Weird experience on my commute this morning
 

I came up behind a guy on a road bike on the trail this morning. He was very erratic (swerving, speeding up, slowing down, dropping his head, etc.). It almost looked like he bonked after a hard climb or something. We came up to a "Y" in the trail. It looked like he was going left and I was going right. At the last second he swerved to the right and caused me to swerve to avoid him. I got back behind him and was going to pass him but he rode on the left side of the trail just long enough that I couldn't make a move. About 50 yards later, I decided to pass him to get away from him. Just as I got up beside him, he grunted and started to sprint to keep up with me. I had to hammer to get enough space to get back over. He seemed friendly because after I got over he said "good morning". A mile or so later he passed me on the left. He had trouble keeping my pace and rode beside me with other cyclists bearing down on him. I had to slow down so he could get over (people were screaming at him to get over!!). I rode behind him until we got to a section of trail where I like to open it up. I passed him on the left again. Same thing....he grunted and started to sprint to keep up. This time I was ready and blew right by him. It still took me a few seconds to get enough space to move back to the right. I left him behind and didn't see him again. I don't know if this guy was hyper competitive or what, but kinda weird.

Coulda been drunken.

Try posting this in the road forum, he's probably a regular there.

I think he was just really, really tired 'cuz I'm sure I passed this same guy on the bike path outside of Boston just 2 days ago. He did really well to make it to Virginia in 48 hours.

I'm in Florida now. ;)

Obviously experimenting with the wrong kind of doping...

Probably from Ohio.

They like to race you when you pass on the hwy and stay in your blind spot even when they were going much slower when you were behind them. Probably same deal on a bike.

on his way to a bike path near you. :p

This is the time of year where the roadies break out their bikes for the first time. It's a dangerous time for their ego where they are "competing" with year round commuters. They are still trying to find their stamina while at the same time pretending they still "got it". Don't worry, in another two months, that roadie will blaze by you with a sneer on his face and all will be as it should in the world once more.

LoL! I got a taste of that on bike to work day. I don't get passed very often, but that morning I got passed (and blown away) by a convoy of roadies. They were really hammering. :thumb:

sounds like some car drivers. they don't know how to keep their own pace and latch on to other cars. glad you were able to ditch him. sounds wicked annoying.

Hills or even slight inclines are your friend with muppies like this...sit on his wheel until you can attack on an incline and leave him with a gap that he can't make up.

Roadies always blaze past me. I cope by telling myself that they weigh half as much as me and they don't have 20 pounds of crap in panniers. If they did, I smoke them for sure. ;-)

At least I'm still faster than the kids riding on the sidewalk.

I encounter these as well on my rides, as soon as weather is nicer, out they come, like hamsters in spring or something... But I have no problem dropping them cold. I commute for short distances, and as a result, I can pull at around 25 mph for entire distance, or around 30 mph for a few minutes at a time. No problem dropping them as I said. On an mtb nevertheless, so it's more humiliating for them :D