Dear Tell All: I might be the "Blue Lycra Guy" that your letter writer Give Me a Brake complained about on the Southwest Bike Path ("Bike Path-ology," 10/25/2012). Yes, I wear blue biking clothes, and yes, I pass slower bicyclists on the way to and from work. But this doesn't make me "a macho man with a big ego." It just makes me a faster bicyclist. Is that a crime?
Give Me a Brake claims that I pass people and then slow down, forcing them to try to pass me. If he's like most of the people I pass, I can tell you that this is a delusion. These people seem to feel humiliated that they've been passed, so they speed up and try to return the favor. They're the pathetic ones, not me.
A Blue Lycra Guy
Dear Tell All: I had a similar incident as did Give Me a Brake, except it was on I-90 heading north. I passed a guy who was driving slower than I. Then, lo and behold, he passed me...and slowed down again, slower than my speed. I passed him again, and again he passed me and slowed down. That was entirely too weird for me, so I took the next exit, drove a bit to a service drive to turn around, and then returned to my route.
I agree with your advice to Give Me a Brake - one doesn't need to continue performing an unwelcome role in someone's else's psychodrama!
Normal Person
Dear Tell All: I commute on the south trail as well. If Give Me a Brake is especially irritated about Blue Lycra Guy, there are two solutions: 1) Burn him - i.e., he goes to re-pass and you just don't let it happen. Do this twice or so and the commute may go better. (An empty stomach is best if this solution is chosen.) 2) Leave five minutes earlier or five minutes later and let Blue Lycra Guy irritate other bikers. Forget your stop-and-read-a-book idea.
Flash