Now, I'm not fast. I know this. I've ridden with kaputnik and PS and Uberuce and ARobComp and and and. I've ridden sportives and audaxes and been amongst the last home. I've ridden cyclocross and my best result was third or fourth last. I'm not fast.
But. Commuting, knowing it's a short distance, and knowing the route intimately (though in a non-Barry White intimacy), I can shift reasonably well, to the extent that getting overtaken really was a once in a blue moon occurrence. However recently that's shifted. At least once or twice a week I'm finding someone not just overtaking me, but absolutely whizzing by. It's happened twice this week - Monday a chap in full-on race lycra, virtually no baggage, on a carbon (I think) Ribble, chased me up the Innocent Tunnel (stop sniggering) at a pace that was quite frankly frightening (we chatted when stopped at lights and he confirmed I'd acted as a hare and it's easier to race up the tunnel when you have a target); this morning, again on the Innocent I was taking it reasonably easy, but still making good progress, and again a lycra-d up chap flies by just after I'd overtaken a lady on a mountain bike that was squeakier than David Beckham with his bits caught in his zip. Small rucksack, very skinny racey bike.
I wonder if more club riders and the like are actually deciding that, as well as organised evening rides and turbo sessions, they can actually get a workout by taking the bike on a commute. I hope that's the case anyway, as I'm not sure my ego can take any more of this (at present I'm contenting myself that I've got a laden Carradice and a big camera bag, but I can only kid myself for so long).
It does lead to a slightly oblique observation, however, that perhaps sport cycling does then lead to utility cycling?
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