Arghhhhh - ego attack!

Clive · Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 8:03 am Post subject: Arghhhhh - ego attack!

So a training incident today reminded me of something similar last week.

Firstly, to set the scene, I am too slow to be that competitive and very rarely does the ego take over, in fact during 7 hour Z2 bike rides, it has been known for MTBs, heck even shopping bikes to pass me, I don’t do fast!

This AM I did a tempo off road run for about an hour - unusual for me as I usually chill and run really slow with no rush!

Towards the end of the run I joined this very rocky track near the foot of a 3/4 mile 1 in 10 climb, seeing another runner coming up the short climb below me. So I say hello and we are about 12ft apart with me being in front.

My choice, do I stop and run with said person and be sociable or just keep the tempo up and see if I have any competition?

So there I am in about 3rd gear of 5 slogging up this technical climb, and sure enough I hear the puffing and panting getting ever closer..... the pounding, the heavy breathing, the Joe trying to compete grrrrrr, so I think nahhh, even tho I am not the strongest uphiller I change to 4th, and slowly think I hear the pain of lack of pacing ebbing away behind me, now, breathing out of my ar5e and changing to 5th and nearly dead, I complete the climb back to my village with no sign of Joe, yes, result!

Anyway I digress, so there I was a week ago near the end of a 3.5 hour very tough hilly ride. Going downhill to this dip, I pass a male and female cyclist, say my cheery hellos and think nothing of it once at the dip (although I did detect that the male ego may have got the better of the bloke as I detected an increase in speed/effort as we approached the dip).

Anyway, out of the dip, about a 1 in 8 climb for 1/2 mile, I hear them chatting, the conversation getting louder and louder, nearer and nearer........

Noooo, how can they manage that, they didn’t look that healthy I thought as I upped the tempo.

Then it finally occurs to me that they have electric bikes (well, neither of them looked like a cyclist let alone triathlete!). 5hittttt, that’s real competition I thought, and started to get non-positive thoughts about who would be first to the top of the hill as they got ever nearer.

So I gave the 55 year old temple one last push, by now nearly heart attack material thru effort that I never ever make, not even in races!

By the time I got to the top and junction, they were still somewhere behind me, but hadn’t passed me, and yes, I was relieved that they turned left as opposed to my right. Phew!

Competitive, moi!?

Jorgan · Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:51 am Post subject:

I get passed by the odd e-bike commuting; in fact a guy in baggy skatewear dropped me on a drag a few weeks back. It doesn't bother me tbh; they have a clear artificial advantage and my CX commuter weighs about the same as an e-bike anyway, fully laden.

I know what you mean about getting that red mist. But even when I get passed by very average looking guys on road bikes when I commute, I let them go, and remind myself that I managed a 50 mile ride averaging nearly 35kph the day before. That's the thing with commuting, you can't let it turn into a 'race' all the time'....you've gotta take it steady, and save yourself for the key sessions.
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