Don't You Have Somewhere To Go?

From Cara's keyboard
If you have ever ridden bicycles with me you undoubtedly remember that I am not exactly what one would call a fast rider, but here in Beijing I am lightening!
At first I thought it the bike I was riding which was my 30 speed Cannondale mountain bike from the States. That bike, while not exactly designed for road racing, does have 29 more gears than most of the bicycles sharing the road with me. But then when Jenny went back to the States, she gave me her Beijing road bike made by Giant. This bike has only the one gear, and while in much better shape than many of the other bikes on the street, is not hugely different. But I am still constantly passing other riders who generally ride at a pace about equivalent to a stroll through the park. A brisk stroll, but still incredibly frustrating if your goal is to actually get somewhere, which is what I am trying to do.

And its not that the other riders are carrying much heavier loads than I am carrying because I am not even considering the bicycles who have extra riders perched on the back, or in the space between the pedaler and the handlebars, or on the handle bars. And I am definitely leaving out the people who have enough things loaded somewhere on their bikes that you wonder where they put the anti-gravity machine. This is a simple comparison between me and other single riders who travel on the same road during all the various times of day.

So I have reached the following conclusions.
1) Most Beijingers are simply more patient that I am and are able to sit back, pedal slowly and just wait until whatever time is required to pass to reach their destination, passes. And if that means not trying to push a little harder for the last 40 yards before an intersection because the light is blinking and about to change and it is 6 minutes until it comes around again - well that's okay.
2) After one particular rider thought it was fun to watch me pedal so hard and made a game out of keeping up with me, I realized that it really is a choice rather than some greater inability that allows Beijingers to pedal as slowly as they do. This guy had no problem riding faster, as he demonstrated as we rode a few blocks together and tried ineffectively to have a conversation. But he was definitely going much slower before I passed him because I had no trouble catching up and passing him the first time.
3) Its boring to ride really slowly which I know because I thought that maybe I should try to change my attitude and try the snail pace that everyone else seems to enjoy and I had to give it up. It is just really, really boring.
4) The lack of interest in going fast may have something to do with a lack of significant difference in travel time because of all of the street lights and the lack of timing between them. But that is a rant for a different day.

So for now, I am content to wear the yellow jersey as I once again have the fastest overall time taking into account the many stages between my office and our apartment.