"Hunting Roadies" ~ A non-fiction mini series , Part 1

[Bicycle365]

My First Time:

It started when I was late to get to an appointment. I left the house grabbed my helmet, gloves and headed off down the road using PAS 5 (pedal assist 1-2 is my normal mode) and made good time to the end of the street. At the 4 way stop , a group of 4 road riders was approaching from the right so I waved as usual , at least 2 of them saw me and they just looked away and rolled the stop sign. I recognized 2 of them wearing a local road racing and triathlon club's jersey. Now I'm a big guy on a bright yellow semi-fat bike that is VERY eStealthy. It is a clean install and you really have to look directly at the bottom bracket to see anything "unusual". So I roll out going the same way towards my appointment , they were going 16-18 mph and I soon attached to the last riders wheel, the noise of the knobbies whirring had gotten her attention and she gave a quick look to see if it was really possible that I had run them down in only a few hundred yards and was maintaining speed. I heard her exclaim "What the ???" to her friend in front of her and she looked back too. I had dropped back about 30 yards to see what they would do and I saw the message go up to the guy pulling the line. Immediately speed went to 18+ and they started pacelining to share the load at the front, I dropped back another 10 yards for effect.

I think that was the moment I turned evil.

After about another 2 miles I started a push to jump the gap back up to the "breakaway" (why do I hear Phil Liggett's voice in my head). I closed in , but not wanting to mess up their paceline rotation or cause a crash I stayed back about 10 bike lengths. We came to a long downhill followed by an equally long uphill. I decided that if I wanted to be on time for my appointment I would need to pass them. So about halfway down the hill I went by at about 40 mph as they were going 35+ ish, as I reached mid pack I yelled "TEAM GRAVITY" in reference to my size and rolling weight. I heard one of the guys yell "What goes down must go up" looking at the uphill section fast approaching. I went to PAS9 and dropped them on the uphill ...

I made my appointment on time and must have looked like a lunatic since I couldn't wipe the smile off my face and I might have giggled to myself a few times.

Stay tuned for "Hunting Roadies" Part 2 ~ "Using Strava Heatmaps as a Fish Finder"

 

[liveforphysics]

Love it.

I also enjoy just hanging back maybe 50ft, watching the pace increase and increase as they try to drop you, and eventually exhaust themselves.

 

[MadRhino]

Hehe, you guys are not cool with the pedalists.

Sometimes on windy days, instead of just passing them, I slow down and take the lead at their pace to let them draft for a while.

 

[hugh21]

Ha Ha I had a moment like that on my way to work a few days ago. Guy pulls up to me at a light, I,m in the top level of assist on my Bionx D500 road bike not wanting to arrive at work all sweated up, light turns green I start pedaling sitting upright and going 20 mph, i check my mirror, he,s leaned way forward pedalling like mad but cant quite catch me. So I decide to pedal a bit faster and bump the speed up a couple mph. Then I turn to take a side street with no traffic, he stays on the main drag. About a mile up we are both crossing the river, he's on one sidewalk on the south side, I'm on the north side and I pass him before we even get halfway across the bridge, he,s staring, prob wondering how can that old guy do that, made me smile. Like I tell my co workers, the e-bike makes me feel like I'm 18 again not 63.

 

[parajared]

I met my match a couple weeks ago with one who was pacing at about 27mph. I couldn't for the life of me get enough speed to pass the speedy bastard but was hot on his tail for a good 20 miles.

 

[rborger73]

Have yet to have a lyrca pass me, and don't see it happening. lol I just smile big and keep pedaling past them. lol Of course I pedal full tilt whole time I ride as well with 11t rear and 48t front. I can get it up to mid 30's on a flat with a bit of good pedaling, so not many would be able to keep up for long if at all.

 

[footloose]

Stay tuned for "Hunting Roadies" Part 2 ~ "Using Strava Heatmaps as a Fish Finder"

Love it! If you haven't planned the entire series may I suggest this for Part 3:
“The Right Bait: Electrified Schwinn Beach Cruisers as Q-Ships”

 

[dogman dan]

Toy with those roadies only if they laugh at your, or make some other rude comment.

Then the push em trick works a lot better than the pass. But only if they pick shit.

By now, the locals know me, know my weird bikes, from the local toy run ride at Christmas. One year we had a huge headwind, and a guy towing a playhouse full of kids was dying. People tried to help tow him, but couldn't do it more than a block. I hooked up with the e bike, and towed him in the last two miles easy.

Since then, they all know me now. So I can't toy with anybody. On the other hand, they know I'm cool, and I haven't had a rude comment in about 5 years now.