Ride to work, pulled out in front of a fella, exchanged a few pleasantries, found out he was going the same way... ideal, but then he gets into the big ring, and up's the pace, I follow suit... and it descends into an all out time trial... (2 miles into a 15 mile ride)..
2/3rds of the way in my legs go, no more steam, the dilithium crystals are shot, and I had to fall back... watch him ride away... Humiliating feeling, not having an answer. I just hope he is hurting as much as I am at the mo...
Beginning to have a real love hate relationship with road riding.
Note I am ill, no breakfast, late night, long day yesterday, off day etc all valid excuses. 😉
Oh that was you was it? I was hardly breathing hard 😆
Failure most epic.
Hope you didn't mention STW, don't want him thinking were all like you.
Just train harder 😉
old git... no I was too busy blowing out my ass..
your all out pace was just his warm up! 😳
Yeah, similar thing happened to me - comes out of a junction, I keep pace for a while then they just accelerate away. Bloody cars with their engines.
(About as bothered by this as I would be by some roadie being faster than me)
pedal faster!
ideal, but then he gets into the big ring
Unless it's hilly where you're riding, shouldn't you be in the big ring anyway?
I like the commuting racing and can't stand been beaten. They'll be another time OP to get your revenge.
reminds me of the time a guy in baggy shorts and workman boots blasted passed me on a mountain bike with knobblies whilst I was on my road bike.. and I couldn't catch him..
that was a bad day..
Unless it's hilly where you're riding, shouldn't you be in the big ring anyway?
it a lumpy old route, 150m vertical climb to start, then undulates so there’s about 280m of climbing to do...
MRanger156 - thats more like it...
"To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity. Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement. No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy. Might as well be playing Tiddly-Winks."
Scott Martin
You'll be faster tomorrow...
i see someone in the distance (in front or behind) i can't help chasing/trying to hold them off, and that's on a Swift with CX tyres, i can't help it, usually fail too. i need to learn to enjoy the commute rather than trying to go all out all the time
Neil maybe you have a wife and kids and, you know commitments to a life?
Maybe the other guy is still single/divorced, so wrapped up in himself and has all the time in the world to train.
I've been there myself. It's great when you're the fittest, strongest, fastest etc. But it can also be pretty lonely.
Which would you rather have?
OP do you ride an 18 speed Apollo, breathe heavily and are quite overweight?
Which would you rather have?
Both..!
Even on theose commutes where I've instructed myself to take it easy, I can't help chasing down people ahead.
In a year of doing the current commute, I've only been dropped twice. I can remember the occasions clearly. That's the problem with being lazy AND competitive....
Neil maybe you have a wife and kids and, you know commitments to a life?
Maybe the other guy is still single/divorced, so wrapped up in himself and has all the time in the world to train.
I've been there myself. It's great when you're the fittest, strongest, fastest etc. But it can also be pretty lonely.
Which would you rather have?
Winning, obviously!
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geetee, my wife and kid every time... but they are the whole reason for me riding to work, my kid is 1 now, and last year I didnt do that much riding... the commute it an easy way of getting some miles in... although as 'ourmaninthenorth said, both would be nice... there is nothing like being flat out on 2 wheels... be it a road bike, mountain bike or motorbike..
Rocketdog, I am cursed with the same red mist, see another cyclist and its on. I just need the legs to back it up...
cynic-al nope, but sure it felt like it...
now I have this reoccurring thought - need new wheels, need new wheels... 😆
OOh, nasty feeling that. MTFU! 😀
Here is CH the most challenging/demoralizing person to chase is one on an electric bike (Bloody thousands of them in Basel).
On the flat/downs it is no probs, but keeping up with an octogenarian powering her way up the last 200m, 2km climb to the house is a tunnel vision inducing strain!
Kev
I had a simillar thing happen on Sunday. My first official 10k run. Now, I'm 42 & carrying a good few kg's more than I should,(but its coming off slowly). Been training since Jan. Was doing some good runs in training. Covering the distance easily, & in (to me) decent times.
It became apparent after 1km that it wasnt going to go as I'd hoped. Very dissapointing. Legs like lead right from the gun. Slowest 10k I've run, whereas running pals all did personal bests. And it was me that got us all to sign up for it. 😕
Put it down to build up. Went quite hard on a 12k run the previous Sunday, went silly hard on Tue's ss climbathon & ran again on Thur. Was suffering a tight chest/cough last week as well.
Still looking forward to the next one though. 🙂
now I have this reoccurring thought - need new wheels, need new wheels...
Nah! It's all in the legs. And the head. Next time you see him, hold on for longer until you're the one who does the dropping.
I've been off my bike for 3 weeks due to illness, and I'm craving one last blast at the current cvommute before I move to a ride much like yours - 200+m climb straight off before lumps to work over 25 miles. Bring it!
it a lumpy old route, 150m vertical climb to start, then undulates so there’s about 280m of climbing to do...
MTFU, my 16 mile commute has just under 1000ft of climbing, and I've not been out of the big ring in 3 months, often take a longer route too.
Here is CH the most challenging/demoralizing person to chase is one on an electric bike (Bloody thousands of them in Basel).
hmmm... Swiss riders on electric bikes? Sound familiar? 😉
My commute is 10,000 miles (when I take the shortcut), I leave before I wake, birch myself then put on my horse hair jersey, shorts and helmet (which includes a crown of thorns) and I chew wasps and nettles all the way. And I never get out of 56x11. And I listen to the cheeky girls on repeat the whole way.
MTFU, my 16 mile commute has just under 1000ft of climbing, and I've not been out of the big ring in 3 months, often take a longer route too.
buy the man a beer. remind me not to test your skills. Thats what I like about you njee20, your a modest guy.
edit - clubber: exactly 🙄
bob_summers - MemberHere is CH the most challenging/demoralizing person to chase is one on an electric bike (Bloody thousands of them in Basel).
hmmm... Swiss riders on electric bikes? Sound familiar?
help me out bob, what have I missed?!? 😕 🙂
Last week I was trying desperately to chase down somone in the distance who was on a retro looking hardtail and wearing a white full face helmet. I finally caught up with him and it turned out to be an old guy with a White cap and massive White beard!
Damn he was quick.
http://www.supersport.com/cycling/international/news/100603/Motorisedbike_rumours_hit_the_peloton
swiss electric bikes
Just a thought but instead of commuter racing you could just pop onto the BC website find out where your nearest road race/ crit is and go to an actual race.
Iain
I got overtaken by some 13 yr old on a £150 full susser, with a tennis racquet under one arm. Who cares.
help me out bob, what have I missed?!?
Spartacus. Last year's RvV.
5 road miles from home on the back of a tough 70 mile cyclocross clubrun I was blowing out of my arse, legs in pieces. I got overtaken by a guy on one of these. I died a little inside.
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help me out bob, what have I missed?!?
Fast forward to about 3:30 🙂
bob_summers - Memberhelp me out bob, what have I missed?!?
Fast forward to about 3:30
Ah, so even the folks who pass me whom appear to have normal bikes, are actually still electrified? That explains Everything! I thought it was coz I was 4 stone overweight. Thank goodness for that. 😀
Kev
buy the man a beer. remind me not to test your skills. Thats what I like about you njee20, your a modest guy.
You're*
This is a thread where you admitted you couldn't keep up with someone, you're ripe for MTFU type comments. If you don't like it, MTFU. 🙂
I was humbled on the way to work a couple of weeks back by a guy with a childseat (empty) on the back and the spare helmet dangling from his bars.
Luckily it didn't last too long and I got to peel off while I could still hide the effort.
"To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity. Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement. No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy. Might as well be playing Tiddly-Winks."
I felt pain this morning on my ride to work and luckily no one around to see 🙂 my excuse being that this was the first of the year, not really looking forward to going home at the moment...
My commute is 10,000 miles (when I take the shortcut), I leave before I wake, birch myself then put on my horse hair jersey, shorts and helmet (which includes a crown of thorns) and I chew wasps and nettles all the way. And I never get out of 56x11. And I listen to the cheeky girls on repeat the whole way.
<3
I got overtaken by an old lady on a sit up and beg type pashley a while back. In my defence, I was on the way back from a pretty hard training session at the end of a hard week...
njee20, no offence taken buddy, I was hoping for a simple MTFU, but this is STW after all...
njee is quick and is allowed to be cocky on threads like these 🙂
This very morning in fact I was cruising to work (20 flat miles, road bike) on an easy session. A bloke joined the road behind me at a junction and had a go on his German sit-up commuter special with 32mm winter studs on. Dream on Hans, you've got no chance 🙂
If you don't experience these feeling your not trying hard enough.
Needing to vommit.
feeling like your diaphram is in your throat.
Trouble keeping your bowels closed.
Severe arm pain.
Blurred vision.
Dizziness.
Unable to stand still and upright without support
You can suffer all of these, yet your legs will feel fine.
had most of those on the last climb of the Dunkery Dash on Sunday (Cothelstone hill) - mnnngh - heart in mouth / ears
worst case of being dropped on the commute was being passed by a fella in jeans (but on a nice carbon road bike) who commented that I was "going pretty fast for someone on such a heavy bike" - he skipped on as i blew out my backside
Anyway, the best bet in these situations IMO is to turn around, ride the other way and pretend to be doing intervals!
Perhaps not the best idea on a commute though, your boss may not appreciate why you had to go home again!