What is the obsession with going faster and faster?

[Manonabike]

It brings a smile to my face (just being polite ) to see cyclists trying their hardest to go faster on normal roads. If they were doing this on a cycling track then I would fully understand it and I'd like to try that myself but on a road....... there are so many variables that can interfere with a cyclist going fast that makes it simply pointless IMHO. Traffic lights, traffic, peatons, road conditions, etc.

I'd love to read other people's opinion on the subject.....

 

[ianrauk]

It's just nice to give it a bit of welly now and again.
And a lot of cyclists use the stop start of a commute as interval training.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

It's the variables that keep it interesting!

 

[ColinJ]

It feels good?

It's been a long time since I was fit enough to push the pace but I really liked the feeling when I 'put the hammer down'!

 

[400bhp]

Has the OP heard of exercise?

 

[nickb]

Gotta get past the bloke in front.....

 

[Drago]

The inbuilt drive to better oneself at every opportunity. It's a remnant of the evolutionary process in the genes, although the Government is doing itself to legislate against the process with laws assuming people to be equal when anthropologically speaking they are not.

 

[Matthew_T]

I have a few sections on my commute which is through pinch points. There arent passing places between them and they are usually in sets of two or three. Whenever I have a nice person behind me who is polite enough to wait through these pinch points, I like to speed up (or make it look like an effort) to get through as quickly as possible.
This usually entails speeding up from 18mph to about 21/22.

I have also recently been giving it a lot of welly from traffic lights.
I suppose I am just trying to get a bit more warm. Plus increasing my strength. Its fun.

 

[tuffty]

Its 17 miles into work - the difference between dawdling and getting a move on is an extra 15 minutes in bed, that's the ultimate workout motivation for me

 

[fossyant]

It's just nice to give it a bit LOT of welly now and again ALL THE TIME.
And I use the stop start of a commute as interval training.

Fixed it !

 

[fossyant]

Has the OP heard of exercise STRAVA?

Fixed that one too !

 

[tadpole]

Cycling along like a grandad is borning, give yourself motivation and pace, help to feel alive and warm when cycling. Plus it Pi**es off the other road users when you speed past them as they crawl along in first gear.

 

[byegad]

Pootling along I'm able to enjoy the countryside and do a bit of nature spotting. When I commuted to work the bit nearest work was in town so I tended to get on with it as fast as traffic allowed, often not that fast at times! I'm retired and in no rush to do anything anyway.

 

[Moodyman]

Not a huge fan of giving it welly on greasy urban roads on winter, but it's nice along quiter roads in summer. There's a certain sense of achievement to beating your personal best.

But gotta slow down some days as it's just too tiring to do it all the time.

 

[snorri]

Plus it Pi**es off the other road users when you speed past them as they crawl along in first gear.

I can't remember the last time the opportunity came up for me to do that, drivers tend to be less accommodating in my neck of the woods.