Proper Etiquette



Mr_Tee

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Mar 12, 2010
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I've been on a number of group rides and I recently completed my first century. As a rookie, I was slightly paranoid about being stupid or an unpredictable aggravation to other riders, but I was amazed at how much carelessness I witnessed (I nearly wrecked 3 times because of "idiots"). Share some examples of when you've been shocked at riders who should have known better so we all can learn...or laugh or shake our heads. Surely there are some good stories out there.
 
I'd be interested to hear some of these stories. I have a double century (2x100kms over 2 days) coming up next month. I'm sure i'll witness a number of things myself. Especially since I'm sure a good portion of the 3500+ riders aren't exactly hardcore cyclists. Cyclists who aren't used to riding in close proximity to others. There'll be a lot of weaving in and out in the beginning. Should be a little dicey for the first little while, until we get out of the city. By then, the mass will have spread out. Should be fun.
 
Gotta be a downer on this one as ALL of us have been "that guy/gal" at one time or another. As such, I personally don't get much amusement out of relating or listening to stories of cyclists pointing fingers or shaking their heads at "that guy". Seems kinda hypocritical to me...Just gotta be patient with newbies, and even some vets "that should've known better". Unless someone does something intentionally or exceedingly dangerous, I give a pretty wide latitude before I get twisted...

My $0.02CAN worth...(I realize some expert will now chime in that they've NEVER made an erratic move - the nature internet forums...). As you were...
 
tonyzackery said:
My $0.02CAN worth...(I realize some expert will now chime in that they've NEVER made an erratic move - the nature internet forums...). As you were...

Pshht, I'm definitely the expert :D lol. kidding. Nowhere close.

But as far as "idiots" goes, often I ride with my friends but there is one in particular that has caused me to freak out because of how arrogant he is. He constantly rides left of center all the time and it just drives me nuts because he's kinda endangering all of us... But people never really learn until they know it affects them...
 
I hear you tony. If I'm "that guy" then I want to know it. And if you're that guy I hope someone tells you...in a nice, constructive manner. Some environments are especially for learning. I've met some crazy people on the driving range but I'm extremely understanding and glad I met them there instead of on the golf course. Most of my trouble came from the "better" riders I met as I advanced up through the pack. They had expensive equipment and well-trained physiques so they arguably may deserve to be held to a higher standard. That is especially true for those who display an arrogant attitude. At the beginning of the ride, when I was still back with the recreational cyclists, they loved to yell "car back" etc and point out road hazards. Once I was third in a group of 20-30 riders. We were lined up left, right, left, and the leader veered right, the #2 man veered left and then I saw a rough patch immediately straight ahead. I yelled, barely dodged it, tried to point it out (behind me) and a guy some 15ft behind me hit it and went down. I'm not sure how many people ran over him. I would have stopped but it was so crowded I was afraid I would cause another crash so I trusted the people who could slow down as they approached would help if needed. A similar situation occurred within the last 10 miles with a pothole. The leaders quietly dodged it, the man in front of me hit it and said "Whoa" too late and I hit it. My steering column was jarred loose and I yelled, "thanks a lot guys." I was the caboose on that one. The other problems I had was with riders passing in a crowded neutral zone, swerving with no effort to stay in a predictable line (beginners), and random braking on flat to downhill terrain with extended visibility. Many people were good at shouting "slowing" but one rider (on a college team) braked hard enough that I had to bear down and the rider behind me hit my rear tire. Those are my boring stories but because I experienced them, I'll be extra careful to help other people be more careful.
 
Mr_Tee said:
... Surely there are some good stories out there.
Yeah, everybody that's ridden in many groups has stories of folks whose wheels they'd rather not follow. But as Tony said, we've all been that dude at some time and even experienced and skilled racers sometimes do boneheaded things late in races when they're fatigued.

Seems to me better to focus on the positive things you can do to avoid getting tangled up with squirrely riders. Here's a few thoughts that come to mind:

- Always protect the space around your front wheel. So definitely avoid wheel overlap when drafting unless you can overlap all the way up to where your handlebars are even with the front rider's hips. Tough in fast moving crosswind echelons but hopefully you're not doing a lot of this with the kind of riders that scare you.

- You don't need to follow exactly in line with the rider in front of you when riding into a headwind. Riding a line a handful of inches off to one side or the other buys you some reaction time if they stand up suddenly without maintaining pressure on their pedals. As their bike shoots backwards you'll momentarily overlap wheels but the extra reaction time should keep you from actually running into their wheel.

- Ride with a bit more gap between wheels and riders when you don't trust those around you, seems obvious but I see folks glue right up to wheels of folks who are obviously uncomfortable with group riding and then seem surprised when they kiss wheels or the front rider is a bit shakey. If they don't inspire confidence then give 'em more room or simply move up and ride ahead of them.

- Always glance under your arm before moving left or right and move on diagonals, not straight across. Some folks do this really well and just move effortlessly through the middle of the field, others can't seem to remember to look or move so abruptly it scares the crud out of folks even if they're giving the rider plenty of room. So don't be that Fred, don't ride next to that dude in such a way that your front wheel is at risk and don't hesitate to put a hand on their hip if they start running you into the gutter with a move like that. Don't touch their hands, elbows or shoulders as it can impact their steering but a firm touch on the hip can keep you from getting run off the road.

- Keep at least one hand on the bars, preferably your left ready to control the front brake when eating or drinking and beware of folks that don't do that when riding mid bunch. Sure it's nice to relax and looks cool to sit up no handed and casually pull food from your jersey pocket but either do that at the back or when riding alone as it's all too easy to create a pileup when someone ahead slows and your hands are no where near the brakes. Similarly learn to grab water bottles without looking for them and keep your eyes up at all times to see if the leaders are slowing or cornering or anything else that might require both hands back on the bars.

- Always 'climb' your way up onto and back down from a standing position. Don't stop pedaling to stand or to sit when riding in a group. Folks do it all the time and cross wheels all the time as a result. Keep an eye out for other folks doing this and try not to follow them or give them more room than usual. Smaller lighter riders carry less momentum and really slow down in a hurry if they don't apply pedal pressure while standing or sitting so be extra careful when riding behind them in variable terrain.

There are a bunch of other things and we've all done them at one point or another but usually a kind but gentle reminder is all it takes to help friend's learn what they should be doing. It's tougher in racing and big group ride situations as a lot of folks aren't open to advice on their riding. In that case just stay away from them as much as you can.

Good luck,
-Dave
 
i raced my first ever race wearing a... pullover. it was 20 years ago.
 

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