Did a short tri a couple weeks back. When I’m on the bike, I tend to only look about 25-30 feet in front most of the time and only raise my head about every 15-20 seconds to look for big obstacles. This was the case on this particular tri. I’m clipping along, keeping a pretty solid ~19mph pace and I come up on another rider. I notice the back tire looks pretty low. Not flat, at least not yet, but looks like it might be losing air. As I start my pass, I pop off a quick “back tire looks low”. Then I look and notice the front tire looks low as well. WTH? So then I look at the rider. Oops. She’s a big girl.
Now I’m a pretty big girl for my size as well. I weigh more than I should, and more than people generally think, but I’m also pretty solid. Naturally “big boned” and I used to lift weights when I was younger. This girl was bigger. And I’m really not saying this to be mean in any way, but she was probably too heavy for the wheels and tires she was riding. I don’t know if she heard me, and I honestly hope she didn’t because if she did, she probably thought I was making fun or being mean. That really wasn’t the case at all. I legitimately thought she had a potential tire issue. I simply wasn’t paying attention to her as I passed, just the bike. But I can totally understand how she could have been offended or hurt by what I said.
No idea who she was but just putting it out in the universe that I meant no offense and I feel bad about it.
What? You’re supposed to adjust tire pressure to weight. Unless she was 500 lbs and limited to 70psi by riding hookless, she was riding with the wrong tire pressure. It’s not at all the case that a heavier rider will be compressing a tire more than a lighter rider.
Of course! It was standard operating procedure to comment when passing an opponent in high school. I was always stronger on the uphill sections and would say things like “you’re looking greatâ€, “keep up the good workâ€, “you’re almost at the topâ€, etc. when passing…usually on my way to finishing 8th or 9th or whatever 🤣 . So something that any runner knew was totally meant to demoralize, but the general public would think “aww look at that kind gesture of sportsmanship†if I was ever called out for it…which I never was.
Not a triathlon, but I did karate competitions as a teenager. One Sunday, I managed to kick my opponent in the balls. He couldn’t continue and I got disqualified, so I probably pissed him off a bit and embarrassed myself.
Anyway all was forgotten. Then several months later at another competition, I was matched with the same opponent in the opening round. And, sure enough, another accidental kick to the balls… another disqualification.
Never happened any other time with anybody else, very strange, very random.
IM frankfurt 2019. Was in line for the bus to the startingline when two men just cut in the line, i tell them to go back in line and they ignore me.
So I yell at them that if you cant even wait five minutes in line to get on a bus you are a cheat and will not be a real ironman crossing the line or not, they seemed mildly embarrassed.
not in a triathlon, but in cycling races, sure. I’ve had numerous situations in road races or crits where I might choose to sit on a breakaway rather than work to keep it away, which of course irritates the hell out of the others. Sometimes I was doing it for my on behalf, and sometimes as a team strategy. If others complained, I merely pointed out to them that if they didn’t want me in the break, they could drop me. At that point it was just a mind game to get in their heads.
I’ve also had quite a few situations while mtb racing where folks might complain that I was descending too slowly. I never deliberately descended slowly, I was always more cautious than skilled. The appropriate sarcastic retort was always that if they would just climb faster, they wouldn’t be behind me.
I did something like this at the Geneva airport - in French (I’m a native English speaker) - when a couple of folks were attempting to cut a boarding line. I told them that the queue began ‘back there’, using my thumb as the indicator. I was amazed when they dropped their heads and went to the end of the queue. Maybe just Swiss behavior about being called out. I earned my French speaker badge that day.
I did Big Horn Ultra Marathon in Wyoming with my wife. I ran the first 20 miles with her but couldn’t take the slower pace any longer so I would run ahead, then lay down and take pictures with my phone until she caught up. So people watched me either relaxing and enjoying the scenery or flying by them repeatedly. I probably pissed a lot of people off that day.
She got me back by stopping in front of me right before a little creek instead of just hopping over it. It forced me to slam into her and jam my foot down into 7†of mud. I ran for 15 miles with what felt like diamonds in my shoes and socks. Not cool…
In triathlon it’s just the typical screaming of “on your left†until I lose my voice because I’m terrible at swimming and really enjoy cycling. Haha
I did Big Horn Ultra Marathon in Wyoming with my wife. I ran the first 20 miles with her but couldn’t take the slower pace any longer so I would run ahead, then lay down and take pictures with my phone until she caught up. So people watched me either relaxing and enjoying the scenery or flying by them repeatedly. I probably pissed a lot of people off that day.
ROTFL you’re such a bad person! But people who decided to do ultras should’ve seen it coming LOL
Did a short tri a couple weeks back. When I’m on the bike, I tend to only look about 25-30 feet in front most of the time and only raise my head about every 15-20 seconds to look for big obstacles. This was the case on this particular tri. I’m clipping along, keeping a pretty solid ~19mph pace and I come up on another rider. I notice the back tire looks pretty low. Not flat, at least not yet, but looks like it might be losing air. As I start my pass, I pop off a quick “back tire looks low”. Then I look and notice the front tire looks low as well. WTH? So then I look at the rider. Oops. She’s a big girl.
Now I’m a pretty big girl for my size as well. I weigh more than I should, and more than people generally think, but I’m also pretty solid. Naturally “big boned” and I used to lift weights when I was younger. This girl was bigger. And I’m really not saying this to be mean in any way, but she was probably too heavy for the wheels and tires she was riding. I don’t know if she heard me, and I honestly hope she didn’t because if she did, she probably thought I was making fun or being mean. That really wasn’t the case at all. I legitimately thought she had a potential tire issue. I simply wasn’t paying attention to her as I passed, just the bike. But I can totally understand how she could have been offended or hurt by what I said.
No idea who she was but just putting it out in the universe that I meant no offense and I feel bad about it.
Late 90s, a guy sat on my wheel for about 5kms, i told him to back off & started mocking me, so i sat up & invited him to step off the bike so we could chat about it. He backed off.
Late 90s, a guy sat on my wheel for about 5kms, i told him to back off & started mocking me, so i sat up & invited him to step off the bike so we could chat about it. He backed off.
HA! At a crit in Northern California (mid-2000s), two guys in the P12 race actually came to fisticuffs DURING the race. One took the other into the bushes on a turn and thankfully the rest of the field went through unscathed.
The biggest thing I’ve (inadvertently) done to piss someone off was to get a Kona roll-down slot. I still have the email he sent to apologize for being a major jackass about it.
I have been the triathlete in the position of being embarrassed!
I’m a female triathlete who is, shall we say, not at all well endowed in the chest area. I’m totally at peace with this, generally makes life easier and more comfortable.
Approaching the dismount line, the official on the line is helpfully alerting competitors and shouts to me “dismount here please sir!..oh, er, I mean, ma’am”
I’ve never found it anything but funny! Don’t sweat it
What was it that you felt so strongly about to invite him to “step off the bike so we could chat about it?”
The wheel-sucking or the mocking?
I don’t mind someone drafting me IF they’re a friend and we’re on the ride together, or if someone joins during a ride, at least they have the common courtesy to announce that they’re back there. If someone just latches on, so to speak, without saying anything, it annoys me that now I feel obligated for their safety in regards to pointing out obstacles, holes, etc…
It’s been a while since I have visited this side of our forum. I must confess to checking you out as your recent postings on the other side have intrigued.
My inglorious moment was similar to yours only mine was outright blatant. Near the last grouping into the water often meant a crowded field to navigate through on the bike. While out cruising well and fast ( many years ago this was) and in the zone of blissful focus, out of the blue I yell out, “Move over fat cow!” to a young lady who was blocking my pass while she was riding as the outboard member of an abreast grouping of three. We did exchange glances as I crossed the double line to execute the pass. Never ever had I said anything so mean spirited while in competition and I have no idea what possessed me to say such a nasty thing. I was troubled immediately, but not so much too slow down and offer an apology.
Within a mile or two of finishing the bike, I rolled my front tire off the rim hitting an exposed lip of a manhole cover, the wheel locked up and I flew over the handlebars and rolled into the ditch with an immediately apparent broken collarbone.
My first thought while sitting there was that there was some immediate and violent karma. I then hoped that the young lady, who actually was nowhere near that size status in stature, was able to recognize my misfortune and correctly identify me as the ogre with a foul mouth as she passed by the ambulance and then feel justice was well served.
What was it that you felt so strongly about to invite him to “step off the bike so we could chat about it?”
The wheel-sucking or the mocking?
I don’t mind someone drafting me IF they’re a friend and we’re on the ride together, or if someone joins during a ride, at least they have the common courtesy to announce that they’re back there. If someone just latches on, so to speak, without saying anything, it annoys me that now I feel obligated for their safety in regards to pointing out obstacles, holes, etc…
That makes sense
I kinda got the impression they were sitting on but saying shit like “can we go a little faster, please?” or “is this all you got?” or “I’d like to get around you, but then you’d be here all alone”
The friendly shit-talking among teammates in our annual MS Bike Tour can be epic
In a triathlon, had someone spend the majority of the bike leg blatantly drafting off me. Eventually I told him “back off or pass!” He replied “No way, you are doing awesome, keep it up!”. At that point I realized how bad my allergies were and that the congestion was really making it hard to breathe … so I cleared out all the congestion. I heard a long string of curses from the drafter and never saw him again.
