rpm, your knees should be fine for quite a while.

When they hot-shot ahead, I never give them the satisfaction of passing. I jest ride their wheel...Frustrates the heck out 'em They slow down, I slow down. They speed up, I speed up... Maw HAW HAW HAW

Ha ha! Good one...spank 'em and spank 'em hard...don't worry slow learners always come back for more.

This kind of thing always makes me laugh, but in a good way. On my commute, or just on a ride, or to and from the trails, I LOVE chasing down the people I see in front of me. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I dont. But it is always fun.

One thing I have noticed since I started commuting was how much stronger the bags and rack make you. I love it, since I dont have time to ride to the fitness level I want to be at if I dont bike commute. A number of years ago, I was very fit from a winter pounding the pedals at a gym all winter long - I could sprint for 3/4 of a km off road and not get winded. It was great fun chasing down people on tri-bikes and road bikes using my then only bike (a mtn bike...).

The commute has been great for helping me be stronger, and faster when I want to be. (Well, when unloaded... It is early days for the commute, and I am not that fast yet loaded.) Thus far, almost every person I have seen on my commute has cruised past me - commuting racers on their carbon bikes with backpacks to those on their cross bikes (saw a sweeeeeeeet cross bike the other day for a few seconds as the guy passed. nice bike.) I dont know about the rest of you commuting with racks and bags, but I have found that I can climb MUCH stronger now than before when out riding unloaded.

Anyway, it is good fun so far, and hopefully, I will be able to keep it up or at least maintain the mileage when my job situation changes (which it will.....)

I usually don't bother to try and keep up with or pass people since 99% off the time I'm on the 3-speed, and accelerating a 38lbs bike takes a lot of effort.
But... today I was going downhill when I came upon two girls on road bikes, I wasn't sure if I wanted to pass them or not (because it meant giving up such a wonderful view) but we were going downhill, and there was a tailwind so I had a rare chance to really spin in that seldom used 3rd gear. They let me pass (they moved to the left so I could pass on the right - they must be new to this whole bicycle thing, so I'm probably giving myself too much credit) and I stayed ahead of them until we had to go our seperate ways (about a 1.5 miles down the road or so). They didn't even begin to catch up until we had to start going uphill and into a headwind.

The point is, I beat two girls who weren't even racing, and maybe not even very experienced on my 38lbs. clunker (generator was on at the time by the way) when they were riding much nicer, lighter road bikes (and wearing some spandex too). I could brag that I also passed somebody who was obviously pretty new to biking on my way uphill earlier that day, and another girl on a mountain bike also on the same uphill stretch.

I'm going to say that I was probably putting out a gajillion watts at the time.:D

I got you all beat. I blew past all you suckers today doing 460 mph w/ a 35,000 ft. climb. I was flying!

Loozer! Beat ya. ;) I did it on Wednesday. And got a free round trip United ticket for the 48 states by volunteering to be bumped to a later flight. Even sweeter since Wednesday's flight was made on a free ticket I got last year for also taking a lbump and a later flight. Hopefully I can recycle this ticket every flight.

Hell yeah! That's the way to do it! :p

MUHAHAHAHA....(Evil Laugh)........

Roadies you are "OWNED" :p

I'm always amused by non-roadies who pass me and look back basking in their sense of accomplishment. Yes, road bikes are engineered to be faster than others but we aren't hammering all the time.

If road bikes are no good for speed why the heck do people spend so much on them I am confused?