fordfasterr

What's the point. Nobody around here is faster than I am.

veganboyjosh

About 3 of the 11 miles i ride in in the morning/home at night are straight. I can see other bikes a ways away, since the road is clear and so straight. Sometimes I do the passing, sometimes I get passed. This morning, I was pulling our Burley trailer in, as I had some errands to run. I saw two bikes way up ahead of me, and clicked up the speed a notch. They were probably half a mile away. I could tell that I was gaining on them, even with the trailer, and that just encouraged me to pedal faster.
Eventually, I caught up to them, and went to pass. I felt so incredible being able to pass these two other cyclists, even while pulling a trailer, until I got up to them and realized it was a mother and her son, riding him to school. He must have been in junior high school.

Humbling, that was.

Vodalus

I've done that before too. Very humbling.

Lamplight

I'm usually too tired to "race" anyone, but I often enjoy tailing roadies or mtb "racers" after they blow by and stare me down on the MUP. There is one guy I've seen a couple of times on a Hybrid with a pannier who is always FLYING. Faster than any roadie I ever see, and if I were to have any chance at all of keeping up, I'd have to be on my Bertoni going as a hard as possible. (And I doubt I could hang with him for very long even then)

elTwitcho

Personally, I find nothing more irritating than people who pull in front of me and slow down, or consistently ride slower than me but ride up to the front of the pack whenever there are cyclists stoped at a light. Then you have to ride faster than you normally would have liked to make sure they can't keep up, all the while these boneheads are probably thinking "oh man, that was a sweet race I almost caught that guy".

Which isn't to imply anyone in this thread does this, rather just griping at the general assumption some people have that I ride a fixed track(ish) frame because I want to race every person going the same direction as me

vrkelley

+1 the "ME first crowd"

ok_commuter

There's a guy like that on my MUP commute; hybrid with panniers. He's about 60. Last time, I barely saw him as he passed me and accelerated up a steep hill and out of sight. L337.

vtjim

In my experience, on a MUP or street, it is much easier to catch someone than it is to drop someone, regardless of either rider's strengths.

How's that joke go?
One rider: A commute.
Two riders: A race!

novacommuter

I had my first "real" commute "race" yesterday afternoon.

The second half of my commute begins with a decent climb of a mile or so. As I get about 2/3 of the way up, I come up on this guy, obviously commuting as well, going considerably slower than me, so I say "On your left" and go to pass. He gets huffy with me and cracks some smart-butt comment about "Nice warning, pal!" I guess in addition to being slow, he was also deaf. Anyway, I just kinda blew it off and kept spinning. Well wouldn't you know that he tries to dial it up and keep me from passing. I get in front, and he starts sucking wheel like a job. Overlapping. Dangerous. Sorry pal, not going to fly. I shifted up a couple of gears and stood up to dance the rest of the way up the hill. Hit the big ring at the top, and started cranking. Look back, and he's doing his best to catch me. I hit it hard on a short descent, and keep my momentum for the next short climb. Dude was toast at that point.

I felt vindicated. I'm not some hotshot wannabe racer or anything, but if you start riding dangerously around me, and act like you have a bone to pick with me for some perceived slight against your manhood or whatever, prepare for the DROP-O-RAMA.

apricissimus 

I see a lot of people shooting the gaps in cross traffic while I'm waiting patiently at a red light. I'm not against running a red light when the coast is clear, but I think it's rude to dart in front of someone who has the ROW, even if you know you can safely make it.

So the bulk of my commuter racing happens when I try to catch up to these people once the light turns green. I love it when I'm able to. It's like saying to them, "See? See how much time you saved by blowing through the intersection? Sucka!"

And I'm always a bit disappointed when I can't catch up. Sometimes that head start is just too much to overcome.

jeph

BEWARE. Last year I had a guy draft me on the MUP without my knowledge. A new piece of trail opened that was a better route to my daughters soccer game. I grab a bunch of brakes and WHAM. I'm riding a front wheel wheelie and somehow I managed to not go down. The guy that hit me lands pretty hard and get scuffed up. HE was a pretty big guy too.

He was pissed at first but seemed to calm down a bit when I asked if he was ok. He said something about me seeing him behind me. I did but he was 20 feet behind me about 1 or 2 miles back.

I guess I should get a mirror.

I don't like being drafted unless I know the riders are expirenced at it.

J

JR97

I had a race last night going home. I was waiting at the red light, got through the intersection, see a shadow coming up on me, moved over to let dude get up even so we could start neck and neck and lost the race before it even started. Damnit.

Yesterday morning, the opposite happened, dude waiting at the light, I"m right behind him, he catches my shadow checks over his shoulder and drops me. He was setup for racing in cool weather kit and no bags. I have fenders, a huge bag, a fleece, etc. But hey, when I think I can drop someone I usually go for it, too. But not enough to make big deal about it unless it's "friendly".

elTwitcho

Are you kidding me?

I would have said something about him seeing me in front of him and it not being my responsibility to adjust for his unsafe riding decisions.

Anyone who's ever been in a vehicle is supposed to know that it's your responsibility to leave enough room to avoid hazards in front of you, not the other way around. What a jerk

vtjim

I've done that to a couple of riders, only it involved stop signs. I'd slow way down, make sure no cars are_ HEY! The brat blows by me on the left like he's in his own little time trial.

So I catch up and hang behind him. Next stop sign. I slow way down. He blows through. I catch back up. Repeat until other guy gives up or turns off. Once, the guy started pushing his left thigh with his left hand. Then he just slowed waaaay down and waved me around. I never saw him again.

gmule

I had that happen on the way home last week in the cooler weather. I made my best time home ever. Coolest part was that no one spoke a single word and we all took turns pulling

UmneyDurak

Of course. When you draft of someone you are doing around 20-30% less work. That is why I love hills, it separates the strong from the weak (I have been in a later category more then a few times).

apricissimus 

If you're close enough to benefit from a draft, you've already caught them.

crocodilefundy

i personally don't really run into people on my commute, its only the last 1.4 miles of the OP's route, ending on the same street no less... typically it is my goal to beat the cars from spring garden to the end of the circle where the parkway starts. there is a small hill entering the circle and then a steady slight down hill the rest of the way and its quite easy to go 30+mph.

DataJunkie

Racing up hills is where it is at.