Overtaking roadies?

[Spinners]

True, but there is a certain irony about the situation

Explain please.

We're all of different abilities. I'm really unfit at the moment but I went for a 50km ride last week and overtook 'roadie' cyclists and was overtaken by 'roadie' cyclists. I really don't see any point to your post other than bragging

There's always a certain IRONY in dealing with individuals who believe that by BUYING all the gear, they've MADE IT.

Whether it's at the gym alongside the pot bellied young men, with their protein shakes and special app's on how to lift weights - while the 78 year old bloke alongside is lifting twice their weight, or playing alongside incompetent musicans who struggle to complete the scale on a multi thousand pound musical instrument, while the young kid alongside demonstrates an astonhishing ability, on a knackered, old, borrowed instrument.

Full respect to the elderly woman who's cycled into town over the last ten years on a cheap bike, regardless of weather, or the local kid who's doing a 4 mile round trip to school every day on his bike. Difficult to identity with cyclists who've bought all the high speed gear, but neglected basics such as how to ride it at speed

Well, now is your chance to show us all how fast you are.

I'm running three Open Time-Trials in South Wales this year - a 10-mile, a 50-mile and a 100-mile.

Pick your distance and enter. If you finish outside of the bottom 20% I'll refund your entry fee.

Up for it?

[pwa]

I have to admit that overtaking a roadie on an expensive looking carbon fibre thing is, for me, a relatively rare event. He or she has to be less Froome and more Pavarotti for me to stand a chance. If I do catch them it is going to be on a long draggy hill. And I try not to try. I tell myself that competing is beneath me. Maybe a subconscious demon makes me press just a little bit harder on the pedals.

When I do catch another cyclist, of any variety, I try not to humiliate them. I ease up, chat for a moment or two, and if I do continue to overtake I do it as unimpressively as possible. I'm not on an ego trip. I can't be bothered with that stuff.

[Vantage]

I overtook a group of roadies today carrying two sacks of cement having just got back from a 1200km audax on my lead-framed six speed. I was going at least three times as fast, while humming Colonel Bogey's March

Did I mention I only have one leg?

I waved to you as I was passing.
I'm the guy who was towing a 45ton truck behind me, which was towing a double decker bus full of weight watchers members, that was towing a steam train with 20 coal filled coaches and that was in the middle of pulling the Titanic from the Atlantic.
I couldn't believe how slow you were going. Did you have a flat tyre?


Everything overtakes me. Been riding all my life and have all the gear.
Who cares what who rides with what and how fast I say.
Ride what you have, enjoy it and feel sorry for those poor deluded idiots in steel boxes everywhere.

[Ben@Forest]

It's been said before but the' roadie', 'tourist' 'MTB', thing doesn't account for the fact that a rider may be all of those things. Will the OP consider me differently if l overtake him on my tourer compared to if he overtakes me when I'm on a road bike?

[DaveReading]

Greeting a club group as you overtake them is simply cruel.

A bunch of confused cyclists, all agonising over whether to talk to someone not wearing kit, can only end in tears.

[hamster]

OK, so 14 years ago I was having chemotherapy. After the dose I was in bed for two days, by the end of a week I could ride my bike, which I did (slowly, hitting perhaps 14mph on the flat) until I had the next dose 14 days after the first.

On one occasion out on my Litespeed wearing comfortable winter kit I was abused by somebody who saw it his job to police the road cycling world and ensure that nobody on a road bike rode at less than 17mph.

When the warm glow of your own superiority fades a little, maybe consider that others may have bigger mountains to climb.

[mjr]

You've missed the recent posts criticising riders of Dutch bikes, three speeds and e bikes, then!

If you actually recall, the only criticism re Dutch bikes were that were considerably heavier than other bikes that were put forward in the discussion, not as flexible in use but that's factual not criticism and they weren't the 'perfect' every day bike in some people's opinion. So at least let's be accurate about what discussions went on previously shall we?

Firstly, those are fibs not facts, but that was covered in the discussion I think you're alluding to.

Secondly, that's not the only discussion mentioning them. In other topics on here, their riders have been called not serious and pootlers and much else, so let's be accurate about what discussions went on previously shall we?

[Cugel]

It's been said before but the' roadie', 'tourist' 'MTB', thing doesn't account for the fact that a rider may be all of those things. Will the OP consider me differently if l overtake him on my tourer compared to if he overtakes me when I'm on a road bike?

You must be careful not to lose that collection of stereotypes awarded to all of us by the various mass media organs. In the future Dytopia, when Mogg is Dictator (I mean PM) it will become a criminal offense not to employ all these stereotypes at least 4 times a day as one deals with others, who must all be suitably classified before being vilified, belittled or otherwise condemned for being in the wrong, lower or otherwise disfavoured class of person.

Anyone not conforming to the required behaviours of the stereotype into which they have been placed by a superior will also be punished. Should you be on a touring bike dressed in a Greenspot whilst overtaking a fellow on a Pigarillo wearing a Sky jersey, you will be hauled before the Classifications beak who will award you a severe sentence, such as becoming a participant in the new Circuses for the Correction of Criminals, involving many humiliations and entertaining physical punishments of a medieval nature, decided by a mob of thumbs up-downers avid for blud and tutored in their demands by the Daily Mail articles written by Dickie Littlewilliam.

Cugel

[hondated]

I am joining three of the stalwarts of this forum R,M & B the beginning of their users names who are keeping a dignified silence on this thread.
However I must add I don't like bullying in any form.

[Audax67]

OK, so 14 years ago I was having chemotherapy. After the dose I was in bed for two days, by the end of a week I could ride my bike, which I did (slowly, hitting perhaps 14mph on the flat) until I had the next dose 14 days after the first.

On one occasion out on my Litespeed wearing comfortable winter kit I was abused by somebody who saw it his job to police the road cycling world and ensure that nobody on a road bike rode at less than 17mph.

When the warm glow of your own superiority fades a little, maybe consider that others may have bigger mountains to climb.

Nicely put.

I'd add that I find it strange that at the age of 72 with two heart attacks under my belt I might be expected to ride a heavier bike than my carbon butterfly wearing flappy clothing for maximum air resistance. Yet by riding as I do I might be scorned as a Lance Armstrong wannabe or even a "Lycra lout"? Oh my sainted aunt.

[Spinners]

In the future Dytopia, when Mogg is Dictator (I mean PM)...

I actually shuddered after reading that...

[althebike]

Years ago I sold my bike and put the money towards my wedding. A few years later I came across this cheap raleigh bike that was too small for me, but would be a standbye if the car broke down. I took it out for a ride to try it out and overtook a couple of roadies. I was so pleased, I thought I must be good and promptly joined a racing club. The truth was, the roadies had just finished a time trial and were dawdling along trying to recover from their efforts. I did not realise this until later of course.

[100%JR]

A bunch of my mates did the Annual Tom Simpson memorial ride Sunday.The ride is 55 miles starting in Harworth near Doncaster.However they rode in from Barnsley so the ride was 106.5 miles and they averaged 20.5mph.Would the OP manage to overtake these MAMILs had he also done 106 miles in just over 5 hours

[mjr]

In the future Dytopia, when Mogg is Dictator (I mean PM)...

I actually shuddered after reading that...

Me too. Fancy not using spell-check!

[pete75]

Years ago I sold my bike and put the money towards my wedding. A few years later I came across this cheap raleigh bike that was too small for me, but would be a standbye if the car broke down. I took it out for a ride to try it out and overtook a couple of roadies. I was so pleased, I thought I must be good and promptly joined a racing club. The truth was, the roadies had just finished a time trial and were dawdling along trying to recover from their efforts. I did not realise this until later of course.

They were testers not roadies.