[hotrozz]

Was out riding one of my normal loops in the foothills today. Just at my normal pace climbing a long gradual incline, about 5 miles to the top. Anyway, about a mile into my ride a guy comes from behind and passes me almost like I'm standing still.
I tried to keep pace with him for about 100 yards, but he just flat walked on me. He was obviously in a higher gear, and his pedal strokes looked almost effortless, like he was riding on flat pavement. Within about 15 minutes or so I think he must have had a good mile lead on me.
Now I'm a fairly new mountain biker so I know I've a lot to learn, but damn, how do you guys(you know who you are) make it look so easy?

 

[Finch Platte]

Because I'm awesome!

 

[AZ]

I would have been faster , but had to slow down to make sure you were alive .

 

[bigbeck]

He had more practice than you, that's all. I remember my first ride where I came to short, maybe 200 feet long, very steep hill. It took a LOT of effort just to push my bike up it. I rested for a few seconds at the top and along came two guys charging the hill. When the first guy hit the base of the climb, he stood up and just flew up the climb. The second guy stayed in the saddle and climbed like a small bulldozer. I was stunned! I thought only an ATV could climb a hill that steep!

I asked the one guy how he did it. He just said one word to me, "practice"

 

[Shark]

Probably running the new 10 speed stuff, maybe a carbon frame?.....


lol no, just what the other guys said, practice & training.

 

[sanjuro]

They probably have a small electrical motor inside their frame, like this cheater, Cancellara

 

[ADDam]

That happened to me a few years back. There was a rocky, rooty ascent that was pretty damn steep and lengthy... well I FINALLY made it up. I had to stop at the top and huff and puff to catch my breath. Meanwhile, a SS Rigid wizzed up the climb, waved and asked if everything was ok, without skipping a beat or taking a hard breath!

...Someday.

 

[Dogbrain]

I was invited on my first real MTB ride by really hot girl in my senior design class. I knew she would be faster but I was determined not to look like a pu$$y. I vomited after 1 mile, which actually had the inverse effect. Six month later I rode it to the top. I had to dab at a couple technical features, but that was handling skills not lungs/legs. A year after that I was pushing a singlespeed on 30 mile rides with 5000+ ft of climbing. Just keep turning the cranks, eat well(ish), and get some sleep.

 

[Judd97]

I was invited on my first real MTB ride by really hot girl in my senior design class. I knew she would be faster but I was determined not to look like a pu$$y. I vomited after 1 mile, which actually had the inverse effect. Six month later I rode it to the top. I had to dab at a couple technical features, but that was handling skills not lungs/legs. A year after that I was pushing a singlespeed on 30 mile rides with 5000+ ft of climbing. Just keep turning the cranks, eat well(ish), and get some sleep.

So what? I wanna hear more about the really hot girl. :thumbsup:

Practice makes perfect. The more you ride, the stronger you'll get.

 

[AZ]

I was invited on my first real MTB ride by really hot girl in my senior design class. I knew she would be faster but I was determined not to look like a pu$$y. I vomited after 1 mile, which actually had the inverse effect. Six month later I rode it to the top. I had to dab at a couple technical features, but that was handling skills not lungs/legs. A year after that I was pushing a singlespeed on 30 mile rides with 5000+ ft of climbing. Just keep turning the cranks, eat well(ish), and get some sleep.

Pics ................................... of hot girl .

 

[Jeff in Bend]

Practice makes perfect.

No, perfect practice makes perfect.

 

[lumber825]

I stopped to catch my breath at the top of a large (for me) hill and looked down the other side. I was trying to decide whether to turn around or go on down the hill. I was thinking how hard it would be coming back to walk my bike up this long steep hill.

Just then two guys came up this hill and passed me with a hearty hi and just kept going. I turned around in shame and rode back to my truck. Maybe I'll ride down then walk back up that damn hill this season.

 

[Dogbrain]

I couldn't tell you what my chances were to begin with, but the vomiting made them exactly zero. There's not much else to tell, and definitely no pics. We never rode again or hung out. The whole experience did motivate me to start exercising though.

 

[Jeff in Bend]

No matter where you're at in mountain biking there's always someone better, stronger or faster.

 

[Blksocks]

Ride.

Nothing to it.

 

[ImaFred]

No matter where you're at in mountain biking there's always someone better, stronger or faster.

Words of Wisdom

 

[Gasp4Air]

Q: Who's faster than me?
A: Just about everybody, including your oldest living relative.

But I'm resigned to that. I ride often, but I don't kill myself, so my conditioning progesses slowly (and has been for the last 14 yrs). I also believe that some folks are more gifted than others physiologically (slow twitch basterds!) when it comes to endurance. So as I huff and puff up a technical climb, head spinning faster than my cranks, a couple of young guys whiz past me having a converstaion about the stock market. So it goes. I smile at myself, shake my head, and keep pedaling.

 

[AndrwSwitch]

There's always someone faster.

When I'm in good shape, I tend to think of hills as my office - the place I go to get things done. But I was riding one of my favorite spots last season, up a long steep, doubletrack paved with fist-sized rocks (that particular road is not my favorite ) when some other guy, also on a '07 Specialized Hardrock but mainly stock and I think a model down, cruised past me on the descent. I thought he had to be lost because there's a nice singletrack descent that starts a little further up the hill and goes the same place, so I asked him.

Nope. He was doing hill repeats.

I think, "Whatever. He's a little crazy, but so am I." Several minutes later, he comes huffing and puffing and grunting his way back up past me! He didn't look at all like a mountain biker either - baggy gym shorts, large backpack, no helmet, gel seat cover, running shoes.

I caught up with him at the peak, and talked to him for a few minutes after I started being able to focus my eyes again. He was a mountaineer, and this is something he does to keep in shape for charging up the side of Mt. Rainier. The backpack contained a jacket (it was cold that day if you weren't huffing, puffing and grunting your way up a climb) and a helmet. So not so heavy, but still... and his bike wasn't completely stock. He had a giant Continental rear tire - a high volume, low knob. Perfect for that climb, really. Everything else, though, was original, including the pogo stick fork. I guess what they say about getting that energy back is true. Or he had the power output of a small locomotive...

 

[jeffscott]

Was out riding one of my normal loops in the foothills today. Just at my normal pace climbing a long gradual incline, about 5 miles to the top. Anyway, about a mile into my ride a guy comes from behind and passes me almost like I'm standing still.
I tried to keep pace with him for about 100 yards, but he just flat walked on me. He was obviously in a higher gear, and his pedal strokes looked almost effortless, like he was riding on flat pavement. Within about 15 minutes or so I think he must have had a good mile lead on me.
Now I'm a fairly new mountain biker so I know I've a lot to learn, but damn, how do you guys(you know who you are) make it look so easy?

The stunning thing is there are many people out there that can likely leave that guy in the dust.

It never gets easy you just get faster.

 

[Garilia]

Was out riding one of my normal loops in the foothills today. Just at my normal pace climbing a long gradual incline, about 5 miles to the top. Anyway, about a mile into my ride a guy comes from behind and passes me almost like I'm standing still.
I tried to keep pace with him for about 100 yards, but he just flat walked on me. He was obviously in a higher gear, and his pedal strokes looked almost effortless, like he was riding on flat pavement. Within about 15 minutes or so I think he must have had a good mile lead on me.
Now I'm a fairly new mountain biker so I know I've a lot to learn, but damn, how do you guys(you know who you are) make it look so easy?

Better bike, cooler shoes, sleeker helmet, practice, practice, practice?

Not really, glute implants are more likely!

Nah, genetics is a large part. Some guys train and train and will never be faster than someone with better genetics. On the other hand, some people will push themselves further than someone with better genes and beat them.

I'm in neither category.