the corner office

Exams are over, so back on the bike I am. I've cycled to work twice this week. Lots of fitness to regain. It's been pretty cold. I persevere.

My ride home includes climbing up Bromley Hill, from Downham. By the time I reach the bottom of the hill, I've been on the bike for an hour, over and above the hour riding to work in the morning. Bromley Hill kills me.

Tonight I was behind a fella on a bike, similar to me (which is to say, not some 4' tall King of the Mountains who races up the hill at breakneck speed - instead, tall, somewhat inelegant, laden with panniers etc). Most people seem to make it up the hill much faster than I do. Did I mention the hill kills me?

So anyway, this bloke doesn't go speeding away. In fact, I soon realise that I could actually be going faster than he is.

Now, I'm not a competitive dude, in that way. Sure, I could've overtaken him, but instead, I just took it easy, stayed right behind him, and relished the knowledge that I could have overtaken him if I'd wanted to.

Halfway up he dropped a gear and put his back into it, which required me to work a little to catch/keep up, but soon I was on his tail again and thinking to myself 'I could pwn this dude if I wanted, I could totally pwn him.' But I didn't, because I'm not competitive that way.