Group Ride Etiquette - Page 2

Man, all your issues out there for everyone to see just scream, "freak!" You don't have a grip, do you? And you just don't get the reality of what's going on, do you Sybil? See, while you make all your proclamations about being a bike stud and whoopin' azz, all the while going on about phantoms in Houston following you to this forum (while no one is saying a word but you).....while all that's happening, people are just laughing at you. Pointing fingers and laughing. All at your expense. All because you can't control your impulses and act like a normal human being. Hah!

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what a dummy.

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alienator can't win for the life of her. you think i care who laughs? that's your weakness, not mine.

"Forgiveness is between The Lord and Them, I'm just here to arrange the meeting."

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but don't you worry miss alientor, maybe duckface will come back as someone else. that's why you are pms-ing over me, right? because i was right, wasn't i?

i said this in the very beginning on here, there are very, very few human beings i respect on the face of this planet and you are not one of them either.

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as others have said.. you need to ask what the deal is before you leave the parking lot. there are three group rides that i frequent

1) is a 3hr an out and out race like affair with riders from every club in the area... with a few designated locations to get to first for bragging rights... no one has any illusions that anyone will wait for anyone on this ride.. but it's ok because everyone knows the deal going in... a "b" group has formed on this ride to accommodate slower riders... but the b group have organized this all themselves

2) is a smaller, shorter testosterone fest as well and same route all the time, but we may wait on occasion... again it's usually a 3-4 guys left standing at the end attrition type thing...

3) is a much longer 3-6hr long rides... this is with the local larger club that also has many groups that are based on max cruising speed... so 25km and lower, 30km and lower, 35km and lower etc... and then there is sportif group which is an anything goes kind of deal. but since the distances are much longer and everyone might not know where they are we usually check with the person if they get dropped multiple times if they know the way home if they don't, they get instructions and we are on our way.

what you have to understand is that not everyone out there gets joy out of smelling the fresh air and looking at the sights.. many people get their enjoyment out of seeing how far they can push themselves and lets be honest... CRUSHING their competition... but it's all in good fun and as long as you don't let your feelings get the better of you, it's all good... you need to find a group that has similar goals as you or you are able to work the group ride and achieve your goals.. e.g. if you are with a much weaker group just pull the whole time etc.. many racing oriented groups i've ridden with, when there is a mix of abilities will just work certain sections (e.g. hills) and then wait... work next section and wait etc.. like doing intervals. this keeps the group together and accommodates the riders that want to do something higher intensity.

my rule is that if at a minimum, if you can't stay with a group by never pulling and staying in the draft.. you are in the wrong group.. it's not going to be fun for your and not fair to the group (who are not going to get the workout they wanted) for you to stick around.. figure out how to get home and let go train more and come back to the group... depending on the group the group should likely make sure you know how to get home. and the other thing that people need to know is that if you know you are in deep in a group... nothing says you have to pull.. or have to pull as hard or long as the last person.. do what you want to do and are capable of. i see so many riders just grind themselves into the ground pulling only to get dropped right after their pull... don't get it.

anyway, if you dig through my post i think there are some possible solutions in there...

Thanks to all and esp. to doctorSpoc for insight into all of this. I get most of it - especially guys/gals wanting to get a great workout, etc. My main surprise was some of the lack of courtesy that goes on in some of the rides but that's okay - cyclists no different than any other cross section of society.

With that said, I need to go train harder. Couple of people I want to smoke off the course to make them pay for their past transgressions hahaha! It's all good and a ton of fun.

Just did my 1st group ride yesterday (8 riders). It was by far the best experience I had. 2 riders took off after about 5 min and 6 of us did a nice 22 miler. I got to learn some of the tech's, but I got a long way to go. One thing is I wasn't sure when or if it was ok to sprint up to the front, don't want to be rude, but on the other hand I know it could also be rude to stay behind the whole way (I think)

-Greg

Yeah, group riding is a lot of fun. But staying back and sucking wheels all the way isn't considered good etiquette, since you're letting the guys on the front do more work. You shouldn't sprint up to the front, but instead take your pull when you find yourself there. Try to hold the existing speed without speeding up when it's your turn.

Too many new guys I see think they have to go as hard as possible when it's their turn. As a result, everyone in the group speeds up, and then after 2 mins out front, the lead guy peels off and dies, struggling at the back to recover. If you can't hold the speed when it's your pull, it's OK to back it down 1-2 mph, take your turn and then get off the front. A minute or two is enough; don't stay out there until you're slowing down and dying. Signal by looking back or motioning with your arm or elbow, then check to make sure it's clear before moving off the front. Keep pedaling all the time, just soft pedal to let your speed drop a 1-2 mph while slowly going to the back of the pack.

For safety, if someone could be on your wheel, make sure you call out when you are slowing or stopping. For gentle slowdowns, many people will put a hand out (and down) to indicate slowing. If it's a sudden situation, go ahead and yell loudly. Lot's of dumb accidents happen in a pack when the group slows, and the guy who's 6 inches off your back wheel touches it and goes down.

Ok I see what you mean. We did say "slowing, stopping" and I learned if in the back, to say " car back" if there was one coming.

You mentioned "taking my pull when I find myself there". How do I know when that is?

Thanks,
-Greg

If the guys at the front are experienced group riders they may just know what to do as dkh mentioned. A few miles or minutes, but at some point the guy at the front should signal that he is coming off and going to the back.

If they are not doing this just say, "let me know when you are tired and I will pull." This will at least give them an idea that you are chomping at the bit to get up front and pull a while.

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Ok I see, thank you. BTW I just bought a '09 Felt Z45, and (fingers crossed) will pick it up on Monday.

Thanks again,
-Greg

This forum does have moderators, right? If so, please wake up and do some moderating of the foul/racist/bigoted language in this post. I happen to resemble the remark...and don't ever confuse me for a "hillbilly"...

He's been banned and is now trying to sneak back in as Al Caponent.

Gman: sometimes group rides have no real organization inside the group, once on the move. On the group rides to which most people have been referring, there is circulation of riders in the group. One rider will pull for a few minutes. Then, he'll peel off, and let the second rider pull as the first soft pedals and rejoins at the back of the group. This continues as long as it...well, continues. If a rider gets tired and feels they need a rest, they can ride at the back for a bit, allowing riders to rejoin in front of 'im.

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Sex is horrid
Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

I saw the picture of your new bike. Very nice

I started riding with groups about 4 years ago and about 3 years ago I moved up to our "B" group (must be able to sustain 18+ mph avg over 60 mile route) and now often arrange the routes, distribute the email notifications and lead the rides on many occasions. I watched, listened and learned from the veterans quickly.

As you learn you will learn what ticks you off about some cyclists. Like a cyclist not being able to keep a consistent pace causing the group to have a rubber band effect. There is nothing better than drafting someone in a pace line that knows their business and you can sit an inch off their back wheel without any anxieties. But then again there are a lot of little things to learn. Thank goodness my group was very patient with me as I learned, but for the first months I had to stay on the back of the group so not to get in the way.

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Ok, yea the ride I did yesterday wasn't as organized as far as rider rotation, but it was technical in all of the proper signs and terms. I'm sure I have a long way to go to join the group you are in, where the pull and drafts make a huge impact. We averaged around 17 mph.

Thanks,
-Greg