Passing on Canada Rd.

[NOAL]

Many times when I ride on Canada Rd I encounter a a certain jerky behavior when it comes to passing.  I think it is because the road is really straight and other cyclists can see riders waaay ahead of them and they set their sites on passing

Today I was somewhere before the water temple on the little uphill part when I can hear the tell tale huffing and puffing coming up behind me.  Just as we crest the incline this lady passes me.  O.k. cool whatever. 

After the next downhill bit it gets flat before Filoli.  The lady proceeds to totally slow her pace.  I'm about 10 ft behind her for the next mile or so. I could have easily passed her.  When we get to the sprint to Edgewood turnoff I get out of the saddle put the hammer down and pass her.

Before the over pass theres all this huffing and puffing again but she cant pass me.  Finally when we get on the incline after the overpass she passes me again but this time she pulls in front of a car coming up behind us.

At this point, I fell back and tried to get some space between us.  When she gets to the stop sign at Jefferson she comes to a full stop.  There were no cars so I passed her again.

Next thing I know she rides up alongside me and starts chewing me out.  Telling me everytime I passed her I put her life in danger, how I was an asshole etc etc.

I told her i just wanted to enjoy the afternoon and ride my bike and she should too and that I would slow down and she could continue alone.  This did not help she just kept yelling at me.

I did not know what to do so I said "you must really want to ride bicycles with me" She got even madder.  we were at olive road so I said " I am turning here you are more than welcome to come ride Kings Mt with me"  Still not happy.  I sprinted up the olive hill and left her.  When I passed Tripp I heard her say " Sorry, have a good ride."   I said "you too."

Put a real damper on the day.

[JC w KC redux]

Good story NOAL

I have occasionally passed bicyclists on uphills on the uni.
Pretty easy since my wheel is so much bigger.
The best is if I pass a youngster and then tell them they just got passed by someone old enough to be their grandpa on a unicycle.

Now I just ride as slow as possible and focus on being one with everything 

[briham89]

focus on being one with everything

There's a joke that involves a religion and a cheeseburger....or something like that.

As for the cyclist, she was definitely not one with everything. I was going to make a quick stab at it and say "just another angry BAP".....but there has been a lot of shitty things happening this year, so who knows maybe it was one thing or a combo of things that had her stressed out on this day. I'm trying to give people more of a pass right now. Either way, bummer interaction....sorry that can really throw off what is supposed to be fun.

[Brad Young]

There's a joke that involves a religion and a cheeseburger....or something like that.

What did the Buddhist say to the hot dog vendor?

"Make me one... with everything."

[Brad Young]

Try to focus on the end of the encounter? It sounds like she had time to think about her assholishness and regret it some?

[NOAL]

What I dont understand about this behavior is if you pass someone keep the same pace and put some distance between you and who you passed.  Just catching up to someone ,barely having enough gas to get past them and not being able to stay in front sucks.

Most road bikers have a larger front chain ring than I do.  I am in no means equipped to or interested in being competitive with them.  Furthermore, I think most of these riders know that.  Today's incident is one of about a dozen other similar scenarios I have encountered on the same stretch of road. 

[mynameismud]

You handled it much better than I would have.  I usually say something really constructive like, blow me.   

[Tuff Chik]

You handled it much better than I would have.  I usually say something really constructive like, blow me.

Thanks for the laugh dude!  Agreed - he handled it well.  I probably would have just said bite me or F-off. 

I was running in the Park with my girlfriend last week and a car got way to close to us and she yelled "why don't you come a little f*#@ing closer".  I was cracking up, since she is all of 5 feet nothing.

[F4?]

Roadies these days, wtf?

Seriously, I hate roadies, they make every excuse in the book to chew you out.

That was the worst excuse I have hear.

When road cycling there are those who are passing and those are being passed.

I pass, knowing that there will be someone who will be much faster and they will pass me.
Therefore, it is safer to pass while you can and ride at you pace.

Sadly there are those who took lessons on how to road ride, and they did not grow up in the 80’s where road riders were fair game. You learned to be nimble.

Some people just can’t take getting passed.

My old bane was on my old commute....googleites.

Wow, decked out in full neon riding gear, lights and blinking lights and signing bells to assert their right to be an asshole. They would use hand signals....Like I really care you are turning off, just get out of my way.

I’d usually have a nice tail wind and just blow by them, fast so they could not react. If they were on an e bike, I’d mess with them....passing and making them use their battery to pass me and go past me showing their cheating speed...hopefully draining their battery. At night, they would have lights on full power, so I make my lights point up high to blind...and ride on high power.

Worst of worst would be bike to work day. Jackasses pass me and slow down...nope it done work like that. So I’d put the hurt on driving the pace hard....making them try to keep up. And then their turn comes before they can pass...better luck next year, jackass!

Yeah, this whole bike thing resurgence sucks ass.

Now please.......
GET THE F***K out of my way!!!!!!

Kings mountain is real road riding...downhill for me!

Just remember Noal....if I come up on you....
GET OUT OF MY WAY!!

Feel free to say the same to me.

[JC w KC redux]

^^^
 

[mynameismud]

I think it is just people in general, or perhaps our society.  Hikers, bikers, runners, climbers, equestrians for the most part it is the same attitude.  There are those that are just focused on their thing and do not want anyone to burst their bubble.  It seems within the fringe of the sports the attitude gets a bit more chill but it can be experienced there as well.   I think it is fringe parts of society are more excepting since they generally are not as excepted.

Most of us are better off when we can just chill a bit.  I am probably not very good at this.

[F4?]

Roadies are pretty much up tight.....they need to evolve and drive a car!!

[JC w KC redux]

Roadies are pretty much up tight.....they need to evolve and drive a car!!

The vast majority of roadies around here come across as uptight.
A few will give me an attaboy but it's the exception - not the rule.
I have only ever had one person in 9+ years of riding actually pull up and ride along with me, asking questions about uni.
Most of them are decked out in nerd garb as F4 said - and think they're hot stuff.
Makes me think of the scene in Breaking Away where the Italian guy derails Dave by sticking a tire pump through his spokes. 

I need a shirt that says "One Is All You Need" on the front and "Lose The Training Wheel" on the back.

[NOAL]

Just remember Noal....if I come up on you....
GET OUT OF MY WAY!!

I was looking for you a couple of weekends ago. Rode down Steven's Canyon then back up Montebello.

Hikers, bikers, runners, climbers, equestrians for the most part it is the same attitude.   

There is definitely a commonality in behavior among all of those groups except the equestrians.  The equestrians truly have no business being anywhere except on their ranches and I have no problem telling them to go f themselves.

I feel like the problem is people want recognition for mediocrity. They can buy all the gear pros have ,go out and try to experience something they saw in an advertisement. (Everything is an advertisement these days especially outdoor sports movies) When it comes to realizing that there are hundreds of thousands or maybe millions of other people all doing something similar it's a hard pill to swallow.  The fact is they will never get to be in the advertisement.

I want to make some bike jerseys that say "Nobody Cares About You" on the back.

[F4?]

In San Mateo county the hose folks have serious pull. They are the reasons why the trails in that county are paved in gold!! At least in Huddart.

Worse, up around Menlo, many folks learn to ride in a trialthalon training program.
I swear they tell them to do all of these things that I don’t have time for.
I can go on that rant later...

Sorry I was pressing grapes on Saturday and then lost my mojo on Sunday to go climb montyB.

It comes and goes...

Trying to cajol Mungie to go climbing.

[mynameismud]

I used to ride on the road a lot and part of the problem is after dodging the bullet so many times you just kind of end up in a perpetual wound up state.   I notice it a while ago when I started to get back into road riding again.   I also think Noal nailed, we all want to be in the advertisement

[NOAL]

I used to ride on the road a lot and part of the problem is after dodging the bullet so many times you just kind of end up in a perpetual wound up state.

Having a bike that can ride road and dirt is nice because it allows me to cut out some of the roads that are stressful. For instance, I try to avoid riding on Skyline as much as possible.  Tunitas Creek is a good climb but I rarely descend that way. Too many blind curves on a narrow road.  I cut through Purisma instead. Cars are bad enough but when two or more bicycles and a car(s) are involved it gets especially stressful and definitely dangerous.

[F4?]

Worse this damn Covid thing has more people getting on to bikes....some bringing out bikes

1 word of advice to them:

Oil your chain!!!!!

[mynameismud]

Having a bike that can ride road and dirt is nice because it allows me to cut out some of the roads that are stressful. For instance, I try to avoid riding on Skyline as much as possible.  Tunitas Creek is a good climb but I rarely descend that way. Too many blind curves on a narrow road.  I cut through Purisma instead. Cars are bad enough but when two or more bicycles and a car(s) are involved it gets especially stressful and definitely dangerous.

Those link ups sound like really nice rides

[F4?]

Yeah my road bike running 28s can go on fire roads.
Hurts like heck and zero handling.