Darth Lefty 

I was driving (gasp!) today - hey, it's smoky here - and I happened to see someone out on his bike that I recognize from the last month. I believe he's a high schooler because I usually see him right around when I'm doing my school run, later than most work commutes, and he's headed in the general direction of Folsom Lake HS. He has a big shock of blond hair and a BMX 29er cruiser - a Big Ripper or something like it. I've seen him riding wheelies with it, because that is what you do with that kind of bike, but he's riding them in the direction he's going.

Who do you see?

Alligator

Once, when I was commuting home on my hybrid, another commuter rode up to me from behind and we rode together for several miles. He was about the same age, but the thing I remember the most was that he was on a cheap mountain bike, with knobby tires. It was a poor choice for regular commuting because it would have been slow and harder to ride. But he was a physician and cycled about 15 miles (one way) into work each day. Eventually, he left me in the dust. I could not believe how much power he had, or how fast he could ride on that bike. That goes to show, you can ride almost anything and eventually you will build up the stamina and health to make it work.

Papa Tom

I often see day laborers biking to and from work on rickety department store bikes, taking the same hills I take, a little bit slower but always with a smile. I really envy those guys.

rumstove

I notice a guy riding past my house quite often. In the morning riding north; late afternoon/evening riding south. Always a slow and steady pace in sun, rain, light snow, or wind. With the amount of bags loaded on his bike you'd think he was going on a tour across the country. Pretty sure he rides a Surly.

Schlafen

That's mostly gearing, wide range gearing will not take you anywhere fast, no matter the bike.

Every morning I commute I see an old fella riding in opposite direction, quite slow going up a hill in the middle of the lane and holding back traffic that's coming off an expressway for about a mile, in a school zone that'a one lane road, mid rush hour. Never seen a single car overtake him. Balls of steel on that guy.

Darth Lefty 

In my neighborhood there's an old guy who about 9am gets on his trike and rides up and down the not-steep part of the street for about twenty minutes. I see him on WFH days or when I stop by the house on my ride in having forgotten something.

pdlamb

I've passed my cardiologist a couple times on his commute (opposite direction from mine!). Funny thing is, with his backpack on, he doesn't really look like he's riding that (very nice) high-end road bike. But he is! I always wonder if his backpack has shoes or scrubs, I don't think it's big enough for both.

Korina

In the Before Times, when I commuted, I was regularly passed by a woman on an e-bike; if I remember correctly she was going to College of the Redwoods, which is a 17 mile ride. I also was passed by another woman who didn't appear to be on an e-bike, but I was never sure; she was haulin' ass at a rather casual cadence.

Eds0123

Spring 2019 before covid I used to see this new youngster early 20's dude riding home some kind of Dept Store bicycle, I usually catch up to him, chat with him and then I'd continue on, this went on for a couple weeks, he was always happy and smiling enjoying his ride.

Last time I saw him though was when he was walking his bike along the trail and not so cheerful, it happened that he had a flat, goathead country up here, and he had no tools or skill to fix it, he had shreider valve on his tube which my pump wasnt good for, I could not help him and sadly left him walking his bike, I never saw him back again after that day. First flat tire incident turned him off from bike commuting I guess.

StarBiker

The only people I see doing this are in their Mercedes on Dulaney Valley.......

Korina

Or he got a better bike, discovered speed, and he was always far, far ahead of you.

Eds0123

: - ) Unlikely, but I like your scenario better regardless ... . . . : - )

OmegaWolf

My street comes off the main N-S road, weaves around for a little over a mile and goes back out to the same road about 3 blocks from its other end. Many mornings I've crossed paths with another bike commuter coming from the north and turning onto my street, and many evenings I've seen him riding north past my house. One morning he stopped me to ask where I ride to. When I asked him the same he said a place about 15-20 miles north. The only route there I could figure out from going south from here would be about 30 difficult miles. The other possibility is that he catches the bus at the bus stop at the south end of my street.

On my previous commute there were many times I met a young man riding the other way with a guitar on his back. I always wondered where he was going like that.

EviLDORK

I see Bubba, Tony Hawk, and Vapey McPuffsalot on my commutes.