UKC

Why is it that when a cyclist sees another cyclist the forces of physics or nurture (he/ she) has to closes the gap in the shortest possible distance, one closed the opening of the gap is a diminishing action.

Very rarely do they go at the same pace, cyclists seem to be quite social with users going in the opposite direction but madly competitive in the same direction, when running I would be happy to put a loop on so don’t have to catch.

This seems to be only take place in cycling, it used to take place with car drivers but no longer the fashion!

In reply to robert-hutton:

It's the same with running, whether you are flogging yourself or on a recovery run, you automatically speed up if you see a runner ahead. No matter how hard you have worked to overtake, you try and look as effortless as possible when you go past.

In reply to The New NickB:


A mate used to start whistling a tune when he want past other runners.

In reply to robert-hutton:

The thing with cycling is you can grab a cheeky breather once you have caught up (admittedly a very rare occurrence for me).

I think the competitive thing is there in all walks of life though (mainly blokes). I remember it being the same with hill walking - trying to yomp past the party ahead of you all the time.

In reply to GrahamD:


In my case it's trying to hang on to the wheel of the person who's just breezed past me for a couple of hundred yards. Succeeding is even rarer!

In reply to robert-hutton:

It's because all the other cyclist are slower than me, I did try and have a chat with this big bloke who stared at me as he passed me at a red light but when I caught him he just looked really angry so after all the other red lights I just ignored him when I passed him. After the last red light and half way up a long hill I think he'd changed his mind and wanted to talk but I couldn't understand him as he was making noises like a pig choking on an apple so I just smiled and nodded and rode on. I did feel bad for not pointing out his errors with the lights but I don't think he'd have reacted well

Cheers

Toby

In reply to robert-hutton:

Yeah - it is weird. I hate it when others come up behind me but don't overtake. So I slow right down and if they don't disappear into the distance they can do all the hard work.

In reply to robert-hutton:

Nah. I trundle up to them, sometimes pootle along next to them chatting if they aren't grumpy and I'm not late for work before a cheery wave and a separation of the ways. My Strava fly bys bear out my chattiness. Find out where they are going, where they've been, how long they are out for, then move on to politics and relationships, just like being at a bar really ...

In reply to robert-hutton:

There was a thread on the AudaxUK FB page last night about strangers drafting without taking a turn at the front. It descended into knicker-twisting and a few insults before the OP got in a flounce and pulled the thread. A bit like here really

Yep, catching up with someone in front seems to be hard-wired into us. I've never given it much serious thought as to why, nor do I intend to.

In reply to robert-hutton:

I usually try and fail to catch up with the cyclist in front. On the rare occasion I succeed I try not to suck wheels and carry on at my pace with a cheery hello as I pass.

In reply to robert-hutton:

Last night I had a proper grumpy looking bloke sat next to me at the lights in full matching kit, including socks and colour coded glasses. He didn't even return my polite friendly nod. I tried my hardest not to draft him by hanging 15-20' back and slightly out of line but he did seem to be getting irritated and it was just a coincidence that he was going the same direction as I was at around the pace I wanted to keep.

As it happened he was a rubbish hill climber so when it came a short strava segment I've been testing myself with I was able to blast past him, which felt good considering my fairly entry level bike and totally mismatched riding gear.

In reply to robert-hutton:

I'm always doing this. I just can't help myself. Even on the days I'm feeling lethargic I see someone in front and will try and catch up with the guy in front. Of course you then have to stay ahead to maintain dignity and make it look effortless.

The last time in memory that I wheel sucked was in the howling gale last week. Got chatting to the moving windbreak at the next set of lights and when they turned green he said 'your turn to go in front'. I could hardly say no..

In reply to gethin_allen:


Bingo!;

In reply to robert-hutton:

http://www.itsnotarace.org/

In reply to gethin_allen:

Similar thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. He totally failed to acknowledge my friendly greeting and pointedly turned away when I turned round a couple of times and smiled at him, when we were waiting at a level crossing. He took off like a bat out of hell when the barriers went up. After a couple of miles I found I was catching him, without actually trying. Waiting for a short uphill section, I just breezed past, feeling very smug with my trousers tucked into socks.

In reply to gethin_allen:




A case of :- 'All the gear and no idea'
Best to dress down and lower expectations I find.

I remember getting javelin lessons from this really knowlagable chap, who showed me how trained his 'action' with a small block weight, and then with his own expensive javelin, he had fancy spikes etc.

He must have been a great teacher, as I threw the beat up club javelin further than he did his own.
( turns out I was a barely average thrower, and so was he!)

In reply to Jim C:

Maybe I'm giving him bad press but his wheels cost more than my bike on their own so I was expecting a lot.

In reply to gethin_allen:


I' m perhaps moving from the point a bit, but new Cyclists who invest immediately in the fancy expensive lightest bikes 'to get fit 'are akine to climbers who tell you all how much they have spent on expensive lightweight equipment , I listen , but find myself looking at them and thinking, they could just lose a stone ( or two ) before they spend any significant amounts of money on lightweight gear, where they are spending serious cash Just to save a few ounces !

Arguably , in a biking scenario, a cheaper heavy bike will actually help someone lose weight quicker.
Then perhaps they can think about ( justify) investing in a super light bike (if they really need one. )
But it's their money to spend (or waste)

In reply to Jim C:





I agree, no point in getting a super light bike as your first off getting into cycling toy. Also the losing a stone or two scenario wouldnt hurt me either. However the real pleasure comes from having put the hard miles in on your commute hack during the week and then dusting down the carbon roadie and having the joy of flying at high speed for miles and miles unfettered by rucksacks full of work clothes and packed lunches. Just enjoying being out there on a machine built to be light and fast

In reply to the sheep:


I don't see why not. People just get pleasure out of bikes because they are 'nice', not because they can ride them particularly well.

In reply to GrahamD:
I hope I can ride my bike reasonably well, but I know I don't ride enough to justify the expense of my good bike, but hey, I've recently turned 40, at least I didn't buy a sports car.

In reply to robert-hutton:

I was out on my road bike going a moderate pace up a hill the other day when three guys in matching club kit came flying past me. I wasn't ready to sprint so I let them go, but increased my pace to solid and started keeping up, with them about 100 metres ahead. Their little group then broke apart, so I starting pushing a bit guessing that they had overdone coming past me, and slowly caught the last of the three by the top . It was very satisfying to be able to close the gap even though I'm an old man, and I think they were fair game from the way they passed me?

In reply to The New NickB:

You can always 'justify' the expense - even if the justification doesn't show up on Strava. That's what I keep telling myself.

In reply to The New NickB:

I did exactly the same, carbon road bike for my 40th However i did have the prerequisite that i had to be able to cycle 40 miles on the commute bike to earn it.
The only downer was that i had built up to the point of having the fitness to enjoy it and 1 month after my 40th ended up having open abdominal surgery!!

In reply to robert-hutton:

This seems to be only take place in cycling, it used to take place with car drivers but no longer the fashion!

I think cars do do this, though not necessarily from competitiveness - I think it comes from focusing on the car in front as an object to aim at, rather than just driving to the speedometer