Racing the tractor with my bike

[johnnyb47]

Hi.
There's some day's you never forget whilst cycling and i think today is one of them for me.
The sun was shining and i had a brilliant tail wind to propel me along at an amazing pace.
The road was smooth with undulating climbs and decents and felt like a pro (but probably looked more like a prat)
In the distance i saw a tractor bumbling down the road and pressed on, in a vein attempt to catch it. I was in the highest gear possible and could only hear that lovely hollow noise coming from my deep section wheels. My white legs that would be more in keeping to the legs of an oil rig couldn't spin any faster if i tried, and was soon clocking 30mph on the flats.
Before i knew it i had caught the tractor up who was trundling along about 25mph.
A hill came and it started pulling away from me as i slowed. I saw the driver who had "clocked me" a mile or so back look back and grin at me.
By the time i got to the top of the hill i wasn't a pretty sight. The tractor had gained some distance from me but i wasn't finished yet. The road ahead was long and flat and with the great tail wind, i was Bradley Wiggins again. After a mile or so i caught up again. I think the driver was quite impressed as he put his hand up to me.
This childish but enjoyable cat and mouse chase went on for 10 miles until eventually the tractor driver pulled up by a farm gate to open. I was absolutely knackered by now and stopped by him to take a breather. The first thing he did was throw a can of Coke out of his cab saying i think you need that after cycling so hard. We had good chat and laugh about it all before i got on my way.
Coming back home though was a different story. The head wind was horrendous and then the last 10 miles i was greeted by torrential rain. Stupidly enough i used my summer road bike today which is minus mudguards and by the time i got home i was soaked through.
Baring in mind I'm 50 and i should be behaving more sensibly at my age, but it reminds me of my younger days when would race a tractor coming home from school on many occasions.
Tomorrow when i get up for work I'm sure my body will let me know I'm not young anymore and will pay the price for today's madness of a 40 mile ride
Still good fun though and I'm sure today's ride will be one to remember.
All the very best,
Johnny 👍

 

[13 rider]

Very childish . I never do anything like that
I have overtaken a tractor before now
Like you I've been out today felt like a pro ,60 miles at 17.8 mph a few miles later I doing 10mph into the wind

 

[Drago]

It's funny you mention that. I was out for a spin in my tractor today when some berk on a bike tried to race, so I had a bit of sport with him. Silly old duffer should know better at his age.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It's funny you mention that. Today I was out for a spin in my tractor today when some berk on a bike tried to race, so I had a bit of sport with him. Silly old duffer should know better at his age.

Maybe get out of second gear next time.

 

[johnnyb47]

Haha @Drago. It was an old beater of a tractor. I would of not had a cat in hells chance of keeping up with a modern one.

 

[Slick]

Me and my friends were racing tractors bringing in the silage usually probably from 1980 where we would sit at the top of a hill and wait for the drivers to pull out the farm road to collect another load before we would set off after him and try and pass him before he got to his destination.

The funniest one I remember when my mate tried to pass him on the inside and ended up on the verge with his face deadpan trying to convince himself everything was alright, although we all knew he had the fear.

There was also the unsavoury incident in town with my message bike when I held on to a tractor and trailer going down a long straight road. If I just let go at that point everything would have been fine and all my peers would have held me in the highest regard but unfortunately I held on as he drew out the junction and I flew straight across the road and hit a parked car. The driver was far from happy.

 

[Globalti]

Tractor racin'?
Dang it, it's tractor tippin' y'all should be doin'.

 

[Milkfloat]

My experience of racing a tractor was not as good. I overtook a tractor and trailer on a nice flat section like yourself which seemed to enrage the driver, he spent the next few miles chasing me and sitting on my back whee, but unable to overtake. When we got to a hill and I slowed he made his overtake and then swung in early forcing me into the verge and nearly off my bike. He actually made contact right by his wheels, I hate to think what would have happened if I had come off. That was certainly the most scared I have ever been on a bike, I was really shaken up.

 

[Pale Rider]

Haha @Drago. It was an old beater of a tractor. I would of not had a cat in hells chance of keeping up with a modern one.

It can't have been that much of an old beater because 25mph is going some for an agricultural tractor.

It's also curious he was doing a 10 mile and more journey.

Few farms are that big, and few farmers have fields that far apart.

There's also the red diesel regulations to consider.

The fuel is not allowed to be used very far from its delivery address to prevent its use in general road haulage.

Cousins of mine had two farms about five miles apart.

They had to get special permission to use their red diesel to shunt tackle between the two locations.

 

[sheddy]

Tractors are often surrounded by hard pointy steel implements. Best keep away.

 

[fossyant]

Me and my friends were racing tractors bringing in the silage

Getting a tow off a 'fast tractor' with said trailer isn't a good idea. Me and a mate smelt like silage after doing this for a number of miles. Stunk the house out when I got home.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

And if it had been a FasTrac, you'd not have kept up

https://www.jcb.com/en-gb/products/agricultural-tractors

 

[DRM]

Had similar a couple of years back drafting a skip lorry slightly downhill for a few miles, it occurred to me after that if the truck had needed to stop quickly i’d Have been a goner at one point I was doing a tad over 70 KmH

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I try to avoid contact with tractors if I can - in The Lakes they are often driven by young teenagers and are an absolute menace.

 

[oldwheels]

Tractors Aarrgh. There was a tractor rally in Oban and they left going eastwards in pouring rain. There was about 40 of them I think trundling along in convoy at 18 mph. We had a hospital appointment in Glasgow and it took me an hour and a half to get a distance it would normally have taken 15 minutes. Heavy oncoming traffic and the number of mad overtakes included a tour bus which nearly wiped out oncoming traffic several times. They eventually pulled in at Dalmally but the abuse from other traffic I hope shamed them tho’ in the local rag they denied any such problems so probably not. To put it in context my normal time to Balloch was one and three quarter hours.