I went for a nice ride with my girlfriends one Saturday recently, one of our usual routes. On our way home, there's a gentle but sort of long climb that I really love if I'm feeling good. So I was feeling good and moving right along...and up ahead were two men. (Personally, there's nothing more motivating on a climb than seeing a man I think I can pass.) So I cruise past them, saying hello as I go. The first guy says, "That's not fair," and I respond, "What do you mean?" No further response. The other guy just says hello.

So my girlfriends and I regroup, and we drop one off at a popular starting point for the ride we'd just done, and the two guys I had dropped show up. The one who whined "not fair" said, with no provocation whatsoever, that he was not having a good day because he had just given and pint and a half of blood on Thursday.

Right. Last I checked, most blood banks take only a pint. Now, I realize that giving blood does, in fact, affect your body for several days. But it's such a male thing (I think) to have to justify being passed or dropped. The women I ride with tend to compliment the strong riding of others, not give excuses for why they are being dropped.

Anybody else notice this difference?