No, and I find it annoying when people do. The same idiots who think public streets are an awesome place to race are generally the ones who are incapable of handling their bike safely at any speed over 20km/h.

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Only rarely. My pace is independent of those around me.

I see others sometimes, but they are usually going the opposite direction.

However, I interval train every other day. I recover ride on Mon, Wed,Fri, and I hammer on Tuesday's and Thursday's. As a matter of fact, yesterday I did a personal best on my way in 12.3mi in 36:57. Still haven't been able to crack that 20mph average speed. :(

It's a total mental thing.

Things are going to get tougher when I begin riding my single speed in.

I am not in good shape, but I hate having good looking girls just drop me. Even though I know I don't have a chance in passing them, I will ride as hard as my body will let me in an attempt to keep up.


Other days I ride the slow steady ride I need to for making my distance.

Sure, there will be suddenly people annoyed by the absence of extra gears on your bike and willing to pass you.

Oh I know...

I usually ride 48/19 something like that. Seems to be the best fit for my commute and for the speed I like to ride. Funny you mention that. There is a cycling team that I frequently run into on their Wednesday evening ride. I always catch up to them on a climb. It always degrades into a bolt to the top. Sometimes they make it first, sometimes I do. I usually save my energy just so I can give them a run.

That $**t isn't going to be happening anymore...not without some serious huffing :D

for a fit cyclist on a road bike, racing 99.9% of commuters is like racing a lamp post. i race cagers and the occasional roadie but unless you can spin the big ring at 100-110 you are not going to catch me on your city bike, hybrid or mtb...EVER. although i do admit to being dropped by a ridiculously cut dude on a fixie a few years back. he must have been spinning at 150+. :thumb:

Gents, I gotta tell you something. When I'm on my bike, I fit the profile of the sort of rider a lot of you apparently like to try to pass--fit woman in heels and a skirt who doesn't run lights. But, the lights on the bulk of my commute are timed at 20 mph and I am one of the very few of the many riders I see daily who can hit those lights (on a hybrid, no less!). So when I pass you toodling along, and all of a sudden you decide you have to be in front of me, or when you use a red light to sneak past me, here's what I think:

TINY DICK.

Seriously, I hope you all are already partnered, because this is some seriously unattractive *****.

[QUOTE Seriously, I hope you all are already partnered, because this is some seriously unattractive *****.[/QUOTE]

Please let the record show that the expletive I originally used had only four characters.

A lot of rampant speculation going on in this thread concerning the supposed actions and law breaking of those who like to "race" while commuting. Really no different than the drivers whom assume all riders are law breaking maniacs. Don't go ruining the opinion I have that the Commuting sub-forum is full of the nicest and most reasonable people on this site (well 2nd to Winter Cycling).

A little bit.

Pulled out of the rural side road I live on at 4:30 am just as another cyclist, equally well lit up, passed by. Humped on my usual pace and will admit to be quite pleased with myself to blow past him and off into the darkness.
Pulled into the depot at work and after locking up my bike noticed the guy pulling in next to my bike.
Turns out he is a co-worker and very cool guy. :)

If I'm on my way home and I see a dude on a bike I feel compelled to make him work to stay ahead, or pass him. Its fun to outpace someone on my nice light bike all dressed in biking clothes. Its more fun to be wearing socks and sandels in work clothes with a backpack riding this....

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=274405

Especially so when said dude is riding his titanium MTB all dressed in bike gear and climbing a hill. :) Road bikes are even more fun...

Charming.

High heels? I didn't know they made those SPD compatible :D

Don't know about the skirt, but I did see a guy at the highland games riding a bike in a kilt. I'll leave that imagery alone.

Let me clarify, I don't race people on my commute. I do race the clock.

I like to ride and have fun. Wanna sprint to the top of a hill? Sure why not. Wanna turn my enjoyable commute into a race, then you will be dropping me like a bad habit.

Maybe they were trying to catch up to get your number :love:

How sexist! :D

If j ever get passed, I blame it on my panniers. "oh, I'm carrying about forty pounds today, so..."

I don't see many other commuters out so I don't get competitive with others. But what I do is try to go my fastest on my whole 9 mile commute. Sure I can go comfortably the whole way and arrive in 45 minutes but where is the fun in that; it is an awesome feeling when you do it in just over 30 minutes. I am just one of those weirdos that likes pushing himself. when I used to train for a relay marathon I ran midday in the high 90s because running in the late afternoon when it is cool out is too easy haha.

Only when I need to be....

I don't race, especially to work, but I if I am feeling good, I do like to compare to my previous best on the way home. I take it easy on the way to work so I don't have to clean up as much sweat, etc. Besides, I find that I only gain about a minute or two on a 35 minute commute pushing it hard - which is offset by recovery/refreshing time in the office. On the way home though, I like to push it a lot more if I'm feeling fast because only my cats will see (and smell) me covered with sweat and I have a shower there.

I'd find it really hard to believe that everyone on a bicycle was going full out all the time. I think most people (here at least) pick a speed they're comfortable with that they can maintain on a continuous basis for the commute. For some people that speed can be a little faster. Some people walk faster than others too. Personally I wish there was more interest in comradery and less in competition.

The two are not mutually exclusive.
The person I mentioned on the last page turned out to be a real cool guy. We got to chatting and I invited him over so I can tune up his bike.
It's all good between grown men.

riding full out is fun. perhaps if you should try it before you knock it.

I thought this was the commuting forum - not the roadie forum.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve race track is a 12.1-km Formula One race track.course in downtown Montréal . Besides Formula One Racing, it's also hosted 24 hour inline skating marathons, and is always available for cyclists.

Definitely a better place to go 'full out' than on a commute with there are traffic lights and stupid motorists. Riding 'full out' for me would guarantee I'd be breaking every posted speed limit in the city.

There have already been 4 cyclists killed in traffic accidents in Montreal - I'm completely uninterested in adding my name to that list.

I wouldn't say that but I defenitly have fun catching the draft from trucks or cars going too fast on 45mph road. I commute in racing attire since it more comfortable and less wind resistant but I am almost always alone at the times I'm out on the trail or road. For me its the pace I am comfortable with which is 19-20mph anything less and I feel like it takes too long to get to where I am going. Most people I see out on a casual ride only do 16-18mph.

People who commute year round are a different breed from casual commuters. And some of us eat cat4-5 lancey boys for breakfast.

Competition for wealthy doctors, lawyers, professionals, and educators. I much prefer unstructured free competition.

If I am riding near the prevailing speed of surrounding traffic I really don't care if I break the speed limit. Its not like a police officer is going to ticket me for going 5 over on a bike.

In PDX the vast majority of cycling deaths are due to drunk driving (largely unavoidable) or inexperience (right hooks). If you take the lane and ride assertively, right hooks are not an issue. Far too many cycling deaths occur in the middle of fancy infrastructure that is supposed to protect inexperienced cyclists. This really pisses me off.

Theres about a million strava sections on my page, I try to get better at each one of them, as well I have a personal section for my routes to and from and try to beat them everyday.

Thats being a little presumptious - its actually free and open to the public and .,... underused. If I want some fun, I'll drag out the TT bike, call up some friends, and go for the day.

I did not notice that you were fortunate enough to live in the people's republic of canuckistan. In the USA we are a capitalistic society so these facilities are almost never free.

I don't ride all out all the time. I ride at what I think is reasonably hard because I am usually running late. But when a pretty girl passes me......I will give it all to keep up for as long as I can.

So ...you could always consider immigrating .... we offer a realy high tax rate and igloos with central
heating (not to mention an enforced language experience) at competative rstes!