Dudelsack 

Cat 6 racing at its finest.

Dail it up to 400W, bust your guads, and teach him lesson.

KraneXL

Fun? Doesn't sound like the guy trying to pass was having fun. In any event, OP deliberately blocked the path after the fact which means he was in the wrong so the demerit goes to him. I'm pretty sure he already knows that.

Maelochs

Really?

it's not lke the OP turned around and smashed the offender in the face---or stuck a pump in his spokes.

He sped up a little. Sounds like good, clean fun. People can play without being jerks. Two guys on bikes wanted to play.

If the OP was at a public basketball court shooting hoops and the other guy said, "You can't score past me," and the OP did ... that would be a low moment? Is not competition the nature and the basis of sport? And then .. is all sport childish and of low morality, to you?

I am not an overly competitive sort on the bike, but I have tried to catch faster riders for the fun of it. The OP didn't shout, scream, didn't try to block the other rider .... all he did was make the other rider work for it if he wanted to pass.

if I were the rider behind, and what i wanted to do was go faster ... I would have had that opportunity. Why would the chasing rider care if there was another rider physically ahead but within eyesight? The chaser wanted to go faster, he had that chance.
Nor was it particularly inconsiderate. We are not snowflakes, after all.
I see a situation where two people rode bicycles in proximity, then one yelled a curse at the other. How were both "jerks"?
Hypocrite.

Next time you read a story, identify with the OP, and realize you would probably have done the same thing ... don't then pretend to be a "morally more evolved" person ... and if you are going to lie, don't admit later in the post that you are really lying.

Let this be a lesson in humility. Take the higher road and just let the post pass--or be honest and say up front you are glad he "smoked" him. You will be the better person for it.

sdmc530

It was a bit windy, so sadly no. lol

this is what motivated me in the first place. Poor choice of words.....

Yes, "Pokey" was defiantly used.

Yes, I signaled and veered on the right so no impeding at all.

Nope, never blocked the path. Our path is 12 foot wide, he could have passed me if had the power. I still should have just let it go.

Brocephus

Nice catch. Given that two guys on mtn bikes are making a fair bit of noise, plus, how hard it is to hear behind you, I'd say this was highly possible, and therefore no more than a misunderstanding. If the guy in back did call the OP "pokey", then he's kinda the jerk here (and his calling the OP an a-hole" for such a non-issue only enhances that verdict). And, at this point the OP obviously wasn't holding up traffic anymore, so the other rider doesn't have a leg to stand on.
In my younger, more competitive days, I would've likely done what the OP did, and not out of any malice, just competitive fun. These days I probably would've slowed down, moved to the side, and given the guy a wave-around even before getting to the bridge.

sdmc530

I put nobody on the trail at risk, would never do that. We have enough of those guys on the trail

all paved

I didn't think that quick enough, I should have!

After the bridge I took off, he caught up to my wheel and every time he pulled off my wheel to go around he just couldn't get enough speed to go by. He would drop back and then try again. It was windy so on a normal day I think he would have taken me maybe. I never cut him off or blocked him, he had the room to go by. I just rode straight and as fast as I had it in me.

-thanks

rgconner

Possibly...

indyfabz

ftw!

sdmc530

On my next couple of rides if I see him I will try to talk to him. I see him often so shouldn't be hard.

My wife says its funny, but she is kind of cruel person! LOL

In the end yes, it was a bunch of fun, but I will leave this kind of silliness to somebody else unless the challenge is agreed upon prior to the fun.

He defiantly said "Pokey" He was right behind me when he said it. In my mind it was game on as soon as he spewed that word!

sdmc530

great flick!

MoAlpha

ptempel

I probably would have taken it as a challenge if I knew the guy like you did as well. Its sometimes nice to have a carrot to chase after. I don't know why he called you out after leaving. Since you know him, just ask next time you see him and apologize if he took it the wrong way.

Nachoman

totally agree. OP rightfully and deservedly claimed the Cat 6 mup racing green jersey.

Divad

Sounds like good clean fun (no sarcasm) until the other guy called you an a-hole. He could have just said " great run- thanks ! "

I too would do what you plan to do - catch him later and try to become friends. Maybe both of you can laugh it off over a beer some day . . . .

If he wants to remain enemies, then he is indeed the jerk.

tagaproject6

George Carlin said something about drivers — 'Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?'

burnthesheep

Joggers are present, so MUP.

I'm going with option 3..........both riders were turds.

Why? I used to race around on my own along the really long greenways here. Like, averaging 20mph for 30 to 40mi. All sorts of bridges and tighty bendy corners too. Blind corners. Once or twice I came around a corner and someone wasn't where I'd expect someone.

The other reason, kids. I started riding with my kids on MUP's and for the most part they stay right and do what they should. But, kids also meander and don't react as quick as others do.

Also, they come out of the darnest places you'd never expect. So, I decided to call it quits. I may turn it up to 11 when going up a hill where I won't top 15mph anyway.

A bunch of grown men farting around racing on MUPs need to at least move it up to the no-drop C group ride and then challenge each other up a hill.

I think it took the cake around here when people started bragging about pace-lining the MUP to go grap KOMs. Same people who do MUP "racing" don't have the guts to ride the A-group or hammer ride.
If I'm on an easy roll, I take the cross bike with knobbies out and just cruise. I tone down the kit to look incognito and not attract any "crazy".

But, be assured I'll wear the polka dots to the hammer ride. If someone yelled at me on an MUP during a recovery ride, I'd probably respond "Como que???"

TrojanHorse

For the life of me I can't imagine why you feel even the slightest bit of regret about what you did. He called you names, and lacked the legs to make it stick. And then cussed at you some more.

"Thanks for the draft" would have been a much more amusing thing to say but he took the low road.

BlazingPedals

If you're guilty, I've been there too. I once had a woman look down at me on my lowacer and remark, "it must be awful to not be able to climb hills." Believe me, it was GAME ON at that point. She relied on her male companions to keep up while they chased me at 25-30 mph for the next 10 flat miles, then I dropped them all on the first hill we came to.

Iride01 

I think it's one of those things that happen in the moment. Given a slightly different demeanor, the other rider could have just laughed it off and made a compliment to you at the end, maybe with a little snideness in it. And both of you enjoyed the impromptu competition. However, lacking his input on the events, it still seems he was a little more of a jerk, though I think testosterone levels were rising in both of you and jerk can be applied to actions on both sides.

If I had been that person behind you, I would have enjoyed the brief competition. Riding alone can be boring sometimes. Maybe the other guy had some fancy workout set up in his bike computer and you ruined his intervals or something.

caloso

My thought exactly.

Koyote

Not a jerk move, IMO. As long as you are riding safely, do what you want.

But I don't think I have ever altered my ride because of another rider's attitude, and hope I never would do so.

Milton Keynes

I think as soon as he used the epithet "pokey," the game was on. I'd likely have done the same thing, thinking, "we'll see who's pokey." If I were trying to get by, I'd just ask, "mind if I go around after the bridge?" I never belittle someone else's riding speed on a trail or in a group. His parting comment was uncalled for, though.

"He hates these cans!"

Maelochs

We judge ourselves as we judge others.

I ride an MUP sometimes ... actually a couple. On one of them a couple months ago I chased a faster rider for several miles. I went about as fast as I could ... . slightly faster than a legless gerbil, but faster than a walker.

There were no blind turns, and when we passed pedestrians or when we came to cross streets we both slowed and proceeded cautiously. We then both sped up and went as fast as we could. Totally safe, totally fun.

For all anyone knows, these two doing a straight shot with no blind corners and didn't see, let alone pass a single slower rider, walker, or jogger.

Someone who wants to condemn these two for doing something they might not have done is just someone who is looking for anyone to dump ion, in order to feel superior.

winston63 

Not a jerk move in the least unless you endangered some other users of the path. And I gather from your description you didn't.

The other guy issued the challenge and insulted you, 9 times out of 10 I'm going to 'drope the hamer' in the same situation and just see who's pokey.

sdmc530

Nope, I get this concern. There was very few people on the trail when we were "racing". I would have never even done this on the MUP with lots of people and such. It can be unpredictable on the MUP on weekends. that is why you don't ride it on weekends. Our trails are really nice and very few blind corners and such. I am fortunate to have a city who invests well in a great trail system. We even have the fancy sweeper and jet blowers on the trail every other day cleaning.

Just never had this type situation happen before. I hang on a wheel and people hang on me but usually there is communication with riders. This was just an out of the blue deal.