Most satisfying?

2»

Comments

  • andcp
    andcp Posts: 644
    davebelushi wrote:
    It was a bit odd to see a load of middle aged men dressed up in strange clothing out on a Sunday trying to recapture their youth...ah, wait.
    Genuine lol! Brightened my day.
    "It must be true, it's on the internet" - Winston Churchill
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I spend most of my time being overtaken. Once amusingly by a young girl in wellies on a BSO...

    I ride quite a lot, and often push myself quite hard, but I've concluded I'm just never going to be a fast rider. Likely down to genetics and the fact my red cell count remains at the bottom of the normal range and occasionally dips into anaemia. Now I'm 59 I'll be happy enough if I can just maintain my current form.

    It's the main reason I decided I didn't like sportives; I thought I'd be pootling round and chatting with groups of like minded individuals, but instead spent the day riding alone and being passed by knobheads who think they are racing, but appear to have the bike handling skills of an inebriated toddler. And reaching feed stops that looked like they'd just been hit by a plague of locusts.

    For the £20+ entry fee I can prepare a route on my Garmin and stick a very lavish picnic in my saddlebag, go at my own pace and chat to myself the whole way round...
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    mamil314 wrote:
    At least OP is honest about his insecurity. Not many would be hanging their laundry in public like that, respect.

    Still waiting for someone to mention the father complex.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,345
    keef66 wrote:
    For the £20+ entry fee I can prepare a route on my Garmin and stick a very lavish picnic in my saddlebag, go at my own pace and chat to myself the whole way round...
    I quite often find myself passing, or getting passed by, someone on those rides. We chat for a while until someone turns off or resumes their previous pace. Much more pleasant than sportives.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • dannbodge
    dannbodge Posts: 1,152
    Mine was going up Druids Hill of Brands Hatch on my sub £600 Ally Cube, passing people on pinarello dogmas, Cervelos and Sworks bikes.

    Then a few laps later doing it again.
  • fat daddy
    fat daddy Posts: 2,605
    Dannbodge wrote:
    and Sworks bikes.

    I have a an S-works ..... and Strava quite clearly points me to being quicker on my £600 Boardman Team Hybrid with 32C rubber and flat bars :?

    Everyone says the bike wont make you faster ...... they were right, its just nicer to ride.
  • Midlands Grimpeur
    Midlands Grimpeur Posts: 340
    Not strictly an overtake, rather being overtaken! Dan Martin and Dave Millar in Girona 3 years ago. I was on the flat run back from Sant Hilari to the City Centre, hands on the drops killing myself into a block head wind. They rode passed sitting upright, hands on the tops, chatting away and doing at least 40km/h with no effort (probably at the end of a 150km training ride as well). Satisfying because that was the moment I realised that no matter how hard I had trained or how early I took up cycling I was never going to be one of those guys, which made me take things less seriously and just enjoy the bike!
  • stevie63
    stevie63 Posts: 481
    keef66 wrote:

    It's the main reason I decided I didn't like sportives; I thought I'd be pootling round and chatting with groups of like minded individuals, but instead spent the day riding alone and being passed by knobheads who think they are racing, but appear to have the bike handling skills of an inebriated toddler. And reaching feed stops that looked like they'd just been hit by a plague of locusts.

    For the £20+ entry fee I can prepare a route on my Garmin and stick a very lavish picnic in my saddlebag, go at my own pace and chat to myself the whole way round...
    Have you ever thought of giving Audax a go? I think you would find the mindset matches yours.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,356
    fat daddy wrote:
    Pinno wrote:
    Most people pass me. I don't give a flying farq.

    That'...output
    Pinno wrote:
    Why don't you slow down and talk?

    how am I meant to catch the next person if I slow down and talk ? ..... I don't want to talk, what would I want to talk about, the weather ? how bland my plastic Tiagra shifters are ? if I wanted conversation I would go buy icecream at Tesco and watch it melt on the conveyor belt as the elder gent infront of me chats away about the niggling pain in is hip replacements :wink:

    You cheeky basket. I am not an 'elder' - far from it and second, I rarely moan about the niggling pain in my hip replacements.

    If, on the rare occasion I pass someone, I always say 'Hi, how you doing'.

    What I hate much more than anyone passing me are the w@nkers who look down their nose at you and not bother saying anything - especially when they are cycling towards you.

    How do you know the person you passed wasn't in the winning national TT race the day before or is recovering from illness/injury or is just out riding tempo, or has come off the back of the Marmotte or is just out for a pedal or is just riding tempo or has just completed 150 miles or has just had a lady boy conversion and is a bit tender downstairs?

    Good post Keef. Come up my way and we'll pedal, chew the fat and see some countryside. Might even squeeze in a Cafe stop with coffee and cake.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • fat daddy
    fat daddy Posts: 2,605
    Pinno wrote:
    How do you know the person you passed wasn't in the winning national TT race the day before or is recovering from illness/injury or is just out riding tempo, or has come off the back of the Marmotte or is just out for a pedal or is just riding tempo or has just completed 150 miles or has just had a lady boy conversion and is a bit tender downstairs?.

    I don't .... and I don't care. Why they are cycling the speed they are in the manner they are is of no concern to me ... and by those same standards I also don't care if they have been in training for the last 6 months and are at the top of their form and busting out PRs

    What I care about is having pushed myself in order to catch up and pass them, its my own achievement.

    Likewise when I get overtaken if I managed to hold them off for a mile and then stick with them for the duration of the next hill, then whoop to me ... hell they might not even be trying as they cruise past me ..... but I am trying, and that's what I judge myself on

    whats even sweeter is when you get home, check out strava and notice that all that work you put in trying to stick with that Deliveroo rider with a massive pack on his back as just earned me a PR, YES, I have got faster and stronger !!!!
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    stevie63 wrote:
    keef66 wrote:

    It's the main reason I decided I didn't like sportives; I thought I'd be pootling round and chatting with groups of like minded individuals, but instead spent the day riding alone and being passed by knobheads who think they are racing, but appear to have the bike handling skills of an inebriated toddler. And reaching feed stops that looked like they'd just been hit by a plague of locusts.

    For the £20+ entry fee I can prepare a route on my Garmin and stick a very lavish picnic in my saddlebag, go at my own pace and chat to myself the whole way round...
    Have you ever thought of giving Audax a go? I think you would find the mindset matches yours.

    I have indeed been contemplating just that! I don't have a beard or SPD sandals, but I do rather like the sound of it...
  • Websta24
    Websta24 Posts: 162
    I ride a Pinarello, everyone's first comments are "your either fast, or rich" I'm neither to be honest. I just got a bloody good deal on a bike that instantly turned my head (saved £1k)

    Its a Marvel, not a Dogma (Even with £1k off the price you would still need to be rather rich)

    I like seeing people and reeling them in, always give a "morning" as i ride past
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    Websta24 wrote:
    I'm neither to be honest.

    (Even with £1k off the price you would still need to be rather rich)
  • Tashman
    Tashman Posts: 3,496
    TBH, i'm usually satisfied enough just to get up the hill! If i help someone else get a performance by being their slow moving goal then all credit to them!
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    Dinyull wrote:
    Websta24 wrote:
    I'm neither to be honest.

    (Even with £1k off the price you would still need to be rather rich)
    I think he meant that with relation to the Dogma which he doesn't have...
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    I like passing some MAMIL on a Colnago or what have you, then sneaking a glance back to see them sprinting out of the saddle to try and get on my wheel, then blowing up. When I lived in Aberdeen I swear I saw the same guy do this every weekend.

    Also overtaking a guy on a Dogma wearing Sky shorts and a polka dot jersey on a climb on my steel winter bike with mudguards, lights and a rack made me smile (specifically the combination of the polka dots and the fact it was a climb).

    But generally I won't push too hard to pass people, if I just happen to be going faster than someone then fine but if I'm really pushing just to overtake them and they aren't (and decide they don't want to be passed) then you can just end up in a stupid game of leapfrog which is silly.
  • cookeeemonster
    cookeeemonster Posts: 1,991
    Pinno wrote:
    fat daddy wrote:
    Pinno wrote:
    Most people pass me. I don't give a flying farq.

    That'...output
    Pinno wrote:
    Why don't you slow down and talk?

    how am I meant to catch the next person if I slow down and talk ? ..... I don't want to talk, what would I want to talk about, the weather ? how bland my plastic Tiagra shifters are ? if I wanted conversation I would go buy icecream at Tesco and watch it melt on the conveyor belt as the elder gent infront of me chats away about the niggling pain in is hip replacements :wink:

    What I hate much more than anyone passing me are the w@nkers who look down their nose at you and not bother saying anything - especially when they are cycling towards you.

    How do you know they have seen you? Most people wear cycling glasses these days. They might be 'in the zone', putting in a hard session, unable to talk and might be overly focused on the strip of tarmac ahead of them...and might not see you until the last second.

    I always try to say hello, even when I'm at the front of a chaingang dying a slow/fast death. Some people respond, some don't, thats fine. I respond the vast majority of the time to hellos/waves and so on but every now and then I notice someone a bit late...it happens
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    I like passing some MAMIL on a Colnago or what have you, then sneaking a glance back to see them sprinting out of the saddle to try and get on my wheel, then blowing up. When I lived in Aberdeen I swear I saw the same guy do this every weekend.

    Also overtaking a guy on a Dogma wearing Sky shorts and a polka dot jersey on a climb on my steel winter bike with mudguards, lights and a rack made me smile (specifically the combination of the polka dots and the fact it was a climb)

    FWIW this was the spirit the thread was meant, not that it matters now like.

    I've never in my life busted a gut to get past someone in the distance, always ride at my own pace. In fact I generally hold back from passing people because of the jokers you get who take such offence at being passed they'll latch onto your wheel and then "attack" only to be reeled in and dropped when they've popped.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,356
    CookeeeMonster wrote:
    Pinno wrote:
    fat daddy wrote:
    Pinno wrote:
    Most people pass me. I don't give a flying farq.

    That'...output
    Pinno wrote:
    Why don't you slow down and talk?

    how am I meant to catch the next person if I slow down and talk ? ..... I don't want to talk, what would I want to talk about, the weather ? how bland my plastic Tiagra shifters are ? if I wanted conversation I would go buy icecream at Tesco and watch it melt on the conveyor belt as the elder gent infront of me chats away about the niggling pain in is hip replacements :wink:

    What I hate much more than anyone passing me are the w@nkers who look down their nose at you and not bother saying anything - especially when they are cycling towards you.

    How do you know they have seen you? Most people wear cycling glasses these days. They might be 'in the zone', putting in a hard session, unable to talk and might be overly focused on the strip of tarmac ahead of them...and might not see you until the last second.

    I always try to say hello, even when I'm at the front of a chaingang dying a slow/fast death. Some people respond, some don't, thats fine. I respond the vast majority of the time to hellos/waves and so on but every now and then I notice someone a bit late...it happens

    I live in rural Scotland - there's nobody here and hardly any traffic. If I shout 'Hello' and wave to an oncoming cyclist, they would have to be blind and deaf to not hear or see me. I would understand if there was lots of traffic and background noise but there isn't.
    We call them 'crusts'..
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!

Categories