Group Ride Etiquette

Curious at to everyone's thoughts on the purpose of "group rides". Our bike club has several a week but our membership has been declining steadily (down 20% this year alone). I suspect the reason is that most riders in the club will "drop" a slow rider at will.

I've been on a few rides myself where at say mile 25 (on 40 miler) I'll start to tire and have trouble keeping up with the group (we have several "groups"). Last 10-15 miles can be lonely and discouraging. For example, last week I met up w/a guy that had stopped (was waiting for a friend); he asked if I wanted to ride that last 10 miles w/them. I agreed - we rode fast for 5 miles then they ditched me - I just don't get it! Good grief, I was riding 31mph to their 33mph (this was a downhill finish) - it wasn't a race so why the rush? I've only been riding since May '08...how much can one improve in such a short time?

On the flip side I've often waited back for a slower rider (esp. if it's a woman). What I've found is that the slower rider can usually draft me and my pace is pretty much the same anyway. I get to do a nice hard "pull" and we both get to enjoy the camaraderie of a shared effort. Everyone leaves with a good feeling.

One day a week we have the "serious" ride - I don't expect any niceties then. The rest of the rides are supposed to be "group" rides. I'm convinced that we scare away too many potential members; they come out for a ride only to be left in the dust...go home discouraged and maybe give up biking altogether.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

I will start off by saying that I have never joined a club or a group ride, EXACTLY for that reason alone. I am afraid that (1) I will make people wait or (2) will get left behind and feel like an idiot. So I ride solo. Last week was the 1st time I rode with another person, and he is a friend from work who is a devoted rider, but enjoys it more than tries to be better than everyone else.

Another thing I've noticed when riding on tagged routes and other places, is that 80-90% of the riders I waive to (and I waive to everyone), give a long stare like "who tha f$#@ are you, don't you know I'm better than you?!". Just makes me laugh.

-Greg

Most group 'training' rides quickly devolve into racing but some clubs offer 'no drop' rides where the group stays together start to finish no matter how slow they have to ride. But if your rides aren't specifically offered as 'no drop' rides and everyone's not on board with waiting for slower riders then expect them to turn into hammefests at key hills, city limit sprints, and other traditional fast sections. It's happened with every club I've ever been involved with in many different towns over the years and is what many riders consider good 'training'.

It get's back to the old definition of a bike race....'two bikes pointed in the same direction'

I'd suggest you contact some of the other frustrated riders that are tired of finishing alone and organize a 'no drop' weekly ride. If you get a few folks doing it you can offer it to the larger club on the condition that everybody is on board with the plan. Don't expect the faster and more competitive riders to show up for these rides and be ready to go as slow as the slowest rider.

FWIW I do nearly 90% of my training solo for similar reasons, 'training' in a group ride means other riders dictate your pace and intensity. Good race simulations, maybe - good training all in all, it depends on where you are in terms of fitness and what you hope to achieve during the group training session. Unless the ride involves sustained climbs they tend to be great training for L6 anaerobic efforts and L7 sprints which can be a great way to tune up the top end but not the best way to establish base fitness and sustainable power.

Good luck,
-Dave

Its kinda a double edged sword... on one hand, riding with faster riders makes you work that much harder to stay with them. I know that personally, I would never have gotten to where I am with cycling if I just sat back and rode alone. Its those faster "A-holes" that would drop me if i slacked that forced me to be faster. I also know that these same guys were in my boat at one time, so even if they do judge me, who cares...

On the other hand, I agree, its very discouraging to get dropped or even more to feel like a burden by making others wait. Your best bet is to find people with similar goals and fitness levels and ride with them. That way you have someone to chat with the entire time so its always fun, but you are pushing each other the whole time, but not above anyone's limits.

I dont really like riding alone because I feel like it gives me the opportunity to slack and not get the most of my workout. The only time I prefer riding solo is if its a recovery ride or if I have a specific workout planned (ie hill repeats, intervals, etc) and I dont want to get talked out of it by doing another route.

Whatever you end up doing, just remember that you likely got into the sport because it was fun. Do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Even when you want to do a hard workout day, find someone to tag along if you can. Misery loves company

A few tips...

Perhaps discuss forming a "B" group to seperate the faster guys. Take initiative and voice your concerns for new members and guys who get guttered.

"Sit on" at the back of the back and draft so as long everyone is aware of what you are doing when you are tired.

Personally for me when Im not racing I ride 2 group rides a week using them for specific tempo/interval work. If guys fall of the back when Im at front then so be it, but my goals are my own and the greatest fitness gains anaerobically occur during these intense efforts which cannot always be performed alone.

ANd remember, the pain and suffering is your friend. Embrace it and see what may happen...

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i've had the most fun heading out with the b group and gapping up to the a group. i've never held on the entire way back with the 'a's but i've never started with them either.
once i brought the entire b group with me and i only had one good cleat. of course what came out on teamsmack was that i was dangerous (i almost wrecked passing the b group after my bottle dropped and they passed me and i was on the way back to the a group) and couldn't keep control of my bike but that wasn't the case, i was only making do with what i had.

much fun.

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19.2 average that day, 42 and change distance with some mounds for elevation, the small and rolling kind that seem like no elevation whatsoever, just a measley tease of what the rest of the world has to offer.

hey coach in new zealend, i'm your huckleberry!!

gawd i love to ride. thank you this site and it's people, the love is returning..

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I belonged to a bike club many years ago, and we had different types of group rides.

The most common club sanctioned type was where the group would ride on a certain day, starting at a certain time, riding a designated route, with club people providing support and assistance, and usually followed by some sort dinner/mixer/social event afterwards.

We usually had a large number of riders, so there would be multiple smaller groups taking off at 10 minute intervals. We used sign up sheets to build the smaller groups. This allowed people to ride with others that were either their friends, or of a close riding level, and hopefully both. It also meant that we weren't clogging up the streets by having 100+ riders all hitting the street at the same time.

So, the faster groups would take off first and I suppose that made them the top dogs...but, I never really cared I just knew that I for example ( and 15 other folks) had signed up in Group C, and that we would be starting at 9:20 AM..

So, for most club members there 3 parts to the event: Meeting in the morning at the designated starting place, actually riding with your group, and then meeting after everyone was finished with the ride for some type of social gathering.

For some of the groups all 3 parts were mostly social, they'd get together early and visit before it was time for them to start their ride, they would actually ride at pace that allowed them to chat most of the time, and then the get together after the ride is pretty much a social event for everyone.

And for some of the serious racing types, it was strictly ride as hard as you can with your group and who cares about the social aspect.

We also had smaller group rides each month (sometimes weekly) that were organized by people in the club that were more specific to types of riders, like time trials, or racing events, or long distance events, or some that were almost purely social events.

Anyway, there are a lot of different ways for bike clubs to have group rides that will appeal to a wide variety of people with different cycling abilities and interests...

It's best to assume that unless the group says "no drops" that if you go off the back, you're on your own. If you're unsure what the group policy is, ask 'em.

When you're pedaling in the group, remember that the ride isn't for money, so riding like you're The Tashkent Terror won't win you any friends and just might get someone hurt or get someone's bike all bunged up. It just might get you banned from the rides.

As you start out riding in groups, use the rides as learning opportunities.

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Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

group rides are definately where it's at. and wear your heart on your sleeve, always.

my two cents.

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so what exactly is group ride ettiquette? to me it's the definition of those who have altogether and as a collaborative, given up entirely.

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That's probably why the group in Houston shat you out: you didn't know how to ride in a group and were dangerous. If they said you couldn't control your bike, it's likely they were correct and that your psychiatric dysfunction prevented (and prevents) you from seeing that. It's their opinion versus yours, and given the way you conduct yourself, it's obvious that their opinion is the credible one, whack job.

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

there you go with flapping of the vagina lips again. the guy who said that is the guy i raced bike for bike. he is nothing, much like you. the last time i rode with him, i almost beat his ass at the group ride. as for the other groups, i caught sh!t for 'challenging' cat 3' and dropping some ex ironman guy.

snobby, weak ass riders with no heart is why i don't ride with many of them. if you can't talk sh!t about someone, it's not worth it to them.

that's the teamsmack bible. try there, Nancy.

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those people prefer having this guy call black people nigger for them so you tell me, is that the kind of people you want to associate with? their credibility is anything to me?

like i said, hillbillies.

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not one of them actually looks or is athletic. not one of them actually looks as if they belong on a bike.

these people have been cat 5 for about four hundred years between them and counting.

so that is where i am supposed to hone my skills? i don't think so.

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