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Humbling Experience

17 posts from 9 voices

Started 2 years ago by Domestique
Latest reply from Domestique

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Domestique
Member

Went for my one of my regular rides today, flat and fast up along the river, about 45 miles round trip with a strong headwind on the way up. Sometimes I like to relieve the boredom by reeling other riders I spot farther up the road (helps if I have a 'target' instead of just hammering away). I was still a few miles out from to my turnaround point when this dude that I've never seen before passed me. Aww man... there's no way that I'm gonna let him get away with that! So I reeled him back in (it took some doing to catch him). and we struck up a conversation. He was riding a 20 year old Fuji and he was older than me! Holy crap... I thought I was a strong rider but this guy not only caught my sorry ass but did it on a bike that probably weighed ten pounds more than mine. As I was approaching my turnaround, we shook hands and he kept going to continue his ride.

Old guy, thank you for handing my ass to me, a lesson I will not soon forget...

Posted 2 years ago #
gearguywb
Member

Love it. Used to ride with a guy like that...he would continually push his front wheel 1/4 length ahead to force the pace. When I was about to blow up he would say "if you can still talk you are not riding hard enough"

Those guys are my heroes!

Now I am rock'in (for me :))my RSL :).....

Posted 2 years ago #
Exie
Member

Great story!

I should start by stating that I'm no pro athlete, but I has a similar experience when a group of hipster single speed guys invited me along for a ride. I got a flogging that day, rode about 60km (half way) and they were doing wheelies up the hill past me whilst I was coughing up a lung.

They were just animals!

I'm forever weary of single speeders now, a strange breed I simply don't understand.

Posted 2 years ago #
teamfubar
Member

Nice! I went for a road ride a couple Sundays ago like those described. It was a small group (4) with two of the guys being super-fit roadies, one a hammer on a mtb bike and me. Hell, one of the roadie guys was a waif of a man, with his ass being barely wider than his Flite saddle. We rode a decent loop with what felt like a relentless headwind the entire way around. Regardless, it was a horrible headwind on the 10 miles of road back into town. Hmmm, my frontal area catches a bit more wind than those other guys...kinda like the difference between driving a Mack truck or a Z06 into the wind. Which one will perform better? Needless to say I got stomped into the ground, but besides a couple of moments, I hung on to the pack (although I wasn't at the front taking any pulls). It hurt, but it is good for me...

Posted 2 years ago #
Txmoots7
Member

Great stories! Now as one of the old on my loop I'm always trying to gauge "how fast / fit is the other guy". A few weeks past a man + woman on matching Cervelos joined up on the loop's last 3 climbs. Couldn't quite stay w/ him, but could pull away from her. I think he might have been surprised to see a Ti-bike behind him.

Posted 2 years ago #
davidb
Member

I want to be one of those old fast guys, although I'm half there already (the old part).

At least the three people that passed me (with no chance of me catching them) on the last climb yesterday looked strong. I hate being passed by slow-looking people. I just wish there was a way of knowing if they already had 11,000' in their legs for the day. I suppose I could ask, we were all pretty talkative.

Posted 2 years ago #
Domestique
Member

I guess the important thing to ask yourself is are you having fun? Even though I was being 'schooled' I was still having a good time which was made all the better by the ensuing chase and good natured camaraderie.
Going out today to ride the same route, hopefully I'll run into 'old guy' again and maybe have a chance to redeem myself. :-)

D.

Posted 2 years ago #
sbsbiker
Member

Another thibg to keep in mind while being schooled is that Millions of americans can't even ride a bike a short distance, much less up any climb. If you need proof, visit your local Walmart and see for yourself.

Posted 2 years ago #
Mark M
Member

There will always be people that ride faster than us and there will always be people that are slower. +1 on the Walmart comment. It's pretty sad to see someone who is relatively young cruising around on an electric scooter because they are too obese to walk a few hundred feet.

Posted 2 years ago #
Domestique
Member

Confession time...

I used to be one of those fat bastards that sbs and mark spoke of. Not too long ago I was 'morbidly' obese, not just fat but disgustingly huge, at least 150 lbs overweight. That's not a typo.

When a good friend who was only a few years older died from a heart attack from being overweight, I decided that it was now or never to change my ways or I was going to end up like him.

That was about a year ago. Since then I've dropped 75 lbs and feel great. Sure, I still have a long way to go but as long as I can throw a leg over my Moots I know I'll get there. Time to ride...

D.

Posted 2 years ago #
teamfubar
Member

KICK ASS Dom! Congratulations on your transformation. Keep the passion and keep riding! Those are the kind of stories that inspire me to kick it up a notch!

I'm down about 25-30 this year. Cut out all refined foods. Kinda doing the whole Paleo-diet thing, but not following it to the "T" (eating legumes and some wild rice/brown rice that are paleo no-no's). But more importantly, I feel good and am riding strong (well, strong for me anyhow). Being "skinny" isn't the only measure of fitness. I'm sure a lot of those people that SBS was talking about are not fat bastards.

Posted 2 years ago #
davidb
Member

The paelo/primal thing is a powerful concept. No wheat and my allergies disappear along with the extra ballast. I'm still trying to figure out the best way use it on long rides. Almost the best part is just being in control.

Posted 2 years ago #
Domestique
Member

Thanks TF, I know it may sound corny but every time I swing a leg over my Moots, or take my dog thru one of our state parks for an all-day hike (which she just lives for!) I am grateful, no... maybe relieved is the right word that I can do the things I once took for granted. It wasn't all that long ago when I couldn't do either. I guess I have a different perspective now that I've been on both sides of the fence. I know I still have a long way to go but it definitely feels good to be back.

D.

Posted 2 years ago #
sbsbiker
Member

I'm not calling anyone a bastard, the US is full of plenty of really nice fat people. I know plenty of people that look skinny but are not fit and can't ride uphill either.

Posted 2 years ago #
davidb
Member

The worst problem with being skinny and not fit is that you can't descend insanely fast either.

A guy I occasionally ride with is really big but scary strong. Makes for spectacular pulls on anything even mildly downhill, but he makes me pull in headwinds.

Posted 2 years ago #
bulldog
Member

Dude, no harm in being passed. Just means you are out there and who knows the circumstances of the ride. Except -- a girl passing a guy with shaved legs is always a dis - whether meant or not...

Posted 2 years ago #
Domestique
Member

lol Bulldog... I was passed by a girl last year. She was actually a pretty young lady with a 'great' pair of legs (and that's not all!) I had stumbled upon one of our local riding groups time trial events during one of my rides and was minding my own business when all of a sudden, here comes this pretty young thing from outta nowhere and she passed me... Holy crap! She smiled a dazzling smile and I'm still not sure if it was because she was just being friendly or from seeing that goofey dumbfounded look on my face when I realized that I was just passed by a girl! I thought aw man... if any of my buddies ever found out about that I'd never be able to live it down! Anyway, I didn't mind too much as it allowed me to enjoy the um... 'scenery' for at least a little while, Lordy mama! (my legs were not shaved but I still feel like I was pwned!).

I'm sure it'll happen again, I'm gettin' old... all good. :-)

D.

Posted 2 years ago #

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