Fine if both parties want to race, otherwise you just look like a tit.

I can never be arsed to race on a commute. It's too far and I don't want to spend the whole day knackered. If someone sits on my wheel without asking they will get ridden off it though.

I'd just slow right down until they passed.

When I was a super fit racer type I used to love a bit of psychological warfare on my commute.

Come past some bloke, big cheery hello so they know you are a girl, slow it down a bit to see if they take the bait and try and keep up. Increase the pace gradually until they are breathing out their arse, slow down again until they take the bait again and try to pass. Hammer down and grind them into the dust both physically and psychologically.

All good harmless fun, plus a good bit of sprint training.

are we talking about commuting or what? If I passed someone at a steady pace and they decided to sit on or pass me back, then so what. I would just carry on at the same pace and think they were a pratt…whilst saving my legs for proper racing, you know, races that require a licence where you get points.

Unless I have it all wrong and Commuter racing is where its at. Oh the sense of satisfaction when you catch a roadie with a rucksack must be something else. How dare you overtake….that showed you.

commuter racing FFS ! knoobs

I must add when I say pootle, I was going down a 'hill' and spinning out so freewheeled a while.

I imagine he'd reeled me in to pass me and didn't expect the rider infront to have some life in him (i.e he probably thought I was easy pray to 'hump' and assert his maleness).

I'll always race on my commute, its such a dull, lifeless ride so why not liven it up? No one has to rise to it do they?

Are folk that stressed out that they see it as some sort of challenge to their male virility?!

On some days I'll even mark a car and see if I can catch them (and stay with them) at each set of lights.

I would just carry on at the same pace and think they were a pratt…whilst saving my legs for proper racing, you know, races that require a licence where you get points.

Ha ha! 😆

would just carry on at the same pace and think they were a pratt…whilst saving my legs for proper racing, you know, races that require a licence where you get points.

Aye but for the regular guy in the street training a great deal, eating nibbles and wearing lycra just to come 50th in a regional organised-race that wont even exist or be remembered by anyone in 30yrs time is abit shit really isn't it?

Mind you. Each to their own

As above, I can't see the problem if someone wants to sit on your wheel. It's not taking me any more energy to get to work…

I generally pass people on the ups, always say hello. A few have come gurning past me on the downs….head down, teeth grinding. I say hello to them then as well.

hora – Member

would just carry on at the same pace and think they were a pratt…whilst saving my legs for proper racing, you know, races that require a licence where you get points.

Aye but for the regular guy in the street training a great deal, eating nibbles and wearing lycra just to come 50th in a regional organised-race that wont even exist or be remembered by anyone in 30yrs time is abit shit really isn't it?

no points for 50th !!

anyway, your right. I have just destroyed my racing licence. Cant wait for tomorrow's 'commute' – hope I meet someone on a cervelo so I can 'do them ' in a sprint for a town boundary or something equally as exciting. Or maybe a bus will come past and I can jump on the back of it and pretend I am like…really fast or something.

Commuter racing. yeah !!!

Margin Walker, in life there are no points for coming first. Thats reserved for girls. Real men come last 🙂

I was once riding home from a friends house in the early hours of the morning and going at a fairly quick pace when this chap came past me riding no handed on an old touring bike whilst smoking a fag ! I didn't give chase but it still makes me chuckle now thinking about it 😀

I was out for a fast spin on my road bike recently. Overtook a bloke on a cheapo full suss bike. A couple of minutes later I noticed he was still close behind me. Bearing in mind I'm doing 20+mph average on a light bike with skinny tyres. Carried on for about 10 minutes, he kept my wheel the whole time. Reached the point where I was turning off, turned round to him and said 'fair play mate!'. He looked like he was about to explode, was sweating like a pig and unable to speak. He just gave me a massive grin and a thumbs up.He'd nearly given himself a heart attack, but was so chuffed with himself!

Why not, eh? Good to see. Don't hurt no-one. 🙂

It's a bit of harmless racing on hora's part. The original bloke and everyone berating hora needs to relax a bit.

Only race when it's a race? Jesus. Have some fun in your life.

No harm in a bit of commuter racing. So long as it's just a bit of friendly light hearted competition. But to start name calling because you got reeled in and re-passed, that's just childish. I certainly wouldn't go calling a stranger names like that, you just can't be sure how well adjusted that person may be.

If you pass him again Hora just give a cheery "Morning!" makes him seem like twice as much of a cock by comparison, if you're an amiable and plesant chap.

If he retook me I'd have silently said 'barsteward', grinned and when pulled up said 'hello, nice weather etc. What gear are you running'.

Saying that some riders at lights stare straight ahead and wont even say hi. Some folk are just too miserable.

I'm still with you on this Hora. S'fun, innit? Nowt more 🙂

Sounds like the op acted like a ****. I'd have said the same thing if I was him. Nothing worse than idiots who want to race you

But why? Why would you think that? Why would you say that? If you don't wanna be overtaken, don't overtake anyone. And why act like a spoiled brat if you are overtaken?

I can only think of one reason to be like that: You're beaten and you know it. 😛

If they are slower than you then they are fair game……….just dont let them re-overtake you! DOH! 🙄

And you wonder why cyclists don't get along with motorists or hikers if they even make a point of not getting along with their fellow riders.

Getting along with fellow riders? Have you seen the squabbles on here??!

Was commuting home on the MTB t'other day on fatties. Some noob thought he could take me on a hill, he got dropped quicker than that hookers knickers after Rooney had handed over the cheque (allegdly, dont want STW in trouble do we).

Commute racing is fun. Dont worry about him, prob had his pride bashed whilst being watched by glum faced car drivers 🙂

Nothign wrong with a bit race on the way to or from work. If I get passed by a roadie on my hack bike I always see how long I can keep up with them. It's a bit of fun and helps the fitness whilst not hurting anyone.

I'm working on the premise that miserable people who save racing for the race track are just saying it to wind us up and this was in fact someone who actually knows Hora as suggested above. 😉

surely its only a race when the other person knows they're in a race and wants to take part?

when some fool sits next to me at traffic lights revving away in his saxo and races away from the lights… he's in a race with an imagined competitor…. i get to make the choice whether i'm racing, not him.

so whats the harm in setting yourself targets on your commute/ride to work, whether its a time you want to beat, a car you want to beat or someone with a sexier bike you want to beat… as long as you're not doing anything dangerous in the process?

for the people that get stressed about being overtaken, you need to get over your poor poor egos, go treat yourself to a skinny mocha choca lotta latte and reassure yourself you're awesome no matter how fast or slow you go 🙂 If you rise to the bait and end up racing the person yuo're annoyed with for racing, then your a willing competitor to a race you dont know the rules of… fooooooool

Definitely re-overtake, especially if their bike looks faster than yours. http://www.itsnotarace.org/

I'd drag-race another car or rise to someone drive fast or overtaking me in a car.

The closest I've gotten to this is leap-frogging on the motorway with a fellow motorist. It enlivens a boring long motorway drive.

On a bicycle is totally different.

2 cyclists = race

It really is that simple.

I'd drag-race another car or rise to someone drive fast or overtaking me in a car.

Ignore that, I meant to insert NEVER.

The title says it all, should have just "sat on" and got a easy tow to work, bell.

I'm a total child when it comes to roadies. If they pass me I often speed up and sit at the back of their group.

Nothing like a full suspension mtb sitting right behind them to get them twitchy. One chap at the back of a group got quite shirty recently when I was riding my Anthem along behind them on a country road and kept free wheeling loudly.