Impromptu Bicycle Race

I was on my way home from work, riding up a long hill that leads up from the river. My momentum carried me halfway up, and ahead of a pair of cyclists. They were young guys (one bicycle carried two people), and when they saw me pass them they sped up. Soon they inched ahead of me as we all climbed the hill. Not to be out done, I began pedalling faster. They responded. And soon our three bicycles were racing up the hill, pedals turning furiously, weaving through traffic, around trucks. We reached the crest of the hill in a virtual tie and headed off in our separate directions. They gave me a big wave as they turned and I returned the gesture with a little salute of my own.