How to ruin a group ride:. V Only Mondays

[boots2000]

Nate is preaching this: A Different Kind of Group Ride | Above Category Cycling
Funny because every current group ride in Marin County is the pretty much the opposite of this. Focus is usually on dick waving, riding four across (pissing off cars), and crashing.
Be nice if he can institute a change-

[dogrange]

Nate is preaching this: A Different Kind of Group Ride | Above Category Cycling
Funny because every current group ride in Marin County is the pretty much the opposite of this. Focus is usually on dick waving, riding four across (pissing off cars), and crashing.
Be nice if he can institute a change-

I saw that. Yet another reason I wouldn't mind living in SF/Marin.

[Waldo]

I stay away from any group that has more than half the riders with shorts that match the jerseys. I'm snobbish that way.

(sarcasm)

[colker]

Our headphones guy is also the guy who has the most flats, has caused all of the crashes, and is the worst rider in the group. Last week I had come off a pull and was sliding back when he started forcing me over towards the edge of the road. I said "on your right, hold your line" which I keep forgetting means nothing to this group even if he could hear me. I finally reach over and push him away which freaks him out causing everyone to grab their brakes. There were some wheel touches but no crash. Same guy also told me "hey, I need some tubes, got any extra?" Two years ago he did the Hotter than Hell ride and came back complaining about the other riders who kept telling him to go to the back or get out of their group, just doesn't get it.

The best group was the SDBC ride from a shop in LaJolla. There were leaders in each group who enforced rules, kept the group together, and would ride up and down the group talking to everyone and making sure new people felt welcome. Somehow we still went pretty fast.

You guys are very tolerant.

[MarkC]

On topic - I agree that once the group ride pool turns green the only thing to do is drain it and start over. There will be some hurt feelings when folks you don't want to group ride with hear about the new ride. Folks have a hard time understanding that people can be friends, teammates, good people and just not have compatible riding objectives and behaviors. If part of a club or team you'll also face the "please bring the ride back please, please, please" pleas with promises of "we'll behave and listen to you". Don't fall for it !!!


<START HiJACK>

Philly Bike Expo. Don't know if that is close to the Delaware River Canal Path or not..??

Jim - About 45 min north of Philly straight up I-95.

If you can borrow a plane, TTN is a mile from my house and I'll come get you.

AirNav: KTTN - Trenton Mercer Airport

<END HiJACK - will figure out a date and post a new thread soon>

-Mark

[Lionel]

Not sure about the boss thing, none of the group ride I am in over here have a "boss", they do not need one either.

[dgaddis]

The wrong group can be very frustrating.

But the right group can be the whole reason for doing the ride to start with. So if you're pissed about 'the ride', start a new one. Less whine, more do.

[sk_tle]

I don't understand any of your guys repeated bad experiences.

Any rider who is taking turns at mach2fast4u as some of you say...we'd just let him gap us and tire himself at the front for a while. He would learn quickly as everybody would mock him. As for others riding dangerously week after week. After the first warning if they didn't change their way of riding we'd just drop them or they'd end up in the ditch and we would never hear about them again. Why are you guys bothering with them for so long ?

[Trevor]

As someone who picked up cycling pretty recently, it can be nerve racking trying to find a good group to fit in with. Having said that, I asked a bunch of questions and usually tried to follow suit from whoever seemed to be the most knowledgable or "leader" if you will. And I listened to advice that was given.

Seems to be these things weed themselves out. I have a group where we all know each other well now and have our own way to ride together.

The big Tuesday group ride in the city attracts close to a 100 people every week (seriously). C-Ride (ice cream ride), B-Chatty, B-Sweaty and A-ride. They are all $hit-shows. However, I enjoy doing them just because of how crazy they can be. However, to someone just starting to ride with others... oh boy... yeah... good luck on those ones.

[Bob Ross]

I will be that guy who yells, "Car back" when there is a guy or several who are hogging the middle of the road (as in yellow line.....) and don't care about the 5 cars that are trying to pass.

As I am wont to point out to the folks I ride with:

"Car back!" isn't being proffered as a data point for you to simply add to your sensory input; it's an imperative necessitated by your clear lack of any (useful) sensory input.

:)

[EricKeller]

Any rider who is taking turns at mach2fast4u as some of you say...we'd just let him gap us and tire himself at the front for a while. He would learn quickly as everybody would mock him.

it's funny how long this took me to learn. Decades. It's just natural to fill a gap, I suppose

When I used to run a club ride, everyone would show up and we would just let people sort themselves out by ability. The slower people always thought they were being dropped. So that ruins things for some people

[spopepro]

10:30 saturday start as is usual, because this is a collegiate team and ain't nobody getting there any earlier. The quasi-democratic route planning process begins with the same result as always (which is all together too familiar these days in the USA).

"Let's do some of the roads from the strawberry fields century."
"Dude, I don't want to do a century."
"Nah, it will be much shorter than that, not all the roads. I know the route, let's go."

6 hours and 110 miles later and we are just about coming back into town. Everyone's about to bonk, everyone's out of water, everyone's cranky and oh my god just let me get home eat some food and sleep.

"Flat!"

Yep. With a single mile left, we have a flat in the group. As she sits down to start the repair, desperation starts kicking in. Is there a bakery near by where I could get a cookie? Maybe a gas station has a coke? In the end everyone is too bleary-eyed to do anything but lean on their bars and watch someone change a flat. Tire's back on, put the pump on and start getting air back in the thing.

The sound of "fhuuuush, fhuuush, fhuuush, fhuuush, *POP*, psssssssssssssssssss"

Yep, forgot to check for the object in the tire. Well, that just broke her. Everyone's now about passed out, and the a future collegiate and elite national road champ is now kicking and yelling and throwing a temper-tantrum on the sidewalk and the whole thing is just so absurd. Just like "every ride can be an endurance workout if you just control the pace" right before turning to go up Alba Rd (4mi @ 10% average). Just like "these conditions aren't so bad" and then coming around the turn to see said rider watching his bike float into the storm drain after sliding out on the first hairpin.

But group rides were a lot more fun when we were young and dumb and full of adrenaline. And while the guy off the front is a pain in the ass, I hate the dressage competition of the crusty euro-wannabes who think everything is ruined if someone messes with the gestalt of the ride. F* that and all the people who want their country club experience replicated on the tarmac. It was a lot more fun when we just liked each other and rode and sometimes it was together and sometimes it wasn't but we were always riding and getting faster because that's what 22yr old hormones will do for you. I pretty much exclusively ride alone these days.

[David Tollefson]

I pretty much exclusively ride alone these days.

Yep. About 99% of my annual mileage is solo. But I do like to get into a small group once in a while. The local shop ride, well, I feel a little obligated to go to that one when child- and mom-get-up schedule allows on a Saturday morning, as I used to work at that shop and led the ride several times. That and the few rides I host.

[theflashunc]

A couple thoughts:

Either a patron willing to keep the hordes in line, or to get rather Leninist in the square, a group of people arranged by common cause who understand what everyone is trying to accomplish, and everyone holds everyone else accountable. Both are exceedingly difficult to attain. Not every shop's Saturday morning ride has a Hinault wanting to enforce the rules, or someone with the legs to back it up. And as much as we all want to comrades under the banner, there's always one jerk-off in the bunch.

I've generally felt a lot of sketchy behavior I've seen on rides either comes from ignorance of proper technique, or flat out fear for being in way above one's skill/comfort level. Safest place to ride is at the front right? Explains why we've got that jerk at the front pulling 25 until he explodes. Or you inadvertently touch shoulders with the guy next to you in the two-up bunch and he has a bit of a freakout.

The right answer is we all need to fix it, and yeah, sometimes that means getting pulled aside and getting a stern talking to.

Find that magic sauce group though? Hold on tight and don't tell anyone about it.

[bigbill]

Oh yeah, the sitter. The guy who sits in, skips pulls, or slows on his pull until people go around him, but at the city limit sign or anywhere else you might have a designated sprint, here he comes full bore. On the old Pungo Death Rides in VA Beach there was a guy who'd do that and then talk smack about it in the parking lot afterwards. He'd even get dropped and would turn around and jump in the group on the way back. We had "unofficial rules" for the rides that we'd discuss before leaving, one was "no work, no sprint" another was "if you're dropped and the group sits up to let you back in, don't sprint". By sprinting we didn't mean don't sprint at all, just don't mix it up in the front dozen or so riders wearing each other out trying to get to a certain road sign. The Pungo guy threw his arms in the air one time and another rider swept him off the road into the ditch.

Our local sitter won't pull in the last ten miles so he can sprint. I just make sure to open a gap on him, no problem, it's not like he can close it.

[mzilliox]

This is all funny stuff as someone new to group rides wondering why hes trying to get into group rides.

I like the idea of riding with faster cats and learning to ride in a group, but so far the attitude is so serious, nobody seems to actually be enjoying the ride. its odd. I guess i like to look around during that 2 hours and 40 miles.

the last group ride i was on i hardly remember the route, i remember it had the potential to be pretty, but damn, i had to focus so much to not let a gap form or to not piss off the established heads, i didn't have the chance to look around and take it in. and does every group ride have to try and rip legs? the slow groups go too slow, and the fast group seems to charged on testosterone. Gotta find one or 2 cats who like to ride fast but enjoy themselves, sometimes helping and pulling, sometimes just free riding. are there groups like that?

[deano]

I am so glad this is a conversation. I used to love this gigantic ride that always kinda devolved into a race. It was fast and fun to mix it up. But then I realized we've got 60 guys four abreast x 15 deep, and we're hogging the roads we all love and want to feel safe on when we're alone. This is why cars hate us.

I haven't been on a group ride in years with more than a little line of four or five guys. It's just as fun.

Biggest I'd go here on out is a team training ride if I race again. No sense in doing a race that's not really a race. When five or six local squads show up to the shop ride or the Thursday night thing, you might as well have hired someone to close the course and gotten USAC to come out for the day.

[Too Tall]

OK ok ok most of you guys and gals who are not happy need to stop going to these clusters and call a friend.

FWIIW and take this with a grain. When I am wearing team kit I'm 100% focused on not annoying anyone or causing the non-riding sector of our world to call my sponsors and complain. When I'm not wearing team kit, I do my best it's just not quite as laser focused ;)

Want a take home challenge for the next few weeks? See if you are able to ride your bike without causing ANYONE grief. Report back.

[Saab2000]

Want a take home challenge for the next few weeks? See if you are able to ride your bike without causing ANYONE grief. Report back.

I do it all the time. Sometimes drivers are just Mr. or Mrs. Grumpypants but mostly I live on the road to coexist. I stay out of their way. I follow the traffic laws. I signal turns. I rarely have conflicts. When I do it's usually a driver who wants a fight because they simply hate cyclists no matter what. It's very seldom when I'm on a solo ride that I have trouble.

[maunahaole]

Wearing stinky kit is a good way to ruin a group ride.