AlphaDogg

I was riding today (first time in about 4 days) on the MUP and some asshat was half wheeling me at about 20mph. His entire front wheel was to the right of my rear wheel with about 6 inches from the grass on the side. His wheel was less than 2 inches from mine. This really pissed me off, but I didn't say anything. Then I got stuck behind a slow moving cyclist and couldn't pass until a group passed from the other direction. I slowed down pretty fast, and I guess the asshat did too, because he didn't hit me. About .5 miles after that, I had to stop to take off my ADHD medication patch (if I don't take it off on time, I can't sleep well at night because it's a stimulant). I was pissed at myself that I didn't say anything, so I cranked up the wattage and headed back out. I caught a glimpse of him, but there was no way I could maintain a high speed for so long to catch up to him. I called it quits and went back to my 18mph average with my tail between my legs.

/rant

abstractform20

I wore you down with my psychological tactics

krusty

When I rode a motorbike in the 70s, my friends & I used to carry a pocket full of rocks in case another motorist did something dangerous or stupid. Jerseys hold a lot of rocks. Just sayin'.

Axiom

On a typical ride, 5-10 cyclist will pass me for whatever reason. Out of those 5-10 maybe ONE will practice proper cycling etiquette. The others will fly past at 25mph without as much as looking at you, or sneak up behind and pass on the one foot shoulder.

caloso

This is why I usually ride on the road.

Bob Dopolina 

If his entire front wheel is overlapping your entire rear wheel there is no problem. That's how you draft in a cross wind.

You don't usually do this unless you know the person you're riding with so this does seem a bit odd.

Machka 

Trolling?


OP ... if you're for real, get off the MUP and ride on the road.

rangerdavid

You should have just dialed it up to 400 watts and dropped his ass.


BTW, why are you riding with kids on the MUP? they call us roadies for a reason.

EventServices

Just to set the record straight, "half-wheeling" is when the friend you're riding next to rides about a half wheel ahead of you instead of beside you. It's very frustrating because you're always trying to pull even, and he's always pulling ahead.

The guy you're describing was just sucking along in your draft as if it's 'free draft day'.
Or he's just lonely and wanted to ride VERY close to someone. He likely found someone else after he ditched you.

Some people will say it's not big deal; let him suck your wheel. Others (me) will say he's a danger there because if he's not paying attention, you could move over on him and he's caught on your rear derailleur. That's ugly.

I find myself riding on the MUP more and more because everyone on the road is texting. And our MUPs are hardly used. I can go 10 miles without seeing anyone.

jolly_ross

Sounds like you need to find a way to peel off your patch without stopping - is the problem that you have to pick at the edge to get it started? You could make a tab with a small bit of duct tape stuck under the edge. Where you throw it when you get it off is completely up to you

ahsposo 

Thank You.

DropDeadFred

you should have given him the look and hauled off...
Whats the etiquette for passing slow riders when you're doing 25+ ? Interrupt your breathing to shout and possibly startle you? We don't know how experienced you are, IMO it's safer to pass without notice once you're traveling at certain speeds.

Pedaleur

On the plus side, eventually you'll reach the speed of light...

AlphaDogg

The problem is that it's on my thigh and I can't get my and down my bibs without stopping.

MikeyBoyAz

I assume and = hand? otherwise that sentence makes NO sense.

Elevation

Mups...

zigmeister

Nah, this doesn't work unless you can maintain that wattage for about 5-10 minutes with many people. I know, because I like to pull the same crap the TS is complaining about, then watch guys try to ride me off their wheel. Since I'm a sprinter, I just jump on it and fly past them at 42mph, like a true 41'er would do to prove what a badass I am.

AlphaDogg

Yep... Sorry, I typed that on my iPhone.

kv501

{deleted by moderator**

1. Troll ^^^

2. MUPs are dumb

3. Roads are not dumb

4. This is exactly why I ride alone always. 100% of the time.

Nachoman

I like that.

ColinL

I find it interesting that a stimulant is used for ADHD. Isn't that like giving bag of pixie sticks to a 5 year old?

On-topic reply:

There's nothing wrong with MUPs because it's unlikely you will be hit by a car while travelling on them, and often they are lightly used. The MUPs in my town don't have long unbroken stretches or enough room to safely go fast (25+) so it's hard to ride intervals on them but not impossible I guess. Could be better than doing intervals in your neighborhood, but I still wouldn't do any sprinting on even a quiet MUP because you could easily hit someone.

That's the biggest reason to use open roads. You can go fast because they're made for cars going even faster. Be smart about it, and roads are fine.

AlphaDogg

This MUP is great. It goes under roads instead of crossing them, so intervals are very easy. It's widely used by roadies around here. You can't go more than 500 feet without seeing another cyclist this time of year. Around November, you can go more than 10 miles without seeing a sole. The trail goes from my house to downtown Denver, uninterrupted (except if there's high water in the creek) for 15 miles. Then it connects to the south Platte river trail for another 30 miles, which then connects to the Bear Creek trail for quite some time. The trail system here is fantastic.

gregf83 

What do you do when you come across a dog walker or a family with little kids? That's one problem with doing intervals on MUPs.

ColinL

sounds like it. I would definitely ride it, and you're fortunate to have it available.

but if there really are cyclists every 500 feet, there's no practical way to do intervals or sprinting. you'll either be interrupting the interval so often as to eliminate the value or you'll be taking big risks to yourself and others.

merlinextraligh

Slow down.

In my experience, MUPS very greatly in their design and utilization. Some MUPS in urban areas it would be highly foolish to ride faster than 10 mph most of the time. Others that are lightly used can be ridden safely and enjoyably, particularly if you're prepared to stop where you can't see, or there are other users.

Here, the Jax/Baldwin trail for the most part can be ridden safely above the postd 20 mph speed limit most times. There are usually not many users, and the one's there are, are concentrated in a a mile or so on one end. Watch out for them and slow down around them, and it's not a problem.