Passing Bikers While Running

chilloutthefirstme wrote:

...and i am just going to put out my opinion that going on a "serious" bike ride is pretty gay. the guys in full regalia with $2000+ bikes is the type of s*** i am talking about. they might think i look equally gay in my short shorts and no shirt. so be it.

First off, you infer that being gay is bad. Care to explain?

Second, I'm regularly one of those 'guys in full regalia w/$2000+ bikes'. I'm struggling to understand what is 'gay' about what I'm riding, how I look and how fast I'm going. Care to explain?

Third, when I see somebody running w/out a shirt, I figure the guy is feeling hot, not 'gay', whatever that means.

I would never claim that cycling is more physically taxing than covering an equal distance while running, just that on steep enough grades (I pulled 10% out of my *ss in my last post) it is likely that you, me or anyone could cover the same ground faster on foot. You would still save effort on the bike even though you are not going any faster. They are both equally difficult sports, you just have to go longer on the bike. IMO a 40K TT on flat ground is a similar effort to a track 5K in terms of physical discomfort and time to recover, however a 40K lasts an hour give or take while a 5k lasts 15 minutes give or take.

scotth wrote:

chilloutthefirstme wrote:

...and i am just going to put out my opinion that going on a "serious" bike ride is pretty gay. the guys in full regalia with $2000+ bikes is the type of s*** i am talking about. they might think i look equally gay in my short shorts and no shirt. so be it.

First off, you infer that being gay is bad. Care to explain?

Second, I'm regularly one of those 'guys in full regalia w/$2000+ bikes'. I'm struggling to understand what is 'gay' about what I'm riding, how I look and how fast I'm going. Care to explain?

Third, when I see somebody running w/out a shirt, I figure the guy is feeling hot, not 'gay', whatever that means.

1. that's why it's MY opinion. little surprise that you're on the guys fitting the description and don't agree with me. i also hate crappy runners who go all out with the gear. i think people focus on that too much as opposed to running/biking itself. again, MY opinion

2. i love when people bust out the "you infer being gay is bad" type of thing, which is why i used the word gay. i don't even mean straight homosexual, i just mean the synonymous negative connotation it holds on the middle and high school (sometimes college and beyond) level. i could have just said i think they look like idiots, but i like to goad others on with word choice.

3. i don't know if i explained myself to a satisfactory degree for your needs…probably not. let me know…

thefirstme wrote:

If anything your original post is nothing but you bragging that you were going what you think is fast and that you 'flew' by some people on bikes. I'm sorry that you are insecure enough about yourself that you must come here and post such.

Bragging?

I don't think passing a couple recreational bikers while closing out a hard run is anything to brag about. I know most runners have had a similar experience. It's not like I was talking about running down a pack of Kenyans.

Call it a guilty pleasure- I love passing bikers. It's fun. I thought it would make an interesting discussion topic, but I never anticipated so many people getting their panties in a twist about it.

I certainly don't need to come on Letsrun to brag about my running accomplishments, especially during a training run. I don't think anyone really cares about how hard I end my long runs, nor should they.

As for the person that said that bikers are to runners what cars are to bikers, that's a valid point. However, I think cyclists truly hate cars, while runners just find cyclists ridiculous and irritating. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that cycling is an upper-class sport (expensive bikes, equipment, etc.), while most runners take pride in the fact that running is more working-class.

It also might have something to do with the fact that cars can kill bikers every time they pass, which ups the ante of the "rivalry", so to speak.

We finally got to the truth. Dean sees this as a class warfare problem and takes the typical leftist class war argument to heart: If you can afford nicer things or better gear than Dean, then you are the problem. A ridiculous and irritating problem simply because they spend cash on Shimano and spandex. Did a bunch of cyclists beat you up in elementary school?

That must make me some sort of sellout in Dean's world. I run everyday AND I have a nice $1700 road bike that I enjoy riding. (In SPANDEX!!! Oh...how scandalous!) Just in case you still don't hate me Dean, I also like to golf (spendy custom clubs...ooooooohhhh...the tools of THE MAN!) and I belong to a country club.

To sum up:

Hurting Truth - runner, cyclist, golfer, devil incarnate.

Dean - just runs, defender of the lumpen proletariat and arbiter of all things deemed ridiculous and annoying.

Why bother? wrote:

As much as it blows my mind to see weekend warriors blow thousands of dollars on biking equipment when they haven't even yet achieved brisk walking level fitness, I figure that at least they're trying.

I'm no elite runner, but I have run decent times (sub 15 and sub 31)....I have to say that bikers are always extremely friendly when I see them on the road. Why would anyone want to purposely "rub someone's face in it" while out on a run...be it an out-of-shape biker, or another runner?

I don't care if you were cruising 5 min pace at the end of a 15 miler...unless you're one of the best, there's always somebody who could pass your ass like you were painted on the road as well.

You don't get it do you? Do you know how extremely easy it is to bike at world record mile pace (running) while on the bike for stretches as long as 20 miles? They have a huge advantage over us and to have one of us pass them while on our feet is just a hilariously, sad disgrace. In conclusion, **** you.

You my friend are a dumbass. No runner no matter how fast could outrun a cyclist of any sort over 20 miles of rolling roads. Thats not the arguement or the point of this thread. The original poster passed two cyclist going up a hill, and as many have pointed out, on steep hills it is indeed faster to run than to bike. Any reasonably fit runner should be able to pass cyclists up say a 15% grade on any day of the week, this does not make that person a particularly good runner or those cyclists particularly bad cyclists. Once over the hill the cyclist will simply repass the runner at several times the rate the runner passed the cyclist. No doubt the cyclist will average a much faster pace over the entirety of the same course. Hell I could outrun a Ferrari under the right circumstances (say on a soft sandy beach) doesn't make me a fast runner or the Ferrari a slow car.

Critical reasoning is obviously not a strong suit of yours.

Let's

chilloutthefirstme wrote:

1. that's why it's MY opinion. little surprise that you're on the guys fitting the description and don't agree with me. i also hate crappy runners who go all out with the gear. i think people focus on that too much as opposed to running/biking itself. again, MY opinion

2. i love when people bust out the "you infer being gay is bad" type of thing, which is why i used the word gay. i don't even mean straight homosexual, i just mean the synonymous negative connotation it holds on the middle and high school (sometimes college and beyond) level. i could have just said i think they look like idiots, but i like to goad others on with word choice.

3. i don't know if i explained myself to a satisfactory degree for your needs…probably not. let me know…

Let's start w/#1: You're certainly free to have an opinion. I find fault w/that opinion, "Going on a serious bike ride is pretty gay." You throw in how much the bike is and describe the cycling clothes as 'full regalia.' I'm lost on the serious bike ride part and wonder what it matters how much the bike is or what cyclists wear. What it has to do w/being 'pretty gay' is completely lost on me.

What is a serious bike ride? Why do you care how much the bike is or what a cyclist wears?

#2: You love when people bust out the 'you infer being gay is bad' type of thing & say 'which is why I used the word gay.' Your inference is: it's synonymous w/negative connotations on the middle & high school level...sometimes beyond. You used the term to goad others on.

Okay, here's a suggestion: please drop use of the term 'gay' as a negative from your vocabulary. I find it offensive. If you want to know more, hit my name and write me directly...the upright thing to do.

#3: You explained yourself fine. I've gathered you're young, impressionable and naive from your rant.

Here's why people buy the bikes they buy & wear what they wear: Speed and comfort. A serious bike ride is one that extends the rider for a personally satisfying length of time (the speed, distance & terrain will vary). Have I explained myself well enough?

cgaites wrote:

Critical reasoning is obviously not a strong suit of yours.

I think critical reasoning is left at the door by all posters at letsrun.

Mr. Moron included.

dean moriarty wrote:

The other day I was cruising at the end of a 15-miler and I passed two guys and two girls in full biking gear crawling up a hill. I dropped them like a sack of bricks. As I went by, one of the women says really loud, "Are we still going 25 miles today?"

I, too, love passing bikers, and I also have a very similar story:

One time I was running from Brunswick, Maine to Freeport and back (18 miles, as some posters in this thread may already know) and I passed a couple of bikers - decked out in full Lance regalia - going up a hill.

Just as I was about to say hello, the woman turned to her husband and said something quite similar: "Hey Paul, are we at an hour yet?"

Get over yourself.

If the grade is steep enough, even an average runner can travel faster than a good cyclist. I've raced many courses where cyclists will dismount and outrun those still on their bikes doing the "mailman".

Don't waste your time on this small minded person. He's the one who informed the world that Lynn Jennings hated her high school. He should crawl back under his rock.

and I bet they blew past your sorry ass on the way down the hill.

dean moriarty wrote:

Anyone else get a huge kick out of doing this?

The other day I was cruising at the end of a 15-miler and I passed two guys and two girls in full biking gear crawling up a hill. I dropped them like a sack of bricks.

As I went by, one of the women says really loud, "Are we still going 25 miles today?"

I thought that was funny, as if 25 miles of biking would blow my mind.

I understand that struggling while biking up a hill and having some punk kid run by must be the most frustrating thing ever, and I don't usually get satisfaction out of irritating people, but since bikers are usually so rude and unfriendly I make a special exception for them.

Any similar stories or sentiments out there?[/quote]

I bet you love passing runners on crutches.

Perhaps you've passed more than have passed you.[quote]

Big deal, just about everyone here has done it at one time or another. Passing a cyclist on a hill is not really much of an accomplishment. Any decent runner (<7 min pace) who has run at the shore has probably passed loads of people cycling on the flat.You're also ignoring the possibility that these people were out for a ride and not really paying any attention to you. Maybe the girl was just asking a question of one of her companions? Not everything is about you....

dean moriarty wrote:

Anyone else get a huge kick out of doing this?

The other day I was cruising at the end of a 15-miler and I passed two guys and two girls in full biking gear crawling up a hill. I dropped them like a sack of bricks.

As I went by, one of the women says really loud, "Are we still going 25 miles today?"

I thought that was funny, as if 25 miles of biking would blow my mind.

I understand that struggling while biking up a hill and having some punk kid run by must be the most frustrating thing ever, and I don't usually get satisfaction out of irritating people, but since bikers are usually so rude and unfriendly I make a special exception for them.

Any similar stories or sentiments out there?

Ha! Get off your soapbox.

You have no idea how conservative I am. I wrote a right-wing column in college and I was once called a "sexist right-wing fascist". I am a conservative, but that doesn't mean that I have to condone snobbery.

dmb wrote:

Big deal, just about everyone here has done it at one time or another. Passing a cyclist on a hill is not really much of an accomplishment. Any decent runner (<7 min pace) who has run at the shore has probably passed loads of people cycling on the flat.

You're also ignoring the possibility that these people were out for a ride and not really paying any attention to you. Maybe the girl was just asking a question of one of her companions? Not everything is about you....

Letsrun posters never fail to amaze me. I never said that it was an amazing accomplishment to pass a biker while running. I'm sure plenty of them are just going out to a casual ride. I said in an earlier post that I know most runners have accomplished this same thing.

I still enjoy passing them. In fact, I passed a dude going up a hill today and it felt great.

this thread is f***ing hilarious...just remmber when your going up the hill and the bikers comeing down you have the right away...some bikers forget this...

But, remmber your feet are on the ground...and you dont have to hold onto handle bars...so you should come out on top...just direct the biker towards the outside of the trail....