Do you like talking on the road or not?

[mimitabby]

you gotta focus or you gotta breathe?

[SheFly]

you gotta focus or you gotta breathe?

Can't talk - breathing!

[run it, ride it]

I love talking on the long, flat low-traffic parts. My excercise-induced asthma is such that the relaxation of talking to someone does wonders to control my breathing and relax me before a hill. That said, I often get worked into a wheeze-fit such that my only communications involve nodding and thumbs up when worried co-riders ask, "are you okay?!"

Mountain-biking is a different story--I'm usually concentrating too hard on the singletrack to chat. However, I do narrate my ride with little yips and curses as I go over the unexpected or tricky bits. I also like a few wild, "WOOOOO!"s down big hills, and more than once I've let out a bewildered "HOW AM I STILL ALIVE?!"s after a particularly interesting obstacle.

[10ch]

...I also like a few wild, "WOOOOO!"s down big hills...

I'm more of a WEEEEE girl, myself.

[mimitabby]

I'm more of a eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

girl myself on those steep hills.

[Thorn]

On the flats? Chatterbox or loner, depending on the mood. Downhill? Part of the eeeeeeeeeeeek gang. Uphill? No. Breath. Must. Breathe. Must. Fo. Cus. Do. Not. Talk. To. Me.

DH has long since learned to never, ever start a conversation when the hills are steep. Oops...I get a bit cranky when I'm trying to focus and breathe and someone wants me to acknowledge them....oops

[smilingcat]

slow social rides with beginners, we talk.

serious training rides. Who has time to talk? On a big or long hill climbs, pace line usually breaks down completely and every person for themselves. We "race" up the hill and regroup at the top. It pays to be one of the first at the top where we chat. If you are the last one then no rest for you as the group has gotten back together and we all take off. bummer, no chance to get your breath back. It's an incentive to stay ahead of your fellow riders. On a short steep climb, most of us make an effort to stay in big chain ring and power our way up. CAN'T TALK either.

I'm not crazy so I don't talk to myself on solo training rides. Have no musical ability so I don't sing either. Besides, I'm training.

maybe I'm tad anti-social in training

[colby]

I pretty much agree with the consensus (or what kind of seems like maybe a consensus? ). If I'm by myself (which usually means training rides), sometimes I'll talk or encourage myself (I'm sure it sounds nuts), things like "we can do it" or "just one more" or "almost there" or "come on bike, let's take it!"

If I am riding with my husband, dad, or friends, I will talk some or most of the time. For me, it's a way to measure and make sure I'm not pushing anyone too hard. If they start talking in clipped, short syllables and I know I'm pushing, I'll try to keep it at a minimum. I usually stop talking up hills because I know that's going to be a push anyway. When my husband wears the heart monitor, I will listen for that, too. On roads, we ride single file, which makes talking a little harder. I'd rather be safe than chatty.

I don't really train or do hard rides with other people. I don't really have anyone to train with until I get my aforementioned bike friends moving a little faster or interested in rides longer than 10-15 miles. I'm working on them.

[makbike]

I'm not a talker simply because I'm extremely shy. My lack of talking has somehow resulted in me being labeled "intense" and "standoffish". The intense label is true, I can't deny it but the "standoffish" label is so far from the truth. I do listen for I enjoy hearing the tales of others.

[roguedog]

you gotta focus or you gotta breathe?

pppppphttttt

Hey, were you ridign the cindy with me?? or did you just hear me all the way up there :PP

We need more smileys!

[run it, ride it]

Oh goodness... I talk to animals, too. 'Specially when I'm running. I try to convince the geese they should be more scared of me than I am of them (ha!), and there are these two horses in a paddock on a back road who ALWAYS spook when I run/cycle by, so I try to shout up to them before I turn the corner so they don't bonk their poor heads on their feeder!

[Thorn]

I used to talk to animals and then....we were hiking in England where the walking paths often pass through pasture land. We walked through the gate and down the path, cattle on both sides of the path. Being the animal chatterer, as we passed them, I talked to them saying stupid things like, "Don't mind us, we're vegetarian." "Nice day, isn't it?" etc. etc.

After about 100 yards of that, DH said, "uh....we're being followed." Sure enough, several of the cattle were now following us down the path. We kept walking and I kept talking, now, more out of nerves than just animal chattering.

The longer we walked the more cattle followed us. We stopped to chat with 2 guys and one of the cows came up behind me and nudged me along. It was getting a bit unsettling and the guys were very nervous as well. By the time we'd reached the end of the pasture, we couldn't get over the stile to get out of the area because the cattle were blocking it (http://www.cassandrathorn.com/images...WayGroup_P.JPG) We hopped a barbed wire fence.

Later, this city girl learned that cattle like to be talked to and will follow anyone who chatters with them. I've learned my lesson....no talking to the animals unless there is a fence between them and me.

Hmmm...maybe that's why I bike more now....the animals can't follow me?