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[Arch]

Now, I'm not really a competitive sort, but I was scalped on the way home... I was pottering along the inner ring road, at my normal end-of-the-day-when-I've-been-lifting-heavy-boxes-all-day pace, well out in the road, because there's a line of parking spaces along the road, with a couple of vans in it, well apart. And then this... this GIRL, in heeled boots and a trendy woolly hat, has the temerity to undertake me, using the parking bay area, and ride off. On her stupid silver and purple girl's MTB, with the stupid knobbly tyres. And she hasn't even got the decency to look like she's trying hard. Well, that was it, I upped my pace, and a gear, and totally failed to catch up with her until the next lights, where we sat, behind a bloke on his MTB. Lights change, off we go, but the road's narrowed now, and with the traffic coming past, I can't get past her, although I'm now right behind her, and we're both stuck behind the bloke. Next lights, we wait again, and then, as soon as the green man goes off, indicating that the change to green for us is immient, she rides round the bloke, and through the still red light, and off. So, she was a dirty rotten cheat (and that was the corner I turn off at anyway).

So that's a moral victory to me I reckon.

Actually, I only spent the morning lifting boxes, I spent the afternoon washing trikes.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

I understand Arch. There is a special breed of girlie biker who infuriatingly look like they would ruffle their hair and break their nails if they so much as picked up a bicycle pump, but flippin' 'eck they can go.

A few weeks ago whilst pulling my guts out up a nasty bit of wold, I vaguely heard the un-mistakeable rhythmic whir, clink, thud of a very dilapidated mountain bike approaching from the rear. I instinctively upped my work rate, only to be passed by a smiling, pretty slip of a lass on a wheeled rusty bedstead. Having bid me good day, we crested the top of the hill where she then showed me a clean pair of heels down the other side. (In my defence, I had never ridden this road before and I had noted the gravel on earlier bends). Nevertheless, it took me a few pints of Tom Woods before I had fully regained my pride!

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

And then this... this GIRL, in heeled boots and a trendy woolly hat, has the temerity to undertake me

Could have been worse

She could have been wearing those %*$*#&@ Ugg Boots - that would have been humiliating

 

[fossyant]

I know the sort......

I avoid the main student route because of the riding.... they all (boys and girls) have this magic carpet effect.....how the hell they don't end up in bits I don't know - I'd never get away with the tricks they do.............

 

[PBancroft]

I had that a few years ago, when I first started cycling again. Riding through the New Forest, last leg of a 70mile ride and I'm suffering bad. My mate is up ahead at the top of the latest Biggest Hill Ever when a girl on a pink mountain bike zips past, round the bend, up the next Biggest Hill Ever without a by-your-leave and was gone.



However, and I mean this in the non-chauvinistic sense of the term, she was a fair bit fitter than I.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Having reviewed the evidence at hand, I can confirm no scalp took place. The girl in heeled boots was inappropriately dressed, thereby negating the scalp.

 

[ufkacbln]

Could be worse!

Touring in Yorkshire with the missus and we are slowly wending our way up this hill - when a litle old lady on a sit up and beg flows by AND had the temerity to have enough breath left to greet us cheerily on the way past!

 

[ComedyPilot]

Could be worse!

Touring in Yorkshire with the missus and we are slowly wending our way up this hill - when a litle old lady on a sit up and beg flows by AND had the temerity to have enough breath left to greet us cheerily on the way past!

chortle

 

[Arch]

Could be worse!

Touring in Yorkshire with the missus and we are slowly wending our way up this hill - when a litle old lady on a sit up and beg flows by AND had the temerity to have enough breath left to greet us cheerily on the way past!

I suppose at least you got a friendly interaction out of it....

I was once struggling up the last hill before Longridge Towers, on my way to my first Bikeright event, when an older chap on a folding bike drew level, legs spinning freely, introduced himself, asked if I was going to Longridge, and what was my name. After a moments pause, he said politely* "Or perhaps you'd rather not say..." "no...." I had to gasp, "its just.... I'll talk.... at the...... top!"


*I know him well now, and he's one of the politest gentlemen I know, so he obviously feared he'd intimidated a lone female...

 

[Keith Oates]

I thought in situations like that you were supposed to stop and talk into the mobile phone or feel the pressure in the rear wheel until they were out of sight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[palinurus]

There are rules in commuter racing. In my head there are anyway.

Going through a red light means instant disqualification. Not so much because it is bad but because accelerating from lights is part of the skill of commuter racing, going through a red light would be like riding around the barriers in a 'cross race.

That means you won.

 

[Cubist]

+1, definite DQ

 

[Hilldodger]

Few years ago myself and a couple of mates were riding in to Rugby on our way to a pedal car race. There's a long down hill at the bottom of which we needed to turn left and head back up hill. Just as we're turning off, an old lady on a three speed with shopping in the basket overtook us around the outside and stormed off up the road

 

[palinurus]

I was overtaken by a really small kid on a bmx when climbing a big hill in Wales.

In my defence I was loaded up and the kid hadn't started from the bottom. Scalp's a scalp though, not like he cheated.

 

[Arch]

There are rules in commuter racing. In my head there are anyway.

Going through a red light means instant disqualification. Not so much because it is bad but because accelerating from lights is part of the skill of commuter racing, going through a red light would be like riding around the barriers in a 'cross race.

That means you won.

Also, I bet I'd been working harder than her all day too. And she was about half my age.