With some of the threads about speed and dropping other riders I found this fitting.

https://www.nicky510.com/comic/its-all-a-show/

Hah! Can't count the amount of times that I've passed someone ... and 10-20 minutes later they pass me and leave me in the dust.

I try soooo hard to just ride my own ride (when solo) and not be influenced by riders ahead or behind. I sometimes fail. But if you really want to crush a soul, you need to pass no-hands. While texting.

Been there and done that.

Saw a rider in the distance and eventually caught him but did not realise how much effort I had been putting. Overtook him instead of resting a while behind and as I passed him realised how Kna*kered I was and that there was a headwind. Couldn't lose face though so had to try to distance him for a good few miles till he turned off.

What keeps me honest is the heart rate monitor. If it starts getting above my normal range I know I'm pushing too hard ...

Thats old, just give them "The LOOK" as you pass and just keep going, no need for words. I did this to a pace line that was only going 22, i was in my sprint zone on my way home, i think they were tired as they did not respone. No telling how many miles they had put in. For me it was mile 34. Felt really good that day.

If you really want to do it up right you must make sure you have the right kit.
Hiking boots on platform pedals, a Wallymart mountain bike and absolutely no spandex!
If Don from Austin was still with us he would tell you exactly how it is done.

Several years ago I was riding a stretch of straight road when I noticed a rider behind me by about half a mile. I thought I'd up the pace a bit to keep him from catching me. So, up went the pace. I look back a few minutes later and he's closer than he was before. The testosterone kicks in and I start pushing it. I look back a minute or so later, and he's gaining even more. Now my thinking gets really stupid. I start thinking it is a real race. So, it's up on the big ring and down on the smallest cog with hand deep in the drop. All to no avail. Within two minutes he's right on by wheel, and getting ready to pass. At this point I'm shattered as a man easily 10 years my senior wearing full length blue jeans, heavy workbooks, and riding a wally-mart special passes me. Every now and again I need to be seriously reminded that I'm not the fastest, baddest, nastiest, smartest, (fill in MANY other adjectives here) dude on the planet. That particular reminder is still with me.

If someone passes me and says "hi" or something I usually just watch them go. But if someone just buzzes by me without a word, I sometimes try and figure out if they were just passing me because they are a faster rider or if they passed me because it was an accomplishment to pass someone.

The way I figure it out is by matching their speed and waiting till they look back to see if they've left me far enough behind to drop back to their normal speed, when I see the "look back", I know they had speeded up just to pass me. So now the fun begins, I stay just a bit behind them (not drafting) and keep the same speed as them, once I see the big gasps for air I know they will start looking for a side road to go down to save face. Then I pass them back, say "hi" and keep going.

If I match the speed of someone who doesn't look back, then I have used their passing me as motivation to pick up my pace and I get a better workout trying to keep pace with someone faster than me. Most times I get the "look back".

I saw this game in play (and played it myself) many times during the week of BRAG. It helps to make the hours pass by on those long daily rides.

My wife and I approached a mountain while on tour, fully loaded with sleeping bags, tents, cookware, etc. We were passed by a 20 something girl on a road bike who gave us a look of disdain when we said "Hi". On she went to the base of the mountain. About an half an hour later she appeared ahead of us on the mountain and slowly but slowly we gained on her. Eventually we passed her on our touring bikes with all our gear. We cheerfully said Hi and once again she didn't reply. The best part was it took 10 minutes just to get by her because we were going ever so slightly faster than she was and you could tell it just killed her. What a hoot. My best day cycling. Ever.

You never look back at cyclists you pass, just like you never look back as you walk slowly away from an explosion:

Races aside, the concept of "crushing" fellow riders has the same appeal as the torture of small animals.

When passed I will sometimes kick it up a few notches just to see what it takes to match that speed. Sometimes the other rider also turns up the power. Good for both of us.

One strategy I've used when there is someone behind who is obviously trying to catch me is to simply pull over and stop. If they pull over too and ask something like "need help" then you say "oh, I found it! My rear brake was rubbing against the rim but I've adjusted it now. I was wondering why I was going so slow, but now I know." If you don't want to stop just slow down a bit and pull out your mobile phone, they also won't get any satisfaction passing you when you have obviously slowed down for a reason. There are many possibilities here if you are creative.

I really don't care if other riders pass me or not, I'm just happy to see them out there. I have spent far too many decades as the only cyclist on the road to want to take away any of the joy of riding for someone. If I am likely to pass someone and I am going to be turning off soon, I'll slow down so that I don't pass them since it does seem to bother some folks to be passed.

I really enjoy it when I can have a brief chat with someone while passing/being passed; I think that can take some of the sting and unnecessary competitiveness out of the encounter. Once in a while I will come across someone on my way in from the hinterlands who is clearly running out of steam. I'll offer an energy bar and a wheel to ride behind if they want it. Back in the '70s and early '80s (when there were a lot more cyclists on the roads I was riding), this was fairly common behavior. I even met a person who had helped build the house I owned at the time by doing this.

Hello,my first post,I have this trail I been riding 16.5 mi roundtrip & @ about mi#4 a kid on a MTB approx 22-24 yrs old flew by me so I shifted & started going faster,he turned & seen me,stood on his pedals & pulled away,then styarted slowing down,turned again & I was doggin him,this went on for 4mi.every 3-500 feet he'd turn around & see where I was,I managed to stay with him until we hit a hill,he got me.
Now I have some incentive to really start riding on a regular basis.

Some truths:
1. There is always someone faster than you.
2. You are faster than someone.

https://www.itsnotarace.org/

I try to overtake every rider I see. Whenever. Wherever. I can't help it. Sometimes, I explode in the attempt. Usually, I'm able to do it, even if on ly briefly. Why do I do it?

Why do dogs chase cars?