Competitive Commuter - AKA 'Sad Man'

Ike90

Very well said. I get it all the time, too.

I have a recumbent that I ride to work in the summer months, and of course, roadies pass me like crazy on the uphill portions of the ride. Once over the crests of the hills though, my wheeled chaise lounge drops right back on them; they can't outrun the extra weight and lower wind resistance. Luckily, my commute ends on a downhill stretch, so I usually win!

B Rubble

If I get passed, it's normally for a reason.

When that does happen, and if the difference in speed is minimal, I will try to keep a respectful distance behind (10-20 yards) and maintain the same pace as long as I can.

I figure it helps me keep my cadence up, but doesn't provoke the rider in front to speed up even more.

ABG

Ha ha ...

I am always the one being passed, I rarely pass anyone. Me and my 35 pound upright hybrid bike just can't keep up :-)

Darkhorse85

i commute 11 miles each way every day to work with my old 2001 Trek 4300 hardtail mtn bike on those crushed stone trails. It has smooth tires and a higher gear ratio deore crankset upgrade. It's a 7 speed, and i dont even have a front derailler so im always on the big ring. I go very very fast... around 18-20mph consistently. In commuting for 6 weeks so far (and getting faster) i can say that i have never been passed.
I fly by a lot of roadbikers solo and in groups. I even pass cyclists in yellow jerseys =p.

I honestly feel like i own the trail...weird, but if i see someone ahead of me i keep my power on. It's a great workout. But i really do laugh at the guys on titanium bikes goin 15mph.
gee, i wish i had money comin out of my ass.



itll be scary when i can actually afford a road bike.

Treky

I do that too. If I see another cyclist ahead of me I maintain a good average speed to see if I can catch them, most of the time I do, and I see that they are riding an MTB or a hybrid. I ride a road bike. I've never been passed and I've never had anybody trying to catch up after I passed them. I guess it is because I am doing 18-25mph versus their 10-15mph.

LeojVS

I was riding my Norco Sasquatch from Penrith to Springwood, up the highway. Not a smart move on a 41lb bike. Anyway, at Glenbrook a younger fitter dude on his XC bike appears in front of me, and HAD to beat me. Looking back every 30 seconds to see where I was, and speeding up as I got closer. Get stuffed mate, you aint getting away.... Damn, I was pushing this bike. I would catch him on the flats, be sitting about 20 meters from him on the downhill. On the uphill he would dissapear. Then the long haul to catch him again. We played this game untill we parted in Springwood. It was a fun ride. I was shattered by the time I got to mum and dads

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brad g

I was nearing the end of a 40 mile recreational/fitness ride last weekend when in the distance I could see a speck that looked like someone on a bike. I decided to "try" and catch up with them and picked up the pace a bit. I can't sprint very far at all, so I decided that just getting into a pace that I could maintain for awhile would be best. I settled in at about 18mph and kept pushing. I lost sight of the other cyclist around a bend, but when I cleared the curve, noted that I had gained a lot of ground on him. I was able to see that he was on a mountain bike, dressed all in black, but was definitely not out cycling judging by his clothing selection. He was dressed like a skateboarder, with the big, baggy shorts that go nearly to his ankles, a t-shirt that was about 4 sizes too big, no helmet. He was standing on the cranks, and doing mini-sprints, 5-6 revs then resting for a bit. I figure he must have been onto my intention. Just as I was about to overtake him, he hooked a left off of the path, through someone's yard, and onto a parallel street. I guess he didn't want to give me the satisfaction

xroads

Always a bit of fun, as long as there are no cars about. Gets the heart pacing a bit faster. Of course I always win!

So Cal commuter

funny, I like when a roadie passes me....then I draft off him on the bike path, I go from 20mph to 25mph and save my legs for the ride home. I'm on a touring bike, so the roadies act kind of supprised that I am staying with them.

halc

I've learned not to take it too seriously, regardless of which role I'm playing

Really, nothing wrong with a little play competition and if the other party doesn't want to play, no harm done.

Alternatively, on some days I just laugh if I go past a hc road biker on my crumpy old commuter wearing my work clothes, only to find the road biker zipping past me in the next 30 seconds as if he's got his tail on fire

Either way, let's not take it too seriously, even if the other party is doing just that.

kokomo61

If I see someone in front of me, I'll try to catch them, but it's not a competitive thing (except with myself). I'm riding a Trek 7300, which is pretty heavy, so if they're on any kind of a road bike, they can dust me pretty easily.

I don't mind being passed if they're riding faster than me, either - I got to draft off of 2 roadies the other day, and I was pushing 22 mph with little to no effort. What I DO mind are people passing without warning - or pushing to get ahead of me, then relaxing their pace to where I'm right on their tail...

BornInZion

This fella who drafts you, do meet him often? Do you know his name?

I remember when I was just starting out on bicycles and I started riding with a club. (Covina Cycle Club, Southern California) There were three distinct groups. The Racers, slender guys with their sleek bikes. There were the core clubbers, always fun to ride with, and then the newbies like me.
The Racers would meet at the same time and place as the rest but usually dash off on some 60-120 mile ride they cooked up among themselves. They were COOL and I so admired them.
The newbies would take a short route to the food stop of the club ride until we were strong enough to do the whole ride. Newbies always had an experienced rider along to give tips and encouragement. I always felt welcome.
As soon as I was able to do the full club rides (20-40 miles) I found out that there was ALWAYS one or two Racers who came with us. They would rotate the "duty" of encouraging newbies like me. The result was that by the next year, I was riding with the Racers and encouraging newbies myself!

My point is, when I was new to the sport, you roadies were like the gods! You lived in a world that was beyond what I could ever hope to do. My continued interest in cycling today has a lot to do with six or seven guys that took some time to encourage me and let me be a part of their world. They are true ambassadors of our sport.

All of us started at the same place- we all had to learn to ride a bike after all! For the sake of our sport, let's encourage those who draft us! A few friendly words like; "If you keep hammering like you are today, I'll be trying to keep up with you!" Or when you come up on that dude on the MYB; "Gee you were hard to catch! Do you do a lot of riding?" It will cost you very little, but it may pay big dividends. After all, you are going to need someone to buy your old bike from you when you upgrade!

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Some people say the world is round, and others say the world is flat. But I say it is mostly uphill!

rule62

LOL...so true. Great post Zion!

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ranger39000

I'm just surprised you guy's actually see someone else riding while on yer commute. I ride 18.5 miles home from work 5 dayz a week and NEVER see another cyclist. Make freinds with him, original poster, we're a niche sport. If not, try tak's .....just kiddin

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