EdZ

You were doing 17mph on a flat road? There is your problem

Paul L.

Happened to me last week. Guy made a point of cutting in front of me at the light. I was having a take it easy day but since I didn't have any special plans for last weekend I thought what the heck? So we start cranking it up. 20 mph, he gives a quick look, there I am. 23 mph, he looks.... I am still there, so he cranks it up to 26 and we hold it there for a mile or so (I was having too much fun really, wanted to see how far he would take this and since we were on the flats where I have the aero advantage I wasn't working too hard to hold the speed) and he sees he still hasn't shaken me so he turns into a Junior High school (yeah, school zones are awesome training I hear!). Anyway, had to laugh.

danch

Hey! That was my turn around point! I'd already decided that that's how far I was going...all the sneezing and wheezing and calliope sounds had nothing to do with it!

mollusk

I do almost all of my training rides solo on a local bike trail where the out and back is 31 miles. I always have a plan for the day and I almost always follow it. The only exception this season was when I had a slow leak where I could inflate the tire with my pump and ride OK for about 8 minutes and I turned that day into an interval day.

Anyway, I ride all the way out the trail one day and see another rider just starting at the other end just a little before I finish. He has about a 1/2 mile head start on me when I made the turn around. I'm just riding my pace and I see that I am slowly gaining on him. After 3 miles I'm gaining pretty fast. After 4.5 miles I'm passing him as he is on the side of the road, slumped over his bike, on the verge of heaving. As I pass I ask if he is OK and he just waves me on.

Now I am not a racer. It is pretty flat around here and the wind doesn't blow very much so it isn't extraordinary to average 20 mph solo over this 31 mile course. Even and old fart like me (51 years old) can do it on a 19 year old Cdale without pushing it too hard. Still I can tell what happened. This guy saw a old geezer on a non-collectible retro ride and was going to be damn sure that I didn't pass him. He could see me gaining and kept pushing it until he completely blew up. Dude, just get a clue! You went out on a ride on your own to do something in particular. Just do your ride and don't worry! I don't go out riding trying to "drop" people. I'm out there training for a specific purpose. (Actually it is cross-training for a different sport, but I won't bore you with the details.)

I few weeks later I was doing a ride where I rode this bike trail twice pretty hard, but planned on using the last 5 miles as a slow cool down at 15 mph. I didn't care at all when I was passed by a guy on a 30 lb POS that gave me "The Look" as he went on by at 16 mph.

FXjohn

I knew there had to be a grown up somewhere on this forum!

DannoXYZ 

Knaves are a good thing! They make you work hard on rides and improve your fitness... For a couple years there, I was fighting like h*ll to catch and beat this one knave who looked fairly scruffy with moth-eaten clothing and a beat-up bike. No matter how hard I worked on my sprints, intervals and hillclimbs, he was getting away from me. Improved my average speed at my LT on TTs from 20 to 26mph and he was still getting away from me. Finally joined a local bike-club after graduating and saw this guy again. He was cleaned up with new duds and much nicer bike. Turned out it was Chris Walker and he had just gotten back from doing the RAAM... Chasing knaves is good for your training!

SpongeDad

Don't you believe it. He viciously dropped two nuns and a blind guy with a seeing eye dog on his first loop. He's just not bragging about it.

mollusk

But he had a really nice seeing eye dog with a carbon fiber collar and a titanium leash.

cjbruin

I'm not sure if this is better or worse than The Knave. Today I was out on my new tri bike...trying to get used to the aero position and get a good aerobic workout in. So I pass this guy who is out riding his new Serotta (nice bike), give him a "hey, how's it going?" and keep moving. He decides to up his speed and at the next street crossing pulls up along side of me and wants to talk. I'm generally a friendly guy and I thought it would be rude to drop into the aero position and hammer away from him while he's asking me questions. Plus, I didn't really want to ride that hard today and I knew if I just went 21 or 22, he would work to keep up with me. I also felt that I shouldn't ride in the aero position next to him for safety reasons.

In the end it really wasn't a big deal. He was a cool enough guy and only rode along side me for about 4 or 5 miles. I only bring it up because it's another example of someone taking you out of your ride plan. Plus...I wanted to bump this thread up because there have been some cool posts and I'd like to see more

Cheers!

Flynko

GOLD!!! SOLID GOLD!!!
Hip,
You have a knack for getting the ball rolling on the best threads. Keep it up.

'nother

What is the deal with you guys who never exchange words with other cyclists, even when there's ample opportunity to do so? Maybe I'm just a chatterbox but I usually at least say "heyhowsitgoin" or "greatdayain'tit" at the lights or while passing or while being passed. Have met a lot of cool people that way and, I'm guessing from reading here, likely dissolved a lot of tension regarding this pseudo-competition out there on the road.

All this "knave" and "gauntlet" talk is kind of funny. What active imaginations some of you have!

cooker

Haven't you punished him enough? He's just a high school kid, after all.
R

superdex

Cue the spaghetti western music, the intense lighting, the insane close up shots of half a face and sweat on the temple and trigger itch cuts back and forth between Hip and his foe. It's a good old fashioned OK Corral showdown, played out now over two years. I love it! I also thought of that John Cusak classic, Better Off Dead... Good times, good times...

Hipcycler

You're dead-on superdex! Love it! And the thing is....the story isn't over yet either.

Oh...and as for the poster who wrote above about not understanding a lack of communication between riders....I DID try...twice over the past four years. Hardly got a grunt....a real pill.

and as for this line you wrote: What active imaginations some of you have!

NOT the case at all..really...I will bet my house...no, both my houses, that both these guys knew exactly what was going down on that ride earlier this week!

danch

Actually, that quote is one of the more insightful things the young man has said. (and I'm not bagging on him when I say that!)

jyossarian

I saw a dad on a mountain bike with his kid behind on one of those trailabike thingies that allows the kid to pedal. Both were blasting away down the street leaving everyone (roadies, mtb'ers, unicyclists) behind. The kid couldn't have been more than 10 years old, but man was he pushing his pops fast! Too bad they didn't do "the look" to the roadies. That would've been priceless.

merlinextraligh

Buy a license. It doesn't matter if you don't have a number on your back.

Swiss Hoser

Great post, Hip.
It had plot, suspense, and entertainment value. Love to read stuff like that!

-phaedrus-

great thread!

wineandkeyz

Great thread! Your description of "The Look" reminds me of a time I was out by myself (which is how I normally ride). I was tooling along between 18-20 MPH on a rural road when I came upon behind a group of guys all dressed in the same outfits (I later learned they're members of a local racing team). The group had gotten strung out over several hundred yards and as I approached, they all turned to head back the other direction. I figured they'd reached their turnaround point, and I continued on. A couple miles later, they blew past me in a tight single file at around 23 MPH or so. I was a bit ticked off that they nearly crowded me off the road and didn't bother with an "on your left" and none of them spoke to me. The kicker was when the last guy in line turned to give me "The Look"...

I thought, "Wow. Very impressive. Passing a guy who doesn't even realize he's in a race." Anyway, the testerone kicked in and I hammered to catch up to them and grabbed the last guy's wheel. When he turned around, I gave him my best sh*t-eating grin and said, "Hey. How ya doin'?"

puddin' legs

The truth in a nutshell....nice!

cooker

Is that when they stuck the pump in your spokes?

Hipcycler

wineandkeyz......you wrote:

When he turned around, I gave him my best sh*t-eating grin and said, "Hey. How ya doin'?"

...That's the other thing about all this. Ever notice how they always pretend there's nothing going on....just a casual.."Oh hi." Like they are surprised to see you....come on...that was your plan all along in the head game. Truth be told, put taht guy on a truth potion and he says..."Damn, YOU again? You caught US?" But no...it's the pretender move...Oh...hi...how's it goin?

I'm telling you.....I've learned that no one plays head games like roadies....no one. Some how, some way it always seems to turn into some sort of testosterone-feed proving ground.

Phantoj

So what's the difference between The Look and checking over your shoulder to make sure it's safe to get back over after a pass?

squeegy200

Kind of reminds me of an older gentleman that frequently rides around the Rosebowl in Pasadena. He's a late 50s retiree with an investment in a very nice bike. The Rosebowl caters to all ranges of athletes including many entry level riders, walkers, joggers, and rollerbladers.

This elderly gentleman will verbally taunt anyone he passes on a bike. He's fond of pointing out that his geriatric condition will humble many younger riders. If you are under age 40 and get passed by this guy, you will know who I am talking about.

He's out there. He'll let you know it.