Man I'm soooo like that (first post) that Its unbelievable I get to work all excited because I've overtaken X amount of motorbikes (in the netherlands they ride the bicycle paths with us and they are very low powered 35Km/h top speed). I also make a point of going faster than the tram or preety much every thing that could get there before me!
nice post

Being that I'm in the same country, this is pretty much how my commute is too.

I love the looks I get from guys on E-bikes and scooters when I zip past them - and sometimes I get thumbs up and 'Jia You' calls from them as well.

I'm not enough of a speed demon yet to get too involved in this... probably need to upgrade to a road bike before I do. Right now I'm on a relatively inexpensive hybrid with fully loaded panniers, and there's plenty of roadies out there on racing bikes I'm not going to compete with. Still, I get involved at times. If I see someone coming up behind me I usually speed up. If they are still bearing down fast I let it go without a wounded ego. The people I pass are obviously not too concerned with speed so it'd be downright silly to get competitive about it. Sometimes there are cyclists riding at a slightly slower pace and I might speed up to pass them, but it's not about being competitive so much as just getting the pass out of the way and making sure I can choose a safe moment to do it.

On my ride in to work, I need to force myself to stick to a fairly slow pace so I don't sweat too much, as I wear my work clothes (except on summery days I might wear civilian shorts on the bike and change to long pants at the office). On the way home I sometimes try to catch other riders, but I don't try hard, and if they are beating me by blowing stop signs I let them go.

There is one hill on the way home popular with runners (Poplar Plains Rd) and I make damn sure no runners beat me up that hill! Sometimes they do seem to target me, and I pick up the pace while pretending I don't notice them.

In the charity Ride for Heart, I always treat the last 6 km as a race, and pick people far ahead that I try to overtake. Of course, they don't realize they are in a race!

do you find it odd that in a country where everyone has a bike no-one can ride one. im usually the quickest on the road by far and im not quick. i see people on expensive bikes with the seats too low, riding in the wrong gear burning up all there energy trying to pass anyone who is wearing a helmet.

I am but mostly I am riding against my own previous times. I like to try to make it to work within 35 mins and home within 40 mins (door-to-door), assuming I'm riding at low traffic times. If I leave closer to peak hour there's a lot of traffic on the roads and people on the trails so I don't push it.

Yep, but I'm going twice as fast as the average recreational rider, so I try to be careful to give them lots of space and not come across as "that ******* in lycra."

On my way in today I passed a car that had passed me 4 miles earlier. That made the ride in a lot more pleasurable!

I don't like the SCR rules. Because when I pulled away from the girl with panniers and sandals, I didn't get points? She looked very fit, after all. Nor when I got the girl in a skirt and cowboy boots. Or the guy on an Xtracycle with kid seat, chatting idly with cowboy boot girl. No points for that double pass? Maybe it was shooting fish in a barrel but just try to get two fish with one bullet, it is not easy. How about the bare-legged tattooed guy with a messenger backpack on his single speed with bullhorn bars? Just 'cause I'm on a road bike I get no point? And the roadie in Lycra who shamelessly pipped me at the light when I was still inserting my cleat. Just because he had Raceblades on his go-fast bike, that makes him a "touring" cyclist and the pocketpick counts against me? WAAAH!

I race anything with legs or wheels. There is a big mall I bike past and have to safely slalom through the 50 or so people a day with their heads down, phone tapping, swaying back and forth along the middle of the mup. I call that the technical section. Before that is the uphill grind, the looks flat but I'll bet you it's still uphill section, and then there is the downhill car racing 7 stoplights in a km tedious section.

Not many commies where I ride. When I see one, I try to catch up to ride with. Safety in numbers, you know. I mostly try to keep my eye on inattentive psychos that drive overweight, overpowered weapons (cars).

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

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+.

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....



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

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

How sexist!