Wildwood 

If I'm wearing my yellow jersey, or riding the yellow bike...... then I am obliged to chase.
I never show yellow in July, but it's August now.

robatsu

About 6 months ago, I was on a ride w/my buddy Kevin who is a big guy and pretty slow cyclist. At one point, these two buff & quite cute young ladies, clearly hardcore cyclists, fly by, Kevin is already unhappy in general about how much he gets passed. But anyhow, one of them decides to rub salt in the wound and in reference to Kev's, ahem, rather low riding shorts, calls out, "Hey buddy, don't you know crack kills?".

I almost wrecked my bike laughing so hard.

Dean7

This is the sign of a mature cyclist IMO. I'm always like "Really, guys? Really?" when people get pissy about me passing them. It just doesn't matter. I go different speeds on different days and some days I might be taking it easy because of an injury, nursing a broken bike home (once had a frame snap on me on a ride and I limped home on a bike with a missing chainstay... I'm sure a lot of people thought they were awesome while they passed me), etc. So, just because somebody passes me doesn't mean they are faster than me.

Lenton58 

I do have a competitive streak in me that remains from a bit of motorcycle racing I did back in the cretacious — and before that some sprinting I did as a schoolboy. Other than that, being beaten at something has never bothered me
except ....

You can read my avatar. Since childhood, I've always been limited as to how much oxygen I could get into my blood — no matter how much training I did. Doctors have proclaimed me very fit, and my heart has been tested thoroughly. The only thing that was found to be a bit unusual came to me from a doc who said, "You have a valve that is over-developed — no problem at all — but it shows you have worked very, very hard.

One day many, many years ago, I got dropped so badly that I ended up selling my beloved Knight racer. I gave up cycling road bikes. In fact I almost gave up cycling entirely. Then as the years passed I knew I needed some rigorous exercise. That was when I did my first road racer build. I trained my blood pressure down on my Trek hybrid until it was finished.

Now I am faster than some and slower than others. But more importantly, I much better adjusted to just not caring what happens. I ride at my own pace and for the distance that is comfortable. Well, sort of comfortable. I do ride into the pain threshold for health benefits I earn out there. And I simply love bicycles and vintage in particullar. I said to my wife only two days ago, "I just do not know what I would do without cycling!"

That being said, before the earthquake and tsunami stuff, there were a number of guys training along the levee road of the Hirose and Natori rivers here in Sendai. They had modern wonder machines. They all dropped me like a lead hammer. Even if I were riding the Vitus, which is in about the same weight class as some newer machines. I had to keep resisting the old urge to go bonkers. One guy in particular got to me. I'd hear him coming up from behind. I'd hear him changing gears — going up! He was always decked out in the best gear. He was always going too fast for me to identify his bike. He'd zip past me like I was riding a mama-chari. I'd match his cadence and run up through the gears until my speed was somewhat the same. I could tail him like this for about ... say, a half a Km. And then my lungs would burn, my legs were kegs of lactic acid. I was dizzy and toasted every time he dropped me — every time I tried to tail him.

Then, one day I just gave myself a good talking to. So now I just don't worry about it. I saw him from a distance the other day. I'm glad he survived and is still riding. And he is welcome to drop me anytime he wants with no regrets. Nothing is gonna spoil my day on the bike.

The other day I passed a schoolboy on his gas-pipe cluncker. Not to be out-down by a foreigner riding a cool SS in Lycra tights, about a minute later he rushed past me like a cheetah at full trot. I just said to myself out loud ... 'kid ... you need to train up for the TDF!' Nothing is gonna spoil my ride on that account. Cycling is too precious.

JReade

I can routinley pull 16-18 mph sustained on my 84 Focus. 10 speeds, 52-13 is the max I think, but I almost never use that gearing. After follwoing some newer roadies for a few miles in my 52-13 (or whatever) and struggling to keep up, noticing they are in a much lower GI than I was, that maybe I should give that a try. Sure, my theoretical top speed is lower, but you have to work so hard to get to that, I said forget it.

Edit - I'm in Miami pretty regularly (currently in Kendall), and I almost always bring a bike with me. I'll PM you next time I'm heading this way, and we shoudl go for a ride.

Humility story -

I was riding in the zoo-de-mack, in northern michigan. I shipped my Univega up there to ride a bike I knew. I was doing just fine at the beginning, with my first real experince with hills. After the first 25 miles or so, I was losing steam, and at the end, I was unable to get up the biggest of hills. Meanwhile, 60 year old ladies on step through townie bikes are passing me like no problem. Stupid hills.

robatsu

Actually, what bothers me more is when someone doesn't pass you but rather latches on my wheel without me knowing it. I suppose it is gratifying that somebody is willing to draft of a middleaged guy in shorts on a befendered bike, but pretty dangerous. I almost got hit from the rear 5-6 years ago when the cyclist maybe about 50 yards in front of me abruptly went down on a steep downhill. I started braking sharply and immediately hear this, "whoa, whoa, whoa" from behind me. I let off the brakes instantly and then slowed gently, there was this totally shaken guy who had been tailing me w/out me knowing it.

This happens fairly often to me around DC to the extent that I now glance back pretty regularly if I am clipping along. If I do find an unwanted stealth drafter, I address the situation in no uncertain terms, pointing out that they should be ashamed of drafting off old/slow guy like me, maybe a bit of safety lecture & slow down & make them pass.

Fortunately, although I'm uncertain of how fenders would complicate this situation and I really don't want to find out, they are likely the first ones going down in a wheel slap which proves that there is some justice in the universe.

It always is news to these guys that it is a bad idea to sneak up on someone and ride a few inches off their wheel w/out the other guy knowing. Really, genuine, honest astonishment usually. When I'm regularly riding in season here, seems like this happens at least once or twice a month.

The Golden Boy 

About a month or so ago, I was out on my Trek 400 Elance. I'm feeling very good about my bike, very good about the components on my bike, and very good about my leg strength. I know I haven't been riding as much as I'd like to but I think I was doing good, and haven't lost a whole lot... I was trucking along, at what I felt was a good pace. And some guy, out of NOWHERE blazes right by me... well, I wasn't going to let that sit... so I started hammering it. The whole while the guy was pulling away from me, regardless of the effort I was putting into kicking his azz...

Yesterday morning, I was on a ride on my "new" Trek 620 (the inaugural ride with the new derailleur and wide tires). I was on the bike path, out in the middle of nowhere, and at that point there's a road that rides on the outside of a turn on the path- (so it would be like the people on the road are 15 lanes over from you on a track- where you have the inside). These two guys trucked right away from me- they were covering more ground much more quickly than I could even think of mustering up. It's not like they were even with me- I KNEW they were casually covering 15 yards for every 5 I was pushing out.

*shrug*

I still had a nice ride.

And a really sweet bike.

look171

The problem with that is you need to keep them at bay after you pass them. If not, you want to destroy his ego and keep pulling away and you "WILL" break him in his head. that's the best part. I wanted a hot pink Casati the first time I saw it. I was racing and logging lots of miles at the time. My buddy said, if you get that frame, you better make sure they never catch you. If not, there will be a lot of $h#t talking from the guys. Those bastard always catches me.

look171

There's an easy solution. I always ride into and over the roughest part of the road when ever I am riding tempo (this is years ago during training rides) to shake others off my wheel. I always love the rain and big puddles of water. Nothing like eating some of that water with their mouth wide open sucking in air when the hammer is down. I haven't had someone on my wheel so far this year. Or, after 20 pedal stroke, I flick my arm or wave them to do some work to see how strong they are. People who do that are usually not too strong or experience. You can break em' right there.

look171

This got me thinking. is it a boy thing? Any women care to tell us if this is an area of concern to them getting pass. I personally don't care much now that I am just out riding on my own pace. Back when I was racing and in shape, no way, it was on until I tongue hang pass my top tube. I see this behavior driving also.

r95rdstr

You just got owned!! lol!

mortenfyhn

I was fully expecting this to be about you forgetting to loosen the clips before stopping, and falling over in the middle of a sea of spectators. Most likely into the bosom of the flirtatious girl.

kevin_stevens

Serves you right for adulterating chowder with green beans.

KeS

ftwelder

I have tried endurance racing a few times. I know I am slow so getting passed really isn't a problem. Unless it's my riding buddy Russ, then we race.

randyjawa 

Humble? Try bloody embarrassing!

Several years ago I got back into riding bicycles, after half a century of not riding them, or close to it.

As a reward for quitting smoking, I bought myself one of those new fangled Canadian Tire department store full suspension jobbies, for a couple of hundred dollars. It was the middle of the winter. I packed the bike up, carried it to the airport with me and headed off to Jamaica for a month of riding.

About two weeks of riding into my vacation, I was zooming (or so I thought) down the Fort Charles road, on my way back from Black River. I always try to hammer the last stretch back to the villa. As I was doing so, this kid of approximately twelve years pulls up along side me.

He is bare to the waist and wearing no shoes. One pedal, the non-drive side, has no blocks or platform on it - just a pedal spindle. He is out of the saddle and smiling at me, with an expectant look on his face. I drop a gear and up the pace. But the kid hung in there, still smiling and still out of the saddle. He was just hanging around and I was racing.

Beat by a kid on a ratty BMX - good grief!

Bought a better bike and went looking for the little PR the following year. He musta heard I was coming back, cause I never saw him again.

r95rdstr

Nah, he was just busy doing other things. He'd have smacked you, AGAIN, had he had the inclination to do so!

iab

In a race between 2 people it never has been nor will it ever be about the bike.

Old Fat Guy

Strange, because I have one particular bike that is consistently nearly 2mph over the same ride.

jimmuller 

Let me guess. That's the one for which you set the computer for 28" wheels.

Old Fat Guy

Garmin 705. Nice try, though.

rootboy 

I sometimes race against myself, but never other riders.

AZORCH

This!

(Plus, I hate to get passed by CF. Unreasonable, I know, but I always give chase... and sometimes win. It is, after all, ALL about the engine!)

JohnnyBee

+ 2

I'm 64, stage 4 cancer survivor (orig terminal, now 5 years out) Aorta valve replaced, and
two bone to bone knees. When I get passed, I just remember when I used to be fast *lol*
I'm so thankful just to be here and able to even ride at all.

I count my many small blessings everyday.


Johnnybee.

Doohickie

Yes. The funny thing is, once you break in the Brooks saddle, you realize khakis are pretty good cycling wear.

Coop500

It hasn't happened on a bicycle yet, not because I am so awesome nobody can catch me, but because I ride early in the morning and I never see other cyclists up here just after dawn. It has happened on a motorcycle before though. I had a sport bike and it was fast and it handled great. I was riding my favorite loop one evening when I hear someone give me a courtesy beep. Then a Ducati Multistrada (not a sport bike) cruises past. I tried to keep up, but he completely lost me. I saw him parked at a gas station and I stopped. It was a guy in his late 60's and his bike had full hard luggage on it.