Scalped this morning....

[Panter]

Completely and utterly

I first spotted him, up in front, on the long, very slight uphill just outside Sittingbourne.
I didn't bother trying to catch him, there were 3 sharp hills coming up which always cripple me but as it happened, I was gaining on him anyway.
As I approached, I saw it was a kid of maybe 17 or 18 in Jeans & T shirt on an old MTB with a methodical squeak.

I smugly blatted past with a nod and a smile and thought no more of it.
Then, about a mile on, the road kicks upwards. Gently at first before getting progressively steeper.
Deep in thought I'm wheezing away in a crazy low gear when I'm suddenly aware of a cheery babbling sound alongside.

Squinting through the sweat, it's him! the young kid cheerfully chatting away about his 17 mile run to work and then a long, hard day before he has to ride home again!

I managed to gasp the odd word in reply before he took off at a fair rate of knots up the hill and dissapeared.

I was scalped, good and proper

 

[fossyant]

Get him signed up.......might be the new Wiggins.......

 

[hackbike 666]

Wait till he gets to be an old fart like me.He won't be so bubbly (or fast).

 

[Panter]

Unfortunately, I think it's more of a marker as to how slow and carp up hills I am as opposed to his remarkable climbing prowess.

It left me reflecting on power to weight ratios and other such things during my long, lonely climb up the North Downs anyway

 

[Ben M]

There's no shame in getting overtaken by someone *half your age. I overtake all the commuters I see up Whitelady's road when I'm on my way back from uni on my semi-slicked mtb.




*Roughly, I'm assuming.

 

[Ian Johnson]

I had fun scalping other cyclists yesterday in the Manc -Blackpool ride,lost count, must have been into the hundreds, the MTB riders where easy meat, the hybrids..... more of a run for my money with some of the fitter ones,however I got done proper myself with a few other fast roadies although I always get on their back wheel and make them work for a while,they dont get away with it that easy hehe.

 

[D4VOW]

There's no shame in being scalped on the hills, some people are just made for climbing better than others. I've always been a good climber (only weighing 130 lbs helps )

A couple of weeks ago I overtook a large bloke on a very steep climb like he wasn't moving. I said 'alright mate' as I overtook him, his blurbed response was 'f*****g hell'

I must admit though, I do enjoy it when I fly past a fully kitted roadie on the hills

 

[J4CKO]

I got scalped this morning, bloke on a rather nice black Bianci, saw him catching up in my mirror, I had no answer, I tried vainly for a bit but he was a lot faster than I was, I didnt feel great but even at my best he would have had me, even had I been on the Bianci and him the heavy pannier laden hybrid, oh well.

Anyway, age within reason doesnt seem to be the issue it is in other sports, in fact look at the wiry old buggers that rip past on tourers and road bikes, stamina seems to improve with age wheras younger blokes seem to do the sprint thing better.

 

[hackbike 666]

I've never been a good hill climber anyway.

 

[ComedyPilot]

To the OP, to be fair you scalped them first, and they just levelled the playing field.

 

[fossyant]

Hills are the great 'leveller'....hee hee

 

[Panter]

There's no shame in getting overtaken by someone *half your age. I overtake all the commuters I see up Whitelady's road when I'm on my way back from uni on my semi-slicked mtb.




*Roughly, I'm assuming.

No, he wasn't half my age, he was 17 or 18 I would think, I'm only 35.



<thinks>



Bugger.


Scalped and another "senior moment" in the same morning. What a day...........

To the OP, to be fair you scalped them first, and they just levelled the playing field.

I'd love to take pleasure in this, but unfortunately he didn't just level the playing filed, more like dug a bl**dy great hole in it then stuffed me in, head first, then patted the earth down afterwards, with a trainer

 

[redjedi]

I don't usually bother about scalping other riders (probably because I pass so many ) but this morning was particulary enjoyable.

I saw a bloke on a white road bike this morning going up Scrubs Lane, NW London (mile long, ever increasing, hill). Although he looked to be in good shape he wasn't going very fast (approx 7mph). I waited for a gap in the passing traffic, moved out and breezed passed at about 15mph, and kept this pace up until the top.
Just before I got there, I heard a squeaking noise. It can't have been my brand new bike. I quick look over my shoulder and I saw the guy had caught up and was trying to draft me. He must have put a good bit of effort in to catch up, but it was all in vain. Just as he caught me up, we reached the summit, I moved from the flats to the hoods, shifted down a couple of gears and was gone.
I didn't have too far to go to get to work (1/2 mile), so as I'm waiting in the middle of the road to turn right I kept looking back to see if he was close behind me...he was about a minute back.

That should teach him for trying to draft me

 

[mm101]

Feeling pretty under the weather at the mo and have no doubt that a clown on a unicycle could scalp me

 

[Panter]

I don't usually bother about scalping other riders (probably because I pass so many ) but this morning was particulary enjoyable.

I saw a bloke on a white road bike this morning going up Scrubs Lane, NW London (mile long, ever increasing, hill). Although he looked to be in good shape he wasn't going very fast (approx 7mph). I waited for a gap in the passing traffic, moved out and breezed passed at about 15mph, and kept this pace up until the top.
Just before I got there, I heard a squeaking noise. It can't have been my brand new bike. I quick look over my shoulder and I saw the guy had caught up and was trying to draft me. He must have put a good bit of effort in to catch up, but it was all in vain. Just as he caught me up, we reached the summit, I moved from the flats to the hoods, shifted down a couple of gears and was gone.
I didn't have too far to go to get to work (1/2 mile), so as I'm waiting in the middle of the road to turn right I kept looking back to see if he was close behind me...he was about a minute back.

That should teach him for trying to draft me

You're really not helping..................

Feeling pretty under the weather at the mo and have no doubt that a clown on a unicycle could scalp me

Fancy a riding buddy tomorrow?