Did You Ride Today?

Video from the weekend rides. Lots of mingling with the riders. Plus a friend on a tandem sent me video to use as well. He did part of the ride with us on Saturday so I got some footage of us as well. Near the end of the ride footage he told me when he was going to push hard on a Strava section. I stayed by his side then kicked at the end so I got a Strava PR out of it. Short segment. 3/10 of a mild 55 seconds, 26 average 29.3 max. Heck I know I can do better! 😄

Mr. Beanz said:

I'm going to be honest with you. California is full of pussies! 😠

I get frustrated at times. Though I get the workout which is good, I get tired of the wheel suckers. Our regular ride partners are strong riders but they rarely offer to take the front. Our usual conversation before the ride is, "uhhh I will take the front if you want me to but I'm tired and if I take the front I'll get tired.But if you need me, just ask but I might get dropped!".

When we have picked up other riders I have started the rotation just to see if the [censored] will take a turn at the front. I'd say two or three out of every hundred that hops on will help at the front if asked.😠

Mike in yellow/green making the peace sign in the still image above actually man'ed up on Sunday after 30 miles and took a pull for about 5 miles. the week before he sat on our wheel the entire time of our 60 mile ride.

The dude at the very back we have seen several times before. He hops on and sits there for 25 miles. A couple times before, like most riders we meet, when he did feel he was strong he raced around as if we were racing. OF course he faded a mile or two later then ended up at the back again. Now he just knows he's a puss so he just sits at the back all day.🙄

I really have a hard time finding riders that "ride with me". Either they suck wheel for 20 miles then race around and try to prove they are bad asses. Or they just sit on my wheel all freaking day.

There have been times that I have been at the front all day and needed a 2 minute break so my wife comes to the front for a bit while the man pussies sit at the back.

If I had it my way I wold ride alone or with my wife. But the pussies gather when we ride by! I don't mind my wife or Aimee who will also go to the front if needed.

Btu seriously, California is filled with those weird mother f#kkers who hop on the back to suck wheel without ever saying a word or shadow you when you roll by. I'm not sure what's up with that either. Some dude doing 3/4 of your cruising speed then when we roll by, he feels he has to prove he can keep up. Uh yeah dumbass, we've been holding this pace for 40 miles and now you want to prove you can hold this pace for a mile? Give me a break!

We deal with a lot of wind so whenever another rider offers help,it's usually when we hit the tailwind or a downhill section....when I don't need the help......PUSSIES! 😄

Well as a notorious Drafter, or wheelsucker, I just have to step in...

I am lucky enough to have a scenic cycling Lane next to me which I also use for commuting.

Check this scenario: Volnix goes on an organic letuce hunt from the near by mafia. Goes on the cycling Lane, then once wannabe super ridah sees him going on a road bike -without-mirror sunglasses and such immediately tries to pass him.

Good, Volnix goes behind the b@stard and sticks his nose so far in his wheel that he has to accelerate to prove previous point.

Oh the accelerating, and the brand new jacket flapping and the botched gear changes. Still on his wheel.

Few m later, the "Rocket" is outa fuel. 😄 and I'm already parking to pick up letuce. 😄

Thanks for the ride Lady!!! Thanks for the ride!!! 😄

How long have you been cycling mr. B? You kinda have that Noob-Rage... 😄 I had it too...

You know when it's gets really funny? When you run into a pro... Or a fixie. Un-Draftable! 😄 with a side of "Wind you up and drop the hammer". 😄 especially one of them skinny ones... 😄 Draft what??? 😄 you ever drafted a Skiddy fixie in traffic? 😄 Don't! 😄

Drafting gives a tremendous advantage, you might want to check some technique.

So you don't know these guys? How long do they draft you for? After 10km you have to say hi!!! 😄

Thanks for the Ride Lady!! Thanks for the Ride!!! Muhahaha!!! 😄

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Woah! at 2:20...that dude had a...SIMPLE GREEN jersey on!!!! Quick! Someone tell him that [censored] dissolves bike chains!

Nice Masi...Nice Campy!

I'll bet a tandem can haul ass up that bike path. Another nice video! Thanks!

Volnix said:

you ever drafted a Skiddy fixie in traffic?

Folks are afraid of my track bike...for some reason.

Hell, I'm the one with no brakes. What are they afraid of? I don't draft when on the track bike unless it's another track bike ahead of me.

CAMPYBOB said:

Folks are afraid of my track bike...for some reason.

Hell, I'm the one with no brakes. What are they afraid of? I don't draft when on the track bike unless it's another track bike ahead of me.

Y haz a freewhel? Le braking iz scary. Zey turn with le 1875 coaster - brake. It does not "Modulate The Braking Performance"...

Luv! 😄

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Maybe it's a depth perception from this video, but it looks like you guys don't draft that close. If I can find a rider I can trust, like I could my team mates on our racing team, I would be as close as 6 inches from a rear wheel. Staying 2 wheel lengths away from the closest wheel is just asking to be dropped. Not only are California riders pussies, they don't know how to draft, either.:p

I noticed the same thing, Bicycleman. Large gaps and sitting upright isn't buying much. When someone in front of me is on the gas I'm on 'em like stink on [censored] and staying low.

They do appear to ride at a very steady pace up that bike path. That's more than the morons in my local bike clubs know how to do.

And Mr. B. is a big dude. Maybe he punches a huge hole in the air!

A lovely 40F damp, drizzly day. I managed to squeek out 29 miles and 1520 feet of climbing at a recovery pace. I am almost recovered from Saturday's hill intervals....man, my legs were toast.

CAMPYBOB said:

I noticed the same thing, Bicycleman. Large gaps and sitting upright isn't buying much. When someone in front of me is on the gas I'm on 'em like stink on [censored] and staying low.

They do appear to ride at a very steady pace up that bike path. That's more than the morons in my local bike clubs know how to do.

And Mr. B. is a big dude. Maybe he punches a huge hole in the air!

Those lanes in that bike path are rather narrow. I can see how there would be a problem with some of the riders I have ridden with in the past. None of them could hold a straight line and were all over the road. I was riding behind one, and as soon as he went to the left, I passed him on the right. He then berated me as doing a dangerous move. I replied that since he couldn't hold a straight line, I was merely getting away from his dangerous riding by pulling through, which is known as bike etiquette in a proper pace line. I never rode with that bunch again. Mr. B's group does maintain a good straight line.

That path seems to be well-traveled. It probably isn't all that crowded during the weekdays, though.

Weatherby said:

A lovely 40F damp, drizzly day. I managed to squeek out 29 miles and 1520 feet of climbing at a recovery pace. I am almost recovered from Saturday's hill intervals....man, my legs were toast.

Nice work! That's still rolling terrain climbing in my area. Even that type of climbing takes some effort to hold any sort of speed called 'tempo'. It's sucked all day, here, too. Rain this morning and now just damp and 54°. I'll go out in a bit and I'm thinking of just rolling along a keeping the pedals light for 15-20 miles. No plans for any big efforts today.

I went out for a 41 miler today. I was planning on doing another easy 45 on Thursday, but the retirees of my randonneur group asked me to do a 116k populaire tomorrow (72 miles) so I will do that one and lay off a couple days for the next 200k I'm riding.

The 200k Saturday will be a brevet. The one I did last Saturday had to be counted as a Permanent, since RUSA wouldn't recognize two 200k's in the brevet slot. My answer, huh? Hey, I don't care what they call them. I just want to ride them.

My fellow randonneurs are already trying to urge me to ride the 300k coming up in 2 weeks. We shall see. The ride starts at 6 AM, and hopefully, I can finish it before it's not too dark. Of course, that's wishful thinking. It depends on how long my body can hold out for that distance. I will definitely have to stop and eat a meal for this one. Otherwise, I will really run out of energy.

Mr. Beanz said:

I have absolutely ZERO problem with a guy who catches me and sits on the back for a breather. I figure he caught me cause he is stronger.

But after a short break if he goes around, I'm not stupid enough to try to race the guy. I let him do his thing and continue my workout.

I've done that to some riders by ackowledging them and telling them I need a breather. Then I'd go around them and thank them for helping me rest up a bit.

Bicycleman said:

None of them could hold a straight line

When out on our craptastic roads, we must look like a bunch of drunks. We are forced to constantly swerve left/right/left to miss holes, cracks, trash, what have you.

The two guys I rode with last Saturday both used their cross bikes (28 MM tires) to absorb some of the punishment the roads dish out.

But, I get your point. Freds ride bizarre and then act bizarre. Mr. B.'s group look plenty safe to me. They call approaching riders and pass others safely and with courtesy.

I think his bike path lanes are as wide as any. They may look a bit narrow due to the speeds, but I was using handlebar widths as comparison measure and the Cali lanes are just about the same width as ours. We don't get a marked berm stripe, but the overall width 'looks' to be the same. And yes, I get a bit nervous when I'm hauling ass up one at 20+ MPH and there's a family of mom/dad/kids coming the other way or even just a couple of squids headed at me. Unlike Mr. B.'s train, I generally slack my pace for safety. Accelerating back up to speed on those pan flat paths is easy and I like varying my RPM's and pedal pressure on them...otherwise...boring.

If it weren't for the bazillion stop signs on our bike paths a track bike would be an ideal machine. Maybe a 2-speed. One ratio for working into the wind and one for riding with it!

Bicycleman said:

Those lanes in that bike path are rather narrow. I can see how there would be a problem with some of the riders I have ridden with in the past. None of them could hold a straight line and were all over the road. I was riding behind one, and as soon as he went to the left, I passed him on the right. He then berated me as doing a dangerous move. I replied that since he couldn't hold a straight line, I was merely getting away from his dangerous riding by pulling through, which is known as bike etiquette in a proper pace line. I never rode with that bunch again. Mr. B's group does maintain a good straight line.

That path seems to be well-traveled. It probably isn't all that crowded during the weekdays, though.

Few things! Narrow lane prevents the echelon when we have a cross wind.

My wife can stick to my wheel like glue. Few scenes it looks like we are on the tandem. But I hold very steady knowing she's on me.

Gaps open up when the tandem took the lead. I was holding 18 as the other riders had already told me that they were tired and when I was holding 20, they were dropping off the back. So holding 18 then the tandem went around and lifted the pace to 21... I don't sprint up to latch on their wheel so that I don;t drop the others. IF you notice I gently lift my pace after I see they are all on and ready.

Once we did catch on you can see the tandem swerve hard right then left. He came up on a small bump in the road and made some bad moves to avoid it imo. If it were me, if I was not aware enough to avoid it safely, I would take the bump. Same with glass etc. I never move that way on the bike. If you have riders on your wheel sometimes you have to take the hit rather than take everybody down. Funny thing is we see that bump all the time so we avoid it well ahead of time. I have no idea what he was thinking but after that I backed off. If you could hear my comments, I said Whoah you almost took me out!". So after that I was a bit hesitant to get closer.

But yeah when we run into some good riders, it's much neater. We ran into these guys and were able to hold very steady. My wife second in line feeling comfy. Most riders we encounter really are a big mess. Including most of those we ride with on a regular basis.

Some gaps but when it's organized and steady, you don't lose the draft. 😎

Bicycleman said:

I've done that to some riders by ackowledging them and telling them I need a breather. Then I'd go around them and thank them for helping me rest up a bit.

That's for sure! I've had a few guys latch on then continue on and say, "thanks, I needed a short breather!". That's cool!

Volnix said:

How long have you been cycling mr. B? You kinda have that Noob-Rage... 😄 I had it too...

Hardly Noob-Rage! Been riding since 1993. So 23 years. First couple of years off and on with a hybrid. Roadbikes and organized centuries started in 1996.

The problem I have is with uninvited wheelsuckers. First off, I am out for exercise, I don't race and it's a group we know with all the riders trying to stay in one piece. We all know each other and habits. So when we pass some dude who is pushing hard to do 15 but we're cruising at 17, it really pisses me off when he starts bumping out my wife or our friend Aimee thinking for some silly reason we are in a race.

Dude, look at my face! I'm not showing any signs of exertion, no stress, not breathing hard so why are you making a race out of this bumping my wife off my wheel and almost taking her out? So you can play some game that isn't there? Wake up dude, we're just out on a friendly ride enjoying ourselves with friends.

But you're bumping out riders making it dangerous for our group so that you can suck my wheel then sprint around to say I beat you after we rolled up on you from miles behind? Again look at my face. I'm not even trying and I easily caught you not even trying. But because you suck wheel and make it dangerous for our friends doesn't prove a thing after you rest and catch your breath from something that's killing you but easy for me.

I think it's stupid mentality of a rider to think that because someone else is out enjoying a ride, they need to latch on his wheel and disrupt their organization. I have had a few riders ask if we mind or offer to help. That is cool but some moron whose sole purpose is to bump your wife out of position so that he can make himself feel stronger for the win? When we ain't even racing?🙄

Mr. Beanz said:

I'm not showing any signs of exertion, no stress, not breathing hard so why are you making a race out of this bumping my wife off my wheel and almost taking her out? So you can play some game that isn't there? Wake up dude, we're just out on a friendly ride enjoying ourselves with friends.

That's rude and dangerous. Typical behavior of the 'semi-fast'. There is no excuse for not introducing yourself and asking if you can join the group.

Mr. Beanz said:

Hardly Noob-Rage! Been riding since 1993. So 23 years. First couple of years off and on with a hybrid. Roadbikes and organized centuries started in 1996.

The problem I have is with uninvited wheelsuckers. First off, I am out for exercise, I don't race and it's a group we know with all the riders trying to stay in one piece. We all know each other and habits. So when we pass some dude who is pushing hard to do 15 but we're cruising at 17, it really pisses me off when he starts bumping out my wife or our friend Aimee thinking for some silly reason we are in a race.

Dude, look at my face! I'm not showing any signs of exertion, no stress, not breathing hard so why are you making a race out of this bumping my wife off my wheel and almost taking her out? So you can play some game that isn't there? Wake up dude, we're just out on a friendly ride enjoying ourselves with friends.

But you're bumping out riders making it dangerous for our group so that you can suck my wheel then sprint around to say I beat you after we rolled up on you from miles behind? Again look at my face. I'm not even trying and I easily caught you not even trying. But because you suck wheel and make it dangerous for our friends doesn't prove a thing after you rest and catch your breath from something that's killing you but easy for me.

I think it's stupid mentality of a rider to think that because someone else is out enjoying a ride, they need to latch on his wheel and disrupt their organization. I have had a few riders ask if we mind or offer to help. That is cool but some moron whose sole purpose is to bump your wife out of position so that he can make himself feel stronger for the win? When we ain't even racing?🙄

Well if you put it that way maybe it's them who are the noobs...

Hey at least they are not on scooters! (Being from Cali you probably don't know what I mean). 😄

Dunno, it's not like you are solo... Just say hi next time? 🙂 Maybe if you explained things... 😄

Lovely weather, short ride through steep hills, poor form. That sums it up, oh I forgot to mention it must be drive in the middle of the road day.

CAMPYBOB said:

When out on our craptastic roads, we must look like a bunch of drunks. We are forced to constantly swerve left/right/left to miss holes, cracks, trash, what have you.

The two guys I rode with last Saturday both used their cross bikes (28 MM tires) to absorb some of the punishment the roads dish out.

But, I get your point. Freds ride bizarre and then act bizarre. Mr. B.'s group look plenty safe to me. They call approaching riders and pass others safely and with courtesy.

I think his bike path lanes are as wide as any. They may look a bit narrow due to the speeds, but I was using handlebar widths as comparison measure and the Cali lanes are just about the same width as ours. We don't get a marked berm stripe, but the overall width 'looks' to be the same. And yes, I get a bit nervous when I'm hauling ass up one at 20+ MPH and there's a family of mom/dad/kids coming the other way or even just a couple of squids headed at me. Unlike Mr. B.'s train, I generally slack my pace for safety. Accelerating back up to speed on those pan flat paths is easy and I like varying my RPM's and pedal pressure on them...otherwise...boring.

If it weren't for the bazillion stop signs on our bike paths a track bike would be an ideal machine. Maybe a 2-speed. One ratio for working into the wind and one for riding with it!

We don't have bike paths, only rough back roads. I wouldn't want bike paths because some ass hole politician would pass a law making it mandatory for cyclists to stay on bike paths. How are you going to get any decent training in there if you have to ride with idiots on cruisers?

The last time I was in Denver on a bike path, I noticed a few women on bikes. I called out my presence to one lady. When she turned to look at me, she almost swerved into me as she yelled hi! I wanted to yell aaahhhhhh just to get out of there before she crashed into me.