Silly boy!

rolf_f

On my way home this evening - I pull up to some lights crossing Kirkstall Road in Leeds. After the lights is a gradually steepening climb (Canal Road if you know it). I'm in an ASL.

Just before the lights change, to my mild surprise, a lad (18-19ish) on a decent MTB (might have been a GT) pulls up beside me. I'm on my 20 year old Dawes tourer - not something to impress an impressionable youth but I'm pretty sure it comprehensively outranks any MTB in FCN terms even if it probably isn't any much amount heavier.

Anyway, lights change and what happens but the lad heads off full pelt, legs spinning a blur. In a moment he is stood out of the saddle pounding the cranks even harder whilst I am gradually cranking up to cruising speed thinking "does this lad honestly, for one second think that he is going to stay ahead of me"? I mean really - I'm almost insulted. By the time I'd thought this far, I'd also almost caught him up and I was able to waft past him, effortlessly, sat in my saddle spinning a medium cadence and travelling about 30% faster than him. I was tempted to shoulder check him but I thought that would cost the move some style points.

So, as per title - silly boy! Cheered me up though and I needed that

EKE_38BPM

Nice one Ralph (I think that's going to stick). Proper SCR, not a scalp but showing the 'yoof' how it's done.
You do realise he is probably Facebooking his mates to telling them how an old man on a bike older than they are left him at the lights.

I have no idea how old you are, I'm just telling it from the 'yoof's' point of view.

rolf_f

I'll have you know that the last time anyone made allusions to my age when I was on my bike was when an off duty policewoman (all of 25) tried to tell me off and referred to me as 'young man' (I'm 44).

You are probably right about the Facebook. Of course, the fun thing was the huge amount of effort he was putting into it. No chance of convincing himself he was just cruising!

As for Ralph - I hope not. That's just a dull, anglicised version of my name! I get that a lot anyway but I've had all sorts of spellings - the only common denominator being the R and L......

EKE_38BPM

I feel your pain. People often get my name wrong. They get the first syllable right and then go for a more common similar name. Or if they do get it right, they then make the same stupid 'joke' that I've heard all my life.