Humblebrag
I mean just because it’s cat6 doesn’t mean it isn’t a race…
I’m the jerk ass running late to work every other day on my HG overtaking roadies, commuters, mtbs, rando bag fully loaded, frame bag packed with tent poles, full fenders, 2.1’s. Sometimes I just give up because my legs feel like bricks.
I’m the guy on an LHT who is convincing himself that all the touring parts don’t make me slower while getting passed by basically everybody
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i got friendly-cat 6d yesterday. i extended my commute to go way out through the farm fields east of rochester. out there, roadie dude comes up next to me and starts chatting. he was super nice. i had to be home by 5:45 so i needed to turn right. i think I Cat 6 DNFd, but it was legit!
Perfectly executed cat6 commuting home last night on the dad mobile
Got passed by a roadie, tucked in until he got on the path while I stayed in the bike lane on the road, busted a gut to draw level just as I reached my turn off, then blew up after the turn 
if you haven’t started crying immediately after your cat6 race you don’t cat6 hard enough.
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Can I get a judgement here?
Me: riding home from work, on raleigh.
Him: cat6 superstar, full kit, BMC team machine, both earbuds in.
I’m casually-spirited riding, not looking for any action.I hear his 9000 point engagement hub behind me, and then he passes me with some degree of bravado. It’s fine, whatever.
I then notice that he’s not actually going a ton faster than me, so I catch up rather easily. He kind of looks back and accelerates a bit, but we keep having to slow down because of traffic on the path.
We get to about 1 mile from my turn-off, and I pass him knowing full well that I have to stop in a mile, he tries to catch me and I start going faster. Then I arrive at my turn, I get stuck at the light, and he catches up about 15 seconds later.
Win, Lose, Forfeiture, or just 2 dudes being assholes?
You won in a sprint finish. Your prize is being the bigger asshole.
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You lost because you passed him knowing you’d have to turn off too soon.
Sorta what I figured.
edit, re: straws.
Damn, been Cat6ing wrong all these years.
gonna go take a long hard look st myself
he’s right, you know
The key to Cat6 victory is that you are NOT racing, you are just riding home and always lope along at this pace. With that in mind:
Him being in Team kit and all means he cannot win, he can only tie or lose. ( assuming you are not similarly in team kit).
At this point the saavy cat6er would have accelerated when you heard his hub. You are not racing, you just happened to accelerate to your more typical leisurely pace on your ride home. Plausible deniability is key, you’re clearly not racing, and therefore you clearly did not accelerate to stay in front of him, you had no idea he was even back there!
Did you have to accelerate to re-catch him? As you are clearly not racing, you really shouldn’t have acclerated. This is against you. HOWEVER, because he is in team kit, you are allowed a single acceleration to a greater steady speed. Again, you’re not racing, but just so inspired by his racy-ness you can’t help yourself, it’s OK he understands he has inspired a lowly commuter to greater things. Also you are permittied to accelerate to get on his tail, and then hold that steady speed no matter what -curves, hills, puddles, RR tracks, whatever. If he slows one iota and you pass him at that crusing speed that is a flawless victory, no matter what happens after.
(Aside: It is also permissible when you first heard his hub to quicly sit up and take a drink of water or adjust your pack or look at your phone. Obviously this involves slowing from your typical commuting speed. Which means that once he passes you, your future acceleration to re-pass him is not racing, it’s just you returning to your typical cruising speed.)
You are clearly racing now, and have shattered the Cat6 not-racing illusion. You should have passed him earlier when you first caught up, maintained that steady speed so he couldn’t re-pass, and turned off whenever you want, that’d be a victory.
But to have to accelerate to pass, then get caught at a light trying to turn off? Sorry that’s a Cat6 loss. At the least you gotta make that light.
Even though you lose, it does not necessarily make it a victory for him. You know you lost, but he does not. If you want to be extra jerkey and suck the joy from his victory: Maintain a proud attitude, act like you won. Maybe look over and say “better luck next week” with a cheery smile. He will think that you think you won, and the annoyance it causes will haunt him the rest of the day.
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Holy shit, this is probably one of the best tarck posts I’ve read in years.
Thanks for that!
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i believe this is called the “cat6 hustle”
Incredible.
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Went through a wide empty pedestrian light (running late to work), motorcycle cop pulled up beside me and tried to chat, eventually gave up and sped off
Lol.
I treat pedestrian walk figures as “bicycle green lights” most of the time.
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In PI you can get ticketed for doing so unless there’s a bicycle light as well. Happened to me and I was pisssssssssssed off. Gotta CX dismount those crossings.