Not the weekend I planned but great anyway
Going into the weekend I had a plan in mind . . . Friday CVC reconnaissance of the GDVC crit course, Saturday base miles ride, clean house and do laundry, Sunday GDVC crit, base miles ride, easy run, finish laundry, and go to grocery store.
However, we got a call from Dave's Mom that his aunt and cousins from Washington were in the area and that she was planning a dinner party on Sunday afternoon. We don't see them very often so that changed our plans considerably. Something needed to change on Sunday so I abandoned the race and the run. I really can't afford to skip the base mile rides as I really want to try and do better at cross this season. Plus I won't be crushed if I don't end up doing any running races or crits (in reality I probably like running races better than crits). Plus CVC kicked butt without me with one of my teammates taking the win and quite a few in the top 10 and we also scored 2nd in the U14 girls race I hear. Nice job to all!
So last week was my 1st week of training for the year - Week 1, Base 1. I didn't follow the plan exactly but I think I did okay. I did go a little harder than prescribed at times but in my defense it was very windy this week.
On Sunday's ride I was headed up this one hill and it was super windy so it was hard to hear what was happening behind. However, I heard this super loud breathing and I thought someone was on my wheel drafting. When I took a look behind there was this guy on a tri-bike but he was pretty far back but clearly riding at his max as his breathing was crazy loud. I just kept cruising along in the light zone and 3/4 of the way up the hill the guys pulls up next to me and passes me. Of course, as soon as he passes me he slows down. Not just a little, either but a lot. We're almost at the top though so I just stay behind him.
We crest the hill and on the way down he pulls ahead. However, on the flat I catch up to him as he seems to be enjoying the side wind even less than I do. I try to keep some distance between us as I was being blown around a bit and he wasn't holding too straight a line on his tri-bike either. However, on the next uphill he slows way down so I finally decide I have to pass him as his pace is just too slow and I do want to get home eventually. He says something like "go get 'em" to me as I go by and I try to murmur something polite even though I'm a little annoyed. I get a big gap on him on the flat hwy back towards town as I try to keep the pace up so I don't end up going back and forth with him for the rest of my ride.
However, luck wasn't with me and I just miss the green at the one stoplight going back into town. Of course he catches back up to me just as the light turn green and he jumps in front of me. That's fine but was perhaps shortsighted on his part. He's a big guy, I'm a smaller gal and there is a ferocious headwind. He just sucks me along down the road but he keeps checking to see if he's dropped me. When he sees that he hasn't he goes harder but he's such a great draft that I'm not even working hard to stay on his wheel. I feel kind of bad about staying in his draft and since I don't know him and he's on a tri-bike I do stay back a ways. When we hit the last little climb back into town he's crawling along and he's not really holding a great line so I just pass him as it seems weird to stay behind him when he's going so slow. Once again he yells out "go get 'em" which at least makes sense this time as there are two other slower riders not too far up the road. Luckily that's the last I see of him.
I really wanted to start up a conversation with him and explain a few things to him. For instance, if you want to pass a chick ahead of you but you are a big guy and she is on the smaller side don't pass on the longer, gradual hill. Ride up behind her and recover from your effort for a moment and then pass at the crest of the hill and use gravity to your benefit to get ahead of her. Then you need to keep the pace up so she doesn't catch back up. Also, if there is a huge headwind do not be surprised if the small person can sit in your draft without working very hard. Save a little energy for the climb to come so you can keep the pace up high enough to at least not be passed. If you cannot do these things then do not kill yourself to pass the chick you see up the road. You will be considered annoying. Because of your behaviour she will probably take a small amount of perverse pleasure in dropping you on the climbs. If you had acted in a more intelligent fashion she probably would not have given you a second thought after being passed by you.
What can you do though . . . this scenario happens all the time. If Mr. Tri-guy is reading this please consider this as friendly education. I like to believe that you are just ill informed about the physics of mass and wind and bicycling or perhaps you are just unaware of your current level of fitness. Either way be careful what women you try to pass on the road, the next one will probably be fitter and faster than me and it will hurt a whole lot more than passing me did.
However, we got a call from Dave's Mom that his aunt and cousins from Washington were in the area and that she was planning a dinner party on Sunday afternoon. We don't see them very often so that changed our plans considerably. Something needed to change on Sunday so I abandoned the race and the run. I really can't afford to skip the base mile rides as I really want to try and do better at cross this season. Plus I won't be crushed if I don't end up doing any running races or crits (in reality I probably like running races better than crits). Plus CVC kicked butt without me with one of my teammates taking the win and quite a few in the top 10 and we also scored 2nd in the U14 girls race I hear. Nice job to all!
So last week was my 1st week of training for the year - Week 1, Base 1. I didn't follow the plan exactly but I think I did okay. I did go a little harder than prescribed at times but in my defense it was very windy this week.
On Sunday's ride I was headed up this one hill and it was super windy so it was hard to hear what was happening behind. However, I heard this super loud breathing and I thought someone was on my wheel drafting. When I took a look behind there was this guy on a tri-bike but he was pretty far back but clearly riding at his max as his breathing was crazy loud. I just kept cruising along in the light zone and 3/4 of the way up the hill the guys pulls up next to me and passes me. Of course, as soon as he passes me he slows down. Not just a little, either but a lot. We're almost at the top though so I just stay behind him.
We crest the hill and on the way down he pulls ahead. However, on the flat I catch up to him as he seems to be enjoying the side wind even less than I do. I try to keep some distance between us as I was being blown around a bit and he wasn't holding too straight a line on his tri-bike either. However, on the next uphill he slows way down so I finally decide I have to pass him as his pace is just too slow and I do want to get home eventually. He says something like "go get 'em" to me as I go by and I try to murmur something polite even though I'm a little annoyed. I get a big gap on him on the flat hwy back towards town as I try to keep the pace up so I don't end up going back and forth with him for the rest of my ride.
However, luck wasn't with me and I just miss the green at the one stoplight going back into town. Of course he catches back up to me just as the light turn green and he jumps in front of me. That's fine but was perhaps shortsighted on his part. He's a big guy, I'm a smaller gal and there is a ferocious headwind. He just sucks me along down the road but he keeps checking to see if he's dropped me. When he sees that he hasn't he goes harder but he's such a great draft that I'm not even working hard to stay on his wheel. I feel kind of bad about staying in his draft and since I don't know him and he's on a tri-bike I do stay back a ways. When we hit the last little climb back into town he's crawling along and he's not really holding a great line so I just pass him as it seems weird to stay behind him when he's going so slow. Once again he yells out "go get 'em" which at least makes sense this time as there are two other slower riders not too far up the road. Luckily that's the last I see of him.
I really wanted to start up a conversation with him and explain a few things to him. For instance, if you want to pass a chick ahead of you but you are a big guy and she is on the smaller side don't pass on the longer, gradual hill. Ride up behind her and recover from your effort for a moment and then pass at the crest of the hill and use gravity to your benefit to get ahead of her. Then you need to keep the pace up so she doesn't catch back up. Also, if there is a huge headwind do not be surprised if the small person can sit in your draft without working very hard. Save a little energy for the climb to come so you can keep the pace up high enough to at least not be passed. If you cannot do these things then do not kill yourself to pass the chick you see up the road. You will be considered annoying. Because of your behaviour she will probably take a small amount of perverse pleasure in dropping you on the climbs. If you had acted in a more intelligent fashion she probably would not have given you a second thought after being passed by you.
What can you do though . . . this scenario happens all the time. If Mr. Tri-guy is reading this please consider this as friendly education. I like to believe that you are just ill informed about the physics of mass and wind and bicycling or perhaps you are just unaware of your current level of fitness. Either way be careful what women you try to pass on the road, the next one will probably be fitter and faster than me and it will hurt a whole lot more than passing me did.
posted by MadCross at 10:56 AM
2 Comments:
Another memo to tri-guy: if you come upon a cute chick on the road, strike up a conversation with her instead of trying to prove your manliness by passing her!
Unless you speak Triathlese, you are not going to be understood.
How do you say "Lube your chain!" in that language?
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