Got the finger.
 

Sunday I was riding from Alexandria VA to Kingstown, using South Kings Highway. Narrow road, single lane mostly with no shoulder, moderate traffic. I had been staying well to the right on the up hill and flat sections to let cars pass. When I reached the top of a good downhill I was in a gap in the traffic. I could hear a car a ways behind me. I took the middle of the lane and peddled like mad down the hill, mostly to see how fast I could get to. I reached 43 mph near the bottom, then noticed the speed limit sign for 35 mph. As I started uphill again I pulled to the right to let the traffic by. As a big pickup passed me the passenger stuck his arm out the window.....and gave me a thumbs up.
Made my day.

Sweet...nice work on the downhill.

It would be great if encounters with cagers spawned more stories like this one.

Makes me think of that scene in Breaking Away where the kid is drafting the 18-wheeler and the driver of the truck gets into it with the biker.

Is that the scene where he's going, like, 40mph and the chain is seen to be on the small ring?
Very impressive!

I get a different finger sometimes when I have to take the lane on an uphill.

You are exactly right. I always come out of my seat and point this out to my wife. I get very excited about it. She doesn't understand or care.

I do the same thing, and my wife has the same reaction, or lack there of.

why is that significant? wouldn't that be the top gear?

Not if it's the front.

I've not seen that (obviously) but is that really what it means? If so, then it should be called, "change up, stupid"