Kingfish
100 MW
When I do events like the Chilly Hilly or the Flying Wheels the guys on road bikes will pass me on a flat or decline because they have the aero-advantage over me on a MtB, but then I flatten everyone going uphill, so it’s not a real contest.
One person however didn’t get the message…
I was heading back to Redmond from an appointment in Issaquah along the east side of Lake Sammamish. Between the two cities it’s about 13 miles with slight grades and one modest hill; I know it like the back of my hand. Anyway, it was a couple of months ago when I still had the bike configured as 37V and I’m heading back when I come up behind this very big guy on a roadie. He must have seen me out of his mirror as I got within 200 feet because he unloads and starts to pull away. Moments later we approach one of those radar-speed signs: It clocks him doing 31 mph and little ‘ol diminutive me at 27-28 mph.
A slight incline approaches and I pass him; I say “Hello!†as I typically do ~ all elfin smiles. He is astonished and says something in a Schwarzenegger-like accent “OH! I catch you!!...†the rest was unintelligible gibberish: On the hill - no way, next flat - he passes by without a greeting. I wait for the next rise, and I pass again smiling big toothy grin “Hey, howyadoin!†and he’s all heads-down not having it. Back and forth we go for the next few miles and then we begin the one modest hill climb and I catch up, but right before I pass him, I cut-off to the left and take the low-road detour I've used in the past to save power. I know he saw me pull off; as soon as I’m outta sight it’s WOT baby! Takes maybe 90 seconds to loop around and hail-Mary back onto the road all no-brakes-&-rockets-red-glare; check the mirror, can’t see him coming down the hill yet. Motor-on ‘cuz I know he’ll catch me now on the flat. Check the mirror again and there he is a ¼ mile back.
Eyeballing, slowly he’s getting closer. His ‘roids must be in a twist but he doesn’t give up ~ he still has to pass me. Neck and neck, each rise I pass, each flat he takes until we reach a T-intersection that has a steep approach and we glide up to the line and wait for the light: It turns green and I say “That’s us!â€Â
and I motor off the line WOT leaving him to eat the dust. That must have zapped him because I squeaked through the next light, trapping him and it was game over 
My current setup is at 55V, and my crank-derailleur has a maximum ratio of 54:11 which was the largest I could find at the time, though of late I have found a 60T chainring with a 110 BC: Very tempting… Going faster than 36 mph has me pogo in the seat, however 29-31 mph is most comfortable and I can do that all day.
~KF
One person however didn’t get the message…
I was heading back to Redmond from an appointment in Issaquah along the east side of Lake Sammamish. Between the two cities it’s about 13 miles with slight grades and one modest hill; I know it like the back of my hand. Anyway, it was a couple of months ago when I still had the bike configured as 37V and I’m heading back when I come up behind this very big guy on a roadie. He must have seen me out of his mirror as I got within 200 feet because he unloads and starts to pull away. Moments later we approach one of those radar-speed signs: It clocks him doing 31 mph and little ‘ol diminutive me at 27-28 mph.
A slight incline approaches and I pass him; I say “Hello!†as I typically do ~ all elfin smiles. He is astonished and says something in a Schwarzenegger-like accent “OH! I catch you!!...†the rest was unintelligible gibberish: On the hill - no way, next flat - he passes by without a greeting. I wait for the next rise, and I pass again smiling big toothy grin “Hey, howyadoin!†and he’s all heads-down not having it. Back and forth we go for the next few miles and then we begin the one modest hill climb and I catch up, but right before I pass him, I cut-off to the left and take the low-road detour I've used in the past to save power. I know he saw me pull off; as soon as I’m outta sight it’s WOT baby! Takes maybe 90 seconds to loop around and hail-Mary back onto the road all no-brakes-&-rockets-red-glare; check the mirror, can’t see him coming down the hill yet. Motor-on ‘cuz I know he’ll catch me now on the flat. Check the mirror again and there he is a ¼ mile back.
Eyeballing, slowly he’s getting closer. His ‘roids must be in a twist but he doesn’t give up ~ he still has to pass me. Neck and neck, each rise I pass, each flat he takes until we reach a T-intersection that has a steep approach and we glide up to the line and wait for the light: It turns green and I say “That’s us!â€Â
and I motor off the line WOT leaving him to eat the dust. That must have zapped him because I squeaked through the next light, trapping him and it was game over My current setup is at 55V, and my crank-derailleur has a maximum ratio of 54:11 which was the largest I could find at the time, though of late I have found a 60T chainring with a 110 BC: Very tempting… Going faster than 36 mph has me pogo in the seat, however 29-31 mph is most comfortable and I can do that all day.
~KF