Singletrack riders....

junglist_matty

RANT....

Don't you hate people who don't move out of the way even though they know your there (after you politely shout at them to move across and let you through).

I know I'm not the fastest and move asap when someone comes up behind me, I got stuck behind an older group of middle aged women riding about 5mph on a DH section at coed y brennin over the weekend, it was so crap... they didn't move outta the way after me shouting at them politely then angrilly after 5mins when they hadn't moved! - So for half the trail I was going so slow and ruined that bit because the climb up the hill took me ages (approx 45mins) --- I'm a bit unfit and can't ride uphill very well so I like to make the most of the DH sections which I can blast through because my riding ability is better than average!

So if your a middle aged women who went to coed y brennin with a group of other middle aged women and didn't move out of my way for ages, please get out of the way asap when someone is behind you or go ride the easy green trails if your not going to ride it properlly.

Rant over.....

Mrs Toast

I don't know the track, but if it was quite steep and they were a bit nervy, they might not have been able to spot anywhere safe or suitable (in their eyes) to pull over. Or they might just have been stubborn! :P

Being pretty much a novice, I tend to dive off the trail and into the bracken as soon as I hear anything even resembling the sound of an approaching rider - I don't stop on steep climbs or descents though, I wait for it to flatten out. Not as long as the guy behind waits though, haw haw!

Rory75

junglist_matty wrote:

RANT....

I'm a bit unfit and can't ride uphill very well so I like to make the most of the DH sections which I can blast through because my riding ability is better than average!

Rant over.....

If your downhill skills are better than average the middle age women must be elite downhillers if you couldnt overtake and get past them lol

Sir HC

Why didn't you stop and wait ?

SiLanc

I understand your frustration but everyone has to start somewhere and I think everyone has been in the position of the slower group you're referring to when they're just starting out. Do you think shouting at them was the right approach to take? It is impossible to define "ride it properly" as it means different things to different people but unfortunately just because your faster doesn't give you any more right to be on the trails than anyone else. I'm not having a go...but with mountain biking being so accessible incidents like this will always occur. Trust me, I ride XC and see people riding red\advanced routes with bike with trailers and kids who look like they can barely ride a bike, let alone ride off road. It slows me down and maybe spoils my run but I just slow down, tell them there is no rush and to let me past when it's possible, trying to hurry people in that position only puts them off and can cause accidents and when you're a novice who doesn't know how to safely dismount during an accident the results can be pretty gruesome. I certainly wouldn't like to cause a nasty accident just to save a few seconds.

I could say something about downhiller riders blocking the climbs when they're straggled across the road pushing their bikes up hill but I'll refrain ;-)

Si

alfablue

junglist_matty wrote:

RANT....

Don't you hate people who don't move out of the way even though they know your there (after you politely shout at them to move across and let you through).

I know I'm not the fastest and move asap when someone comes up behind me, I got stuck behind an older group of middle aged women riding about 5mph on a DH section at coed y brennin over the weekend, it was so crap... they didn't move outta the way after me shouting at them politely then angrilly after 5mins when they hadn't moved! - So for half the trail I was going so slow and ruined that bit because the climb up the hill took me ages (approx 45mins) --- I'm a bit unfit and can't ride uphill very well so I like to make the most of the DH sections which I can blast through because my riding ability is better than average!

So if your a middle aged women who went to coed y brennin with a group of other middle aged women and didn't move out of my way for ages, please get out of the way asap when someone is behind you or go ride the easy green trails if your not going to ride it properlly.

Rant over.....

It strikes me as rather cheeky to complain about other trail users when you admit you are too unfit to cycle up the hills! I wouldn't call that riding ability!

MrChuck

Not sure whether I agree with the OP but I do think in general a bit more consideration of others wouldn't go amiss, and that goes for novices just as much as for the riding gods on here

cee

is there not a rule that says something like...

anyone who says they are above average....is usually misinformed about what the average is?



I think it can be a nuisance when people just won't seem to yield on the trail, but as others have said...they are not obliged to.

In snowsports, the rider lower down the hill has right of way...(because they cannot see you coming..)...it is your responsibility to safely negotiate them, either by waiting for an appropriate place to pass, or simply stop and give them a minute to clear the steep bit....

I must say that everyone I overtook at GT yesterday was very gracious and moved or stopped before I was right at their back wheel....

I like to give a little whistle as I approach....just to let them know I am there.....even a polite shout might be misconstrued as just shouting.....

alfablue

I think its great that all sorts of people ride these trails, yes it would be good if they were more aware, but that is the nature of being a novice. Next year they will probably be beating on the downhill as well as the uphill sections

dodgy

If you're such a hardcore downhiller, get offroad (to use your words) properly and go ride somewhere outside the sanitised confines of a trail centre. Surely your skills have now developed so that you can finally escape the trail centre creche?

Surf-Matt

In the last week I've been out MTBing 7 times. I that time I've seen a grand total of NO others cyclist on the fun trail bits...

Shame the sea isn't the same - at least 50 surfers in when it was perfection all weekend!

SpinningJenny

Hmmmm.....

It wasn't me (haven't been to Wales for ages!), but...

Being somewhat of a beginner myself, I am probably going to be hyper-aware of trying not to get in the way of other, faster riders out there. But, if i'm struggling uphill, then my thought would be if I stop now to let the guy/woman behind me go past, then I'm less likely to get started again afterwards and will have to push my bike to the next flat/less steep bit and probably get in more people's way in the process.

However, a group of people *can* be less aware of their surroundings, this is true.

Maybe a bit more patience for you and a bit more awareness from them would have made it a bit less frustrating!

Still, we do all have to start somewhere and I can't wait to get out there again to get some more practice in, so that I'm less likely to annoy the more impatient riders next time...

.blitz

junglist_matty wrote:

I got stuck behind an older group of middle aged women riding about 5mph on a DH section at coed y brennin over the weekend

What an image that conjures up How come the magazines never have those kind of pictures?

stevieboy

SiLanc wrote:

I understand your frustration but everyone has to start somewhere and I think everyone has been in the position of the slower group you're referring to when they're just starting out. Do you think shouting at them was the right approach to take? It is impossible to define "ride it properly" as it means different things to different people but unfortunately just because your faster doesn't give you any more right to be on the trails than anyone else. I'm not having a go...but with mountain biking being so accessible incidents like this will always occur. Trust me, I ride XC and see people riding red\advanced routes with bike with trailers and kids who look like they can barely ride a bike, let alone ride off road. It slows me down and maybe spoils my run but I just slow down, tell them there is no rush and to let me past when it's possible, trying to hurry people in that position only puts them off and can cause accidents and when you're a novice who doesn't know how to safely dismount during an accident the results can be pretty gruesome. I certainly wouldn't like to cause a nasty accident just to save a few seconds.

I could say something about downhiller riders blocking the climbs when they're straggled across the road pushing their bikes up hill but I'll refrain ;-)

Si

+1 to that

No-one likes having runs spoiled but sometimes it happens. I can understand the rant but if people like these are banished to the green's how are they ever gonna get better? Last year my missus would have fit into this category, but slowly i've got her confidence up. She'll now keep my riding buddies honest on techincal trails.

We all have to start somewhere, and we've all been there too.

I'm one of those that you'll see driving 3-4 seconds behind a learner for the very same reason.

Northwind

It's just consideration... Slow riders are absolutely fine, I possibly still am one, people can be slow all they want but to refuse to let someone else past is just poor. The point is to let everyone have their own pace- not demanding that the slow riders be fast, and also not demanding that the fast riders go slow. It takes no effort, no time, no skill and no thought to move over. Anyone who doesn't do so in a reasonable time is a tool. IMO.

(not talking about instantly, but then neither is the OP)