psycholist said:Yesterday I did about my bazillionth century ride. I'm 49 years old and
I've done lots of centuries in my day.My local club put on this ride ... against my protestations because they
scheduled it head-to-head with a very well-established century that's been
going on not too many miles away. I thought it was rather rude to do that.The guy who volunteered to put on the ride had never done it before and is a
fairly new rider. I coached him over the months leading up to the event
about the things I've seen that make the difference between a good event and
a bad event. He didn't listen. In fact, he committed what I told him would
be the CARDINAL SIN. He marked the course poorly and got the riders lost.Well, I should qualify that. He got the fast riders lost. He personally
rode out in front of the slow groups and stood at each turn to make sure
those riders didn't miss anything. But I was in the front group and we'd
blown by and missed his ridiculously inadequate markings long before he got
out to try to direct traffic.So I sent him an e-mail after the fact to ask him what happened. He gave me
the classic line that sets me off every single time ... "it was supposed to
be a social ride, not a race ... the social riders didn't have any trouble."MAN that burns me up. Since when is there a speed limit on a road ride? We
rode the first 20 miles with 25 guys at an average speed of 25 mph. It was
no big deal. The road was flat. There was a slight tailwind. It was
nothing. But he says he designed things with folks like him in mind ...
folks who ride 15 mph. Well, this guys is about 6' 3" tall and is morbidly
obese (at least by my definition)!So then he says, "if you'd asked at the rest stops, they'd have told you
which way to go." So then I explained, "I don't stop at rest stops except
maybe once in a 100 mile ride. Our entire lead group only made one stop.
And, how do we stop at a rest stop if we're already off the course after 12
miles?" Again, I got the, "if you weren't racing you'd have been able to
see the marks."That's such [censored]. I'm so sick of "social" riders who act like you're doing
something wrong just 'cuz you can, or you just like to, ride faster than
they do. I never hear the fast riders complain about the "social" riders.
But the "social" riders always feel compelled to tell the fast riders how
they should ride.All you "social" riders reading this, please note the following:
Quoted message said:Riding fast is not a sin. Riding fast does not mean racing. Riding fast
is entirely relative. If there's a speed limit on a ride, post it ...
otherwise, you ride the speed you want to and I'll ride the speed I want
to. For me, the joy of riding an event like that is finding a good, fast
paceline and then flying along in close formation. It's a special feeling
that's probably the closest I'll ever come to flying with the Blue Angels.Quoted message said:Don't tell me why I should be riding. I always hear, "riding is supposed
to be social." What makes you think the guys at the front don't
socialize? Just 'cuz you can't imagine talking while riding at our pace,
that doesn't mean we don't. And we're back in the parking lot hanging out
and having a good time for a couple hours before y'all show up. AND, you
can't imagine the bond that can form when a small group of complete
strangers gets together on the road and forms a tight working group to
bang out a good time for the ride. I've made many lasting friendships in
that fellowship of effort.Quoted message said:Many of you have spouses that ride. Mine doesn't. I like to get my
rides done and get back to do things with her.Quoted message said:Also, my life circumstances aren't the same as yours. I have a farm and
all the chores I need to stay busy. I don't have all day to waste
socializing on the road. If you do, that's fine. I don't. And that's
fine, too.Quoted message said:I don't need to eat all the [censored] at all the rest stops to feel like I got
my moneys worth on a ride. It's evident by appearances that many of you
do. That's fine. I have peanut butter and cookies and bananas at home.
Give me a way to fill my bottles at 80 miles and I'm good for the whole
ride. But that's just me. But PLEASE ... recognize when the lead riders
might reach those remote rest stops and have them up and manned when we
arrive.Quoted message said:If you're gonna take responsibility to plan a century ride. Please
recognize that your way of riding is not the only valid way of riding and
that riding fast is not a sin. If you're gonna advertise a marked course,
make sure it's well marked with large, clear markings placed well in
advance of the turns/events they're marking.End of rant.
I thought it was a reasonable rant. I have a similar problem with a guy
that helps organise a canoe race. Well I call it a race and he calls it
a social paddle.
Marty