Being overtaken

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bozmandb9

Insert witty title here
Location
South Oxfordshire
Hypermind said:
Hey, A few months ago I came on here looking for advice on which bike to buy for my morning commute. Since then I've travelled to work and back (8 miles each way) maybe 5 or 6 times, I'm slowly getting in to the swing of things. I know I'm getting stronger, my leg muscles, and my fitness is improving.

I thought I was going pretty fast the other evening coming home, and was feeling quite proud of my speed as I approached a long gradual climb. Turns out I was going at a snails pace when another cyclist shot past me. It was almost as though he was going down hill at 30mph..

I keep getting overtaken on the road, and I am well aware that most of these people will be seasoned cyclists compared to me, a beginner, but still, I mean I thought I was putting in quite a bit of effort and had a decent pace. I regularly get overtaken on the road by other cyclists, and I've yet to be the person speeding past another cyclist.

Has anyone else experienced this and has it put you off? I just keep thinking to myself, it's not a race, and I'm still a beginner. Also I have a heavier hybrid bike and they probably have a light road bike.
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To a certain extent overtaking, or being overtaken, is a complete irrelevance. Unless both cyclists are on the same ride. This is because you never know if one of you is doing a one mile ride, the other a 200 mile Audax. One way be on a fasted fat burn ride and going gently to stay in HR zone 2.

So many factors to take into account.

Type of bike is clearly a massive factor. A few years ago I had a heavy hybrid and was not bike fit, and would have been overtaken a lot. Now I'm on a light road bike, and am often but not always the one doing the overtaking.

But I overtook a guy the other day, then he caught up and asked if he could draft me, which was fine. We had a chat then a coffee break. Turned out he was on a 100 plus mile ride m, I was doing less than 25. I may have been faster on the road, doesn't make me a better or fitter rider than him!
 
Pale Rider

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Seems to me it's only roadies who are bothered by being passed.

My mate Chris is one of the strongest cyclists I know.

He's more of a mountain biker, but goes on the road with slicker tyres at this time of the year when the trails are very muddy.

His phrase is 'roadie hunting'.

"I can always tell when one's on the hook," he told me. "Lots of glances behind and the sound of grinding gears."

Ultimately, the target will often out pace him, but it's obvious said roadie is well hacked off at someone on a mountain bike keeping up, if only for a short distance.
 
shouldbeinbed

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
Hypermind said:
Hey, A few months ago I came on here looking for advice on which bike to buy for my morning commute. Since then I've travelled to work and back (8 miles each way) maybe 5 or 6 times, I'm slowly getting in to the swing of things. I know I'm getting stronger, my leg muscles, and my fitness is improving.

I thought I was going pretty fast the other evening coming home, and was feeling quite proud of my speed as I approached a long gradual climb. Turns out I was going at a snails pace when another cyclist shot past me. It was almost as though he was going down hill at 30mph..

I keep getting overtaken on the road, and I am well aware that most of these people will be seasoned cyclists compared to me, a beginner, but still, I mean I thought I was putting in quite a bit of effort and had a decent pace. I regularly get overtaken on the road by other cyclists, and I've yet to be the person speeding past another cyclist.

Has anyone else experienced this and has it put you off? I just keep thinking to myself, it's not a race, and I'm still a beginner. Also I have a heavier hybrid bike and they probably have a light road bike.
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Dont beat yourself up, as long as you're happy you're making progress against yourself then chill a bit.
Maybe they are quicker and better than you, maybe they ride hundreds of miles a week to a categorised standard and are on a hard training ride, but also maybe they've got different gearing more suited to going fast/the road inclines etc or maybe their experience has them in the perfect gear combo at the right time to maintain momentum and speed.

Unless your in a race where speed and final position matter, cycling doesn't have to be a race (burn me I'm a heretic :smile: )
 
K

Karlt

Well-Known Member
The ones that befuddle me are the ones I overtake, only for them to catch me at the next lights. And the next. And the next. Do they have some device that ensures a green light just as they approach, whilst there's some detector that sees me bombing for the lights and slaps up a red so they can trundle along at a constant 12mph while I'm going up to 20 and back to 0 again?

Logically, I thought, well, there's no point going fast and hitting reds. I'll slow down. Try to trundle through at an easy steady speed. Nope. Damn it if the fecking things don't still turn red just as I approach them. Conspiracy, I tell you.
 
mjr

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Location
mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Karlt said:
Logically, I thought, well, there's no point going fast and hitting reds. I'll slow down. Try to trundle through at an easy steady speed. Nope. Damn it if the fecking things don't still turn red just as I approach them. Conspiracy, I tell you.
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I tend to slow and watch the lights about 200 metres away. I know the patterns of lights on my most-used routes and can then try to accelerate or decelerate to pass them as they turn green. The really fun thing is one crossroads where I know when to switch between carriageway and cycle track to get through the junction legally, faster than motorists travelling in the same direction.
 
Bryony

Bryony

Veteran
Location
Ramsgate, Kent
KneesUp said:
But they were only getting themselves up the hill. You were getting yourself and a bike up. Joggers should win every time really. :smile:
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That is a very good point!! Thats made me feel a bit better!! ^_^
 
Ihatehills

Ihatehills

Senior Member
Location
Cornwall
I thought of this thread as I was out riding yesterday, I caught up with a guy on a hill and sat behind him until we reached a straight and then put in a little effort and overtook, only for him to turn on the afterburners and chase me along for the best part of a mile and a half before he thankfully turned off, I was knackered by this point. I checked him out on strava later and he does an average of 300 ish miles a week, I must have caught him nodding off
 
Lpoolck

Lpoolck

Veteran
I don't understand the logic of when being overtaken to then raise your effort just to draft the person overtaking you, and thus spoiling your own rhythm. When people do this to me I just stop and let them go past. I don't know what their drafting skills are like to be comfortable with them on my back wheel.

OP, you get overtook, you will eventually overtake. As others have pointed out, just enjoy cycling.
 
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