Recovery Ride Ruined by Ego

[Mojo Johnson]

I doubt I'm the only one who has experienced this:

Going out for a nice, long-ish recovery ride. Telling myself to calm down and ride at a nice smooth cadence and just enjoy the ride. Then another roadie crosses my path and looks to be pretty fast. The next thing I know I'm "competitng" with them and either trying to drop them or not get dropped. This can go on for miles and pushes the HR out of my "recovery zone."

Even though I'm not a racer, the urge to ride faster than other people can be very hard to ignore. I guess I need to limit my recovery rides to remote areas.

Anyone else ever deal with this competitive character trait?

 

[jhuskey]

Not me! Well ok, but they got too be in the kill zone. I have closed on guys that I didn't know and could have caught them but decided not to and take another way around, if I wasn't planning on going that way initially.
Now if they are headed my way I can't help but ride my pace and maybe just a bit more.
The best result is to meet up with someone and take turns pacing and that way no one gets hurt egos.
Maybe he is holding back and maybe you are a little.

 

[Chavez]

I regard people ahead as a carrot; if I catch them, I usually ease up the pace and say hello and maybe pick up the pace a bit if I get a couple hundred yards on them. Never really ran into a "race" situation.

 

[hod65]

think most riders would be tempted unless you were very strict with your training if i see a club out i allways try to impress specialy on hills thr trick is to do it without showing your suffering

 

[kdelong]

It happened to me twice years ago. The first time I caught the guy and felt pretty proud of myself. Several months later, I was passed by another fast one and began my pursuit, nearly caught the guy but he noticed me and left me in the dust. I felt kinda foolish and so have never attempted to run down a faster rider since.

 

[daveryanwyoming]

...Anyone else ever deal with this competitive character trait?

It's pretty common and one reason it can make sense to just take the day off instead of planning easy spins for rest days. Other tricks are leave the full kit at home and just go out spinning the mountain bike in casual shorts and t shirt or go cruisin' with a slow friend.

Probably no big deal if you're not racing or need to be fresh for a big event but if you are racing and prefer on-bike recover spins it takes a certain discipline to let folks pass you knowing the important thing is what happens on race day.

But yeah, been there done that...

-Dave

 

[tonyzackery]

Happens much, much less frequently now that I got the power meter.

Case in point. last night was a recovery ride, but several guys that I passed (while holding 220w) along my route decided to catch back up to me, chat a few words and then think they'll dust me off. Couldn't let some non-racers do that, so I ease back on to the end of their line and they up the pace - maybe thinking they'll drop me. LOL! I drop the hammer and give them a taste of 450w for several minutes and that was that. Whole episode only lasted 4-5 minutes so my "recovery" ride wasn't totally a disaster as I just backed off the power the rest of the way...The power meter definitely helps keep me in check...

 

[quenya]

This is why I love riding with my wife on recovery days. She likes to cruise around 16-18mph and really only ever drops the hammer when she's climbing some of the short rolling hills nearby or if a mountain biker tries to pass her. So I can ride with her in my recovery zone and catch her after a burst without ever having to race the faster roadies, it's a heck of a lot easier than being mature

 

[CdnRider]

Haha. Being mature? So true. I've had a couple of those rides myself. And it is very hard to hold back. Both cases.....I ended up talking to the riders for a while and mentioned I was doing a recovery ride. The last one worked out well as he was also doing one. We ended up riding together for about 1hr. Same pace. Sweet. Always welcome good company out in farm
country.

 

[swampy1970]

I doubt I'm the only one who has experienced this:

Going out for a nice, long-ish recovery ride. Telling myself to calm down and ride at a nice smooth cadence and just enjoy the ride. Then another roadie crosses my path and looks to be pretty fast. The next thing I know I'm "competitng" with them and either trying to drop them or not get dropped. This can go on for miles and pushes the HR out of my "recovery zone."

Even though I'm not a racer, the urge to ride faster than other people can be very hard to ignore. I guess I need to limit my recovery rides to remote areas.

Anyone else ever deal with this competitive character trait?

There's a time and a place for such shenanigans... And a short burst for a bit of a laugh is allowable on a recovery ride but 10+ minutes of hammerfest heaven isnt.

Rest when you're supposed to and you'll be in a much better position later on to completely smash anyone who sits on during a training session when you're supposed to put the hammer down.

All play and no rest makes Jack a slow boy.

 

[Resistorlead]

I'm not that serious about this stuff I but can tell you that trying to lose two innocent looking girls on a tandem can turn into a real embarrassment.

 

[Mojo Johnson]

One day I was on a recovery ride and I was out too long. I had a long hard ride the previous day and about 30 miles into this "recovery ride" I was bonking.

The next thing I know, doesn't some dude on a sweet Pinarello Prince pass me like I'm standing still on the flats. I wanted to say "but...but... I'm on recovery" but I couldn't muster a word. A few miles later I get buzzed by a really fast Triathlete on a TT bike going uphill. I was out of the saddle busting my a$s at 13mph and he was just sitting back and cruising.

I just felt very, very slow that day; and rightly so. I learned my lesson to really take it easy on recovery rides and not overdo it, because riding 15 miles from home while on a bonk is no fun and dangerous. It is only made worse when your ego is taking a swift kick in the stones the whole way as well.

For now on I am saving my easy riding for weekend rides with the wife and kids. It's better for everyone.

 

[GT Fanatic]

Funny story.

The VP of our bicycle club used to be a power lifter, so his legs are insanely strong. Last month we were on a club ride when a few guys in a "pace line" went flying by us at a really good clip. I said to Shane, "GET'EM, SHANE! GET'EM!"

So, Shane left the pack and chased them down. He returned about 20 minutes later where the rest of us were (while he was gone, my wife dropped a chain and pinned it between the cranks and the frame) and I said to him, "You catch'em?" He says, "Man, that dude in the white shirt was a d*ck!"

Shane had pulled up to say hello, and this guy in the pack says to him, "This is a non-socializing ride. This is serious. We're training." Shane said to the guy, "Well then, I guess you better pick up the pace!"

Funny stuff. Unfortunately, I couldn't ride the required (estimated....) 23-25 mph to catch up so I could witness it.

 

[Yonni]

I used to do this almost all the time and then wonder why I felt rough when I was about to do my long ride. Recently I've been overtaken by some pacey young ladies. Once on a long ride where we met up twice (i'd taken a slightly quicker route out of the town). She slowed to my pace for a chat (and to find out how I'd beaten her out of town). Turns out she rides for the faster of the local teams. I didn't feel upset, she had a sweet bike and about 20 years less than me, not to mention lbs. the other was while I was doing hill reps. She flew past me as I shouted a quick "Hi" after her. I took her on the downhill only to be retaken on the hill. I consoled myself with the fact that I'd done 2 reps before she arrived and did 1 more after she left. Again she had the kit and the age but I had the stamina!

It might feel cool to take them on the training rides but come the big hills of the main event I don't want to be looking back and regretting burning myself out all the time.

 

[kdelong]

The next thing I know, doesn't some dude on a sweet Pinarello Prince pass me like I'm standing still on the flats. I wanted to say "but...but... I'm on recovery" but I couldn't muster a word.

Maybe we could sell jerseys with "I'm on a recovery ride" printed on them.$$$$$$$

 

[alienator]

I'll use someone ahead of me as a rabbit, from time to time, but that's a goal oriented thing, not an ego driven competition. Hell, I don't what their goal for their ride is, so being competitive with them is kind of pointless. I more inclined to say hi when I catch up or to chat a bit

 

[CdnRider]

Maybe we could sell jerseys with "I'm on a recovery ride" printed on them.$$$$$$$

great idea. or a special flourescent bib or arm band!! how about a flag....yeah. one that attaches to the rear. that way....people will know to leave us alone and we don't want to fight - at least not today!

 

[CdnRider]

Maybe we could sell jerseys with "I'm on a recovery ride" printed on them.$$$$$$$

I like the idea! how about a bright yellow or red flag mounted to the bike. high enough for all to see. saying just that "recovery ride". that way...nobody will want to pick on us....catch us on another day!

 

[alienator]

I like the idea! how about a bright yellow or red flag mounted to the bike. high enough for all to see. saying just that "recovery ride". that way...nobody will want to pick on us....catch us on another day!

Oy. When seen from a distance, they'll think you're on a recumbent.

 

[Chavez]

I'll use someone ahead of me as a rabbit, from time to time, but that's a goal oriented thing, not an ego driven competition.

I got the best of both worlds - was trying to chase down a carrot for about 5 mi last night, during which I shot past somebody on a hill like they were standing still.

Was catching the carrot too, but he turned off somewhere when I was going straight.