I just posted this on BentRiderOnLine. It refers to a ride back in the early spring.

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I was riding along on my Stratus XP having a great time, doing about 16 mph on a flat section of the Long Leaf Trace. As many of you know, 16 is not a big deal on the XP, not with a fairing, Q-rings, and Aerotrunk. I was looking around, watching out for rabbits and squirrels, taking in the spring weather, and checking my mirror now and then although there were not too many people on the trace that day.

During one such glance in the mirror I noticed a speck, way back. Didn’t remember passing anyone. A little later I noticed the speck was a lot closer, looking more like an inverted exclamation mark; coming up fast. I mean really fast, too fast for me to outrun on the flats. I figured I’d been wabbitized and decided to have a carrot. When the rider was about a hundred yards back I started easing it on up. I was in 3-7 so had two gears to go and a long ways from max heart rate. I shifted, leaving one more gear, and concentrated on circular foot work and a higher cadence. I wanted it to seem that it was just taking a little longer to catch me than he’d anticipated. My heart rate was going up but he was still too far back for my move, i.e. too soon for my sprint and, thus, too soon for the cherry gear (you know, the sweet one on top). The right time would be when he moved over for the pass but before he announced it. I wanted him to think he had it made, a piece of cake. I also wanted him close enough to hear the gear change. He was almost there and I was ready, doing 20+ by that time. I figured I could hit 23 or 24 as he passed but would not be able to hold it very long on the flat. My heart rate was way beyond zone 3, probably getting close to zone 5. I could see his smiling face in the mirror, looking like a friendly guy. I think he figured something was up. I shifted, pushed and pulled on the petals and brought his closing speed to a creep. I think he had spent more than he had intended. I’m sure he had no idea how close to the red line I was. Funny thing though, I was not hurting, no discomfort, and was not breathing too hard. I was going to be able to great him with a calm, matter-of-fact “Nice Day”, except that is not what I was to say. As he slowly passed me looking over with a big grin at my big grin:

Me: I thought I’d make you work for it.
He: Thank you.

I dropped back to cruising speed. It was a great day for a ride. There was a speck ahead of me on the trail, getting smaller.

(Mostly as I remember it with some creative editing to fill in the details)
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We met again later at Bassfield, after his turn around. I enjoyed meeting, talking, and riding with him, even if briefly. I keep looking for him on the trace, I’m a little faster now.