In reply to Shapeshifter:
> Having reached the tender age of 51, I recently bought my first road bike, towards the back end of last year. Well first if you assume a Raleigh Chopper from the 70's doesn't count as a road bike.
> Anyway, I've really enjoyed getting out on the bike and have been pleasantly surprised how friendly other bikers are and how many people make a point of saying hello when they're going in the opposite direction (clearly more refined individuals than those roughty-toughty climber types). However, on the admittedly very infrequent occasion that I've actually managed to catch somebody up from behind, my jaunty wave and cheery 'good morning / afternoon' seems to be greeted with a look of dismay, followed by a very concerted effort from said biker to speed up and pass me again further up the road.
> Am I transgressing some unwritten rule? Is there some aspect of bike-lore that I should be aware of in these situations?
> Worried of Chester
As another 'Grand Veteran' (53, slim, GSOH), on the rare occasions when I manage to catch up anther rider, they're usually older than me. If they've not already been alerted by my wheezing I'll usually say 'Good Morning' or whatever, and usually we'll have a bit of a chat (where they've come from, where they're going, weather etc.) By that time you can usually gauge whether the other rider actually wants to chat or not, and more crucially, you hopefully suss out how much effort they're putting in relative to you, and whether or not you can drop them! If all goes according to plan A, I can then announce "Oh well, gotta be back for lunch" (or some other lame excuse) "Enjoy the rest of your ride" and then take off! Having gleaned their proposed route, I can thus ensure that I go another way, so that I can't be caught as I soft-pedal for the next 30 mins to recover from my super-human effort.
Rather more disturbing - on a ride last summer, I became aware of some riders catching me. "Nice day" said a female voice, whereupon 4 ladies (with far more grey hair than me, some bikes with down-tube shifters and saddlebags) gracefully passed by and continued their conversation.
So what goes around, comes around!
The most important thing is getting out there and enjoying it.
N