A dash of humiliation goes a long way

I turned in a 55 miles ride in just a hair over three hours today. Worth bragging about, as I just have. I took the Old U.S. 1 route (Googlemaps appears to be down; once I can get to it you'll see the route). As I crossed over N.C. 55 in Apex I saw two cyclists ahead of me. Good. Maybe someone to ride with or maybe just riders to chase. The first guy made a quick left but the second continued straight. I noticed after a minute or so that the gap wasn't closing and I was doing 23 mph. Never letting up, as the front man did from time to time, my speed varied between 22 and 26 mph (how cool is that?). I figured I make up room as the road became more rolling and I did. As I got closer I noticed a handlebar setup I wasn't used to seeing — was this guy a time trialer? Just east of New Hill I noticed the widest tires I'd ever seen on a road bike. But they weren't so wide on a mountain bike, as this was. With front and rear suspension. West of New Hill, after about six miles, I caught him. He was gracious enough to let me lead for a while but it was obvious I was an impediment. He politely excused himself and left me in the dust.