Racing on bike paths
 

This has kinda been bothering me for a while. When I ride on the bike paths around town, I pretty much mind my own business. I ride at my own pace and don't really care what other people are doing. Sometimes I'll pass someone that is riding a bit slower and they act like I've formally thrown down a challenge to their manhood. This usually doesn't happen with women, so that's why I say "manhood". A few weeks ago, I passed this dude on a Bianchi Pista with ridiculously long straight bars. He wasn't going particularly fast and I just wanted to get home. I look behind me to pass someone else and I see this guy is literally inches from my back wheel. I keep riding wondering if he's gonna pass me and look back again to see he's right still right there. I speed up a bit, got over to the right and slow down and wave him past. As he passes, I look over and say "how's it going?". He doesn't say anything and just passes and then slows down and I think to myself.....I don't want this guy on my @ss so I'm just gonna ride behind him for about a mile until my exit comes up. Another time, I pass a guy on a mountain bike and he literally curses as I pass. He tries to keep up for a while but I drop him...not because I'm a strong rider, but he's on a mountain bike and I'm on my fixed gear. One bike is faster than the other. Don't get me wrong, I've been surprised and a bit disappointed when getting passed. I actually did get passed by a guy on a mountain bike, but he was obviously sprinting and got off the path right after he passed me. Just the other day, I got passed by a roadie and he gives me the "what's up?" as he passed. I didn't mind him just riding faster than me and didn't try to ride right behind him.

Anyhow...what's up with this mentality? If these guys want to race, why don't they sign up for a real race instead trying to race other folks that are just riding home or to work? It's pretty annoying. Do other folks in other cities have this problem or is it just Denver?

Adrenaline.

It's a complete chemical reaction that causes a natural reflexive response. The mere sight of a speeding object in your periphial vision will cause your heart rate to rise, and your muscles to twitch.



No matter haw fancy our clothes get, we are still animals underneath it all.

So the next time you are approching someone, if you want to be left alone, give them fair warning. Ring the alarm, strike the bell, yell "to your left!", and let their adrenaline lower before you buzz by them.

When you do pass them, wave or speak a short greeting. This may help lower their prey chase response.

Think of yourself as both the hunter and the hunted, and the city as just another wild landscape, and you will survive.

bds...it's everywhere

and dipper. i prefer a battlecry when passing someone

okay...i get it now. i'll make sure i ride with war paint on my face and a fur pelt over my helmet. when passing someone, i'll scream IIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!! and then hit them in the rear tire with a battle axe or one of these:

now you got it. but for real, it's just how it is everywhere. try not to make any looks or sudden movements and you should be alright. it's up to the maturity of the rider you're passing. i don't worry about it. when people pass me, it's just because they're going faster than me. my commute isn't a race, and if i get passed i n a race...wait. who am i kidding. i don't get passed in races. (at least on the street, and again, they're faster than me, and they apparently want it more. i can respect that)

From what I've read on these forums, it seems us SSFGers are the worst for racing people on MUPs or roads with people that aren't racing with them.

"I TOTALLY DROPPED THIS ROADIE IN FULL TEAM KIT ON A CARBON BIKE!"

all the time. especially on bridges (williamsburg bridge anyone?). some people just seem to take it as some personal affront. God forbid I don't want to inch along up a steep upgrade because I have 26 less gears than you. or even, god forbid i happen to be riding faster. I especially love the freewheeling guys that get up out of the saddle as soon as I pass, mash as hard as they can, then coast for a quarter mile to recover once they pass me. or the roadies in central park...a kid on a fixed gear with jeans/hoody instead of spandex and a mess bag instead of a camelback is like a red cape to a bull...

as long as they are not endangering you, let the f*ckers pass and enjoy the ride.

Happens to me all the time here on the Boulder bike paths - maybe it's the Colorado air. Worse on weekends and after work-hours it seems. Why guys on their full-on race bikes feel the need to race on a freaking bike path when there are plenty of open roads with bike lanes is beyond me. I am not impressed.

Riding home on a MUP, I once saw 2 guys, one on a flatbar roadie and the other on an old school roadie. The flatbar roadie was ahead, but everytime the old school roadie would yell, "On your left!", the flatbar roadie would speed up so he wouldn't get passed. This went on for about 1.5 miles because when they both passed me and I saw what was going down, I picked up the pace to trail them safely about 50' behind and watch the show. They were both a little reckless, especially the flatbar roadie.

bitpart: The CP roadies will try to pass any bike they see, not just fixies. The weekend warrior types will pass, huffing and puffing, and slow down, just to get passed again. The CAT racers will pass at 25-30 mph while holding a conversation and they'll actually hold the pace.

sometimes it gets ridiculous. sometimes i find myself feeling insulted by what another rider has done, but then looking back and realizing it was all just cause i was percieving completely innocent things in weird ways.

other times, a biker will pass me, and i'll try to keep up with them, just to see if i can. i'm not racing them and i don't want to pass them cause i don't want them to think that i'm trying to prove anything to them, but i try to match them for a bit.

friggin hilarious...i would have sped up if i had to just to watch the show. it would have been even more hilarious if you had caught them and periodically yelled "ON YOUR LEFT" just to make them speed up.

Sometimes when I'm riding getting passed reenergizes me and makes me want to push a little harder to keep up with the othe guy... I'm usually an over friendly rider though so I'm the type that is you pass me I could speed up to stick with you but I'll usually say a little "nice bike, mind if I try'n keep up for while" or something like that... I've seen really bad whipe outs riding my road bike when people pull up and try'n "draft" someone without letting them know, so I always verbally let some one know I'm there and usually try'n make it clear I'm just try'n to push myself a little, I'm in no way offended that people occasionlly pass me.

IMO it's pretty rude(not to mention dangerous) to ride close to someone without letting them know. And I would say something to that effect if someone rode up on my rear stayed there!

Heres a useful question:

You are riding on the street, with traffic, and someone passes you, or you approach someone from behind. They are going at a decent pace, they are not slowing you down and you don't really want to pass them for one reason or another. Where do you position yourself?

I usually place myself about 20 feet behind the person, slightly offset to the left so that I'm less likely to crash into them should they suddenly stop. I find this appropriate for most people, and sdjust given the situation, but what do other people do? What is 'standard' if there is such a thing?

shiznaz, i think the answer is, more than 20 feet.

i think it's also safe and polite to take different lines through traffic. if traffic is thick, there's not really room for a couple of bikers, and it's pretty important in tight spaces not to bump up (i am so scared of falling under the wheels of trucks...). so, plenty of space.

So no corroberation of the adrenaline analysis? :(


*returns to lab, smashes beakers with a U-lock*

If someone fast passes me I like to follow them at a respectable distance (30" or so) for as long as possible, just for the challenge and to see if I can learn anything. I don't think this is excessive. I've seen this jobroni on vancity bike paths twice now who does the same thing except right up in the other guy's draft. Frigging obnoxious and dangerous thing to do when you're just commuting.

or you could *gasp* ask them to ride along if they're training. they may welcome the company. the worst they can do is say no. tell them you want to push yourself more, but it's easier with another. if someone said that to me i'd be all about them riding with. especially if it's someone you see often. i'd see a guy on my commute, and we actually got to talking quite a bit riding together. it works

I ride along the Boulder bike paths too. Maybe we have seen eachother? The boulder creek path is what I use to get to work and back. I sure hope im not that guy on a "full-on" race bike. Usually I am late and hoping to get to work on time, so sorry if it is me that you've seen.

I get passed in CP all the time, and I like it, because it makes me try to ride faster.

jyossarian, I know exactly who/what you're talking about. Some of those dudes are nuts (as in, incredible cyclists with crazy endurance and speed)!

IMO it's kinda like driving a car, stay a safer distance back... a safe distance of course varies depending on the situtation... 20ft sounds decent, slightly offset is good too.. I just tryin think about if he falls, gets doored, drops a bottle or something, am I going to be able to stop in time that I don't end up on top of him..

i definitely empathize with this, and must admit that in my younger days (and still occasionally) it did sting to get passed. especially by those who "didn't look like they should be passing me" whatever that means. i now know that some of the baddest fastest riders out there ride in flip flops and cutoffs and only turn it on when they want to.

i never draft unless i'm training with people i trust, and don't generally mind being drafted as long as the person seems to know what they're doing and doesn't cross my wheel. i say without an ounce of conceit that if someone doesn't know how to draft safely, they probably cant hang on my rear wheel anyway :)

Yeah, happens to me pretty often going over the bridge. As someone commented above, it's even better when they sprint to catch you and then slow down once they're in front again.

Also, I have to agree with the adrenaline explanation. My gut reactions when riding reasonably hard and when riding or walking casually are totally different.

This happened to me the other day too! I was at the mall, walking at a reasonable pace, enjoying all the beauutiful scenery that Garden State Plaza has to offer. I was roughly at the intersection of Lord & Taylor Gex Shoes when all of a sudden I was being passed by this grandma all dolled up in what looked like a nylon track suit. I was so stunned I didn't realize she had put 20-30 feet of distance between us. Oh no she didn't. I put it into high gear and passed her, looking back as I passed just to make sure she saw the smile on my face. Did she ever cuz the look in her eyes said "GAME ON FILIPINO BOY!" She upped the ante and passed me with no regard to the other shoppers in the mall, knocking people over left and right. People were ducking behind kiosks, benches and potted trees to avoid granny's wrath. This went on for about a lap and a half around the mall. I was ahead by a good 10 feet as we approached a right hand turn at the 3-way intersection of The Gap,Nordstrom's and Baby Gap. As she passed me she didn't see the huge double stroller crossing the intersection with it's screaming passengers. It sounded like they were telling her to watch out but since my kids aren't babies anymore, I've lost the ability to understand baby talk. Needless to say, she didn't see or hear them and ran straight into the left side of the stroller. Baby bottles, diapers and a hearing aid or two were flung high into the air. Witnesses gasped with fright and the mall stood silently still as what was happening before them appeared to be going on in slow motion. I passed grandma just as she landed over the now tipped over stroller, lucky to have escaped the carnage and becoming a victim myself. I glanced over my shoulder to see if she was okay only to see her giving me the finger and a knowing "I'll get you next time sonny!" look. Be careful out there. I've learned my lesson. What may seem like a quick passing by, may turn into the race of your life!

You pass me, I draft you. You asked for it.

If your going slower than my normal cruising pace, I'll pass you, but I'm not going to sprint to do it. Passing someone and then slowing down is just plain rude.