Originally Posted by 2su

ha ha! i live a sheltered and/or oblivious life.

Originally Posted by thdave

The only beef I see here is that he blocked your way when you wanted to go left. It could be that your signal was not clear or he didn't see it, both of which are understandable.

Originally Posted by travelmama

Not worth getting bent over. Next time confront the guy rather than hoping he will read a thread. You will feel much better afterwards.

Originally Posted by tjspiel

I wonder if mister hairless legs has any remorse over his actions or if he has just written his own open letter on another forum.

Originally Posted by xtrajack

Me too, I guess that is what happens when you're the only one along your route/time. I say that because I rarely see cyclists of any type along my route/time frame. Not counting the Trek Across Maine folk, I think I have seen maybe a dozen cyclists (of any flavor,i.e. roadie, recreational, commuter,ect.)while out riding this year

Originally Posted by resipsa

That sounds both wonderful and terrible all at once. I really like seeing and talking with other cyclists, but sometimes it does get a bit much, especially when school first starts up along a route passing by two major universities and at least three colleges.

Originally Posted by xtrajack

What is the difference between a university and a college? I don't know.

Originally Posted by thenomad

bike etiquette is too difficult to maintain:
My pinkies get tired of staying raised when on the hoods.
Utensils are too hard to work with safely at speed when you need an energy snack.
My napkin always blows away when I place it on my knee.
"Pardon me good sir, but I will be overtaking you on your left hand side" is too hard to get out when breathless.

Originally Posted by thenomad

bike etiquette is too difficult to maintain:
My pinkies get tired of staying raised when on the hoods.
Utensils are too hard to work with safely at speed when you need an energy snack.
My napkin always blows away when I place it on my knee.
"Pardon me good sir, but I will be overtaking you on your left hand side" is too hard to get out when breathless.

Originally Posted by resipsa

I think (and please, somebody correct me if I'm wrong), that universities (A) have more than one college within them, e.g. Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Business, with an accompanying larger number of degrees available, while colleges have just one (usually Arts & Sciences only, I believe) and (B) universities have a research/publishing requirement for professors, while colleges don't.

Originally Posted by Kojak

Wow, so much to worry about? I would have just had a good laugh at someone trying so hard to impress without the ability to actually do so (lots of them out there).

As an alternative (since you were apparently more fit than this individual) rather than an open letter, next time ride up next to the guy and chat him up while he's wheezing. It's just a way to say "you're not so fast" without actually saying it.

Also, a lot of people get hacked about wheel suckers. I don't like them either, but you have two choices:

1) Back off just a little, and they'll come around. Then you can let them go, or return the favor.

2) Drop 'em (my favorite). I'm not as fit now as when I raced, so it's not quite as easy as it used to be, but it sure is satisfying.

Originally Posted by jet-flashman

3) Eat a large burrito pre-ride.....works for me.

Originally Posted by resipsa

Dear Guy on the Cantilever Brake- and Road Shifter-Equipped Trek,

I see by your shaved legs and somewhat high cadence that you too enjoy riding quickly. I commend you for it. I would note, however, that a love of speed means neither that you are the final arbiter of others' actions nor that you are particularly fast.

Telling me to watch my "etiquette" in beating you off the line after we had stopped for crossing traffic is rather silly, given that I gave you some six feet of room in doing so, and especially given that in the Boston area, there is no bicycling etiquette followed by anybody. Were there actually any rules of the road on point, I would surely have followed them; there were none, however, and I did not. I simply noted that you were accelerating slowly and that there was a lot of room on the right. Moreover, you certainly did not follow any code of conduct when you decided to sprint to catch up with and pace me later - a mere 2 feet to my left - when I had already indicated that I was trying to merge into the lane to my left. Hypocrisy does not sit well with me, nor should it with anyone.

Such hypocrisy was regrettably only further illustrated when you blew past me while I was stopped at a red light one quarter mile up the road. I can find no justification for chiding me for breaking unwritten rules, while flaunting those duly enacted by the General Court of the Commonwealth.

Lack of justification notwithstanding, I do understand why you felt the need to do so. It can't be easy to go through the pains of shaving your legs regularly, and by your breathing rate and perspiration when I first came upon you, it's certain that you were giving it your all. To then have someone like me pass you with ease between signals must be frustrating. If I too had what can only be an inferiority complex, the thought of gaining an "advantage" in the "race" would have been an obvious move, though still one lacking in sense.

I therefore implore you to think about the disconnect between your words and your actions and to work on getting that cadence up. Road cycling, after all, is more an endurance event than a sprint.

Yours Truly,

The Guy on the 14 year-old Cannondale

Originally Posted by Mr IGH

This what gets your panties all bunched up? Sheesh, you need some teenagers in your life!