i was doing some laps in central park last night - just kind of riding tempo. anyway, as i came up to the main hill i passed a couple of guys. they watched me pass and i heard one of them tell the other to 'slow up' and to 'let him get ahead' (meaning me). about 3/4 up the hill they blow by me, beat me to the top, and then promptly slow down and coast down the other side.

grown men acting like children!! i thought it was kind of funny, but also kind of stupid. every season i always forget what a 'scene' it is in central park. but that's the first time i was targeted as prey and hunted down for sport. at least where i could hear their intentions. hehe.

They could be doing intervals of sorts....especially since since it was up a hill. Either way having a target to go after always helps in intervals. I have not done this, but certainly could see myself doing something of the sort.

I do it all the time and have it done to me. But I never make it a personal thing unless I am the rabbit. Then it's a matter of how hard I can make them work.

All in good fun.

55/Rad

i admit, i do it too, but i never actually say out loud what i'm up to. it was really funny to hear them plan out their attack. in hind sight i really wish i put the hammer down and didn't let them catch me.

riding tempo is hard with all these distractions!

I do it all the time, or at least a variation on it. If I spot somebody on a hill, I'll pick a spot ahead of them and challenge myself to catch them before that spot. As others have said, it's more fun then just going for some set time interval. I've been the rabbit as well, and I certainly make the fox work to get his prey in that case.

Maybe your eyes are set far apart...

Cowboys and Indians! We did it all the time in X-country:) Made mile repeats somewhat bearable.

You Rabbits don't know how lucky you are - wish I had the chance of that kind of sport !

Closest thing I get it trying to chase down "Neds" B4 they reach the next set of lights, to get revenge for yet another beer can thrown from a crappy boy racer car !

Coasting down hill, poseurs!

"Maybe your eye's are set far apart..."
Classic.

what he said.

Can't we all just ride bikes?
Does it always have to be about who's in front of who? Who dropped who? Or was it who that dropped whom?

you NY guys play more head games than a surviver TV show. reminds me of racer wannabees driving cars. if you want to really find out what you got, get into a race.

This is exactly the reason why I upgraded to a new Fuji Bicycle with a 10 speed gear box. I don't like other cyclists beating me on the road. I guess I'm competitive.

What other upgrades can I do to my new bike that will give it a competitive edge?

Tune the motor... hill repeats.... AT intervals.... 4 hour + rides.... eat less lard....

That's a good idea, but I'm also looking for some wheels that can add performance. 1-2 extra mph would be nice. What do you recommend?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikerski you NY guys play more head games than a surviver TV show. reminds me of racer wannabees driving cars. if you want to really find out what you got, get into a race.

My man bikerski RIGHT ON THE MONEY!
You wanna play tough guy? Get in a race and lets see where it shakes out. Otherwise, leave me out of your little head games out on the road.

it's all good. the new york cycling community is pretty tightknit. maybe not friendly all the time, but we always run into each other. i've seen these guys before and i'm pretty sure they're local racers. i'm training to race right now and i'm sure they're doing the same. they probably just want some variety and chasing someone down is good training.

central park is interesting - you get a huge range of talent all on the same 6 mile loop. it's not uncommon to see pro-riders pacelining at 30mph weaving inbetween rollerbladers, dog walkers, and total newbies on their bikes. and lot's of people like me are just solo training for their events.

I thought you were gonna give me a story about being chased by a bunch of women or something.

There is no way that new wheels are going to give you a 1 to 2 mph speed boost. The only upgrade that is going to give you noticeable speed improvement is by spending a lot of time on the kind of "up grades" that Mother Nature provides. As somebody (Eddy ?) once said "don't buy upgrades, ride up grades".

a story about two sweaty dudes on bikes chasing down another sweaty dude on a bike isn't your idea of a good story? ;)

I prefer women chasing after me, but that never seems to happen. :rolleyes:
Anyway atleast, no one is throwing a soda cans at you. One of the riders in my club had that happen to her recently.

As long as they weren't dangerous about it, I think it's no harm (except maybe to one's ego).

I had someone pass me halfway up the hill to Pepperdine once. I yelled "Nice job" as he passed me, went two gears harder and caught up with him and passed him. I waited at the top to give him his props but he snubbed me and rode on....

I love getting passed by folks becuase it's a sign to tell you you need to keep improving other people though may not take it so lightly.

piss off someone in NYC and you are lucky not to get shot.

I was out riding neighborhood loops yesterday during the lunch break. There was another rider going in the opposite direction doing the same loops. I've seen this guy out riding a few times over a year, and I swear that he has never even come close to waving back, much less speak to me. The way that this guy operates during these encounters is to try and shorten the interval to when we pass again. So if he passes me deeper into my loop the next time around he just grins as he passes, like he gets a point or something. I can see him riding past my house while I am gearing up, going slow and easy. As soon as I hit the road though he hammers like a maniac. After a few laps around he will start cutting across the neighbor, or will pull out and hide to shorten the interval when he gets tired. It is really something to see, and it is actually entertaining too.

And yes I should be above all this but I can't help but jack with the guy. So what I do in these situations is to keep at my pace and basically just ride the guy into the ground. And man does he hate it. He will do everything but farmer blow me every time that I come by late in the ride. He really goes from grin to death look by then too.

So yesterday was the first time that I have had this guy doing this during my lunch ride. It usually just happens in the evening or every now and then on the weekend. And since I had to get back to work, I really didn't have time to go forever. So I decided just to try looking fresher and fresher every time that I passed him. It's hard to describe, but I could tell from his expression and body language that he was getting more and more pissed. I was down to my last few minutes of ride time, and yes I'll admit that I was all the more determined not to quit before he did. So the next time that we passed each other, as a last resort I made sure that I was whistling. I guess that did it, because that was the last that I saw of him.

Pepperdine area = hills; Central Park = not hills