Your Goal

Yossie

Redhog14 wrote:

Got an axe to grind about your local club and cafe Yoss?

Clubs - plural

Yup - 85% of them are rude and ignorant to newcomers - cliquey and rude to established riders. Too much money, no talent: supreme examples of turkeys who have all the gear and no idea.

I ride with extremely high standard triathletes/duathletes (Europeans/Worlds standards)- easily as good as the local road riders but much more chilled out, more fun and less twatty. Also means that you get to laugh at their funny clothes as you go along.

The few times I have been out club runs they've been more hassle than they are worth, after races I just tend to hand in my numbers, say thankyou to the marshalls (which most club riders tend to "forget" to do - must be because they are pros and are too busy thinking about their new contracts/image rights) and go home. I'm not the only local racer to do this either.

jordan_217

To not have a goal and stop taking myself and training too seriously - I'm not a pro, I'm only ever going to be average at best. Stop living like a monk, etc etc.

2.5 years of training for half and full IM distance racing has taken it's toll on me and my family. My Missus deserves a medal!.

I've been riding for whatever duration and at whatever intensity I feel like. I'm enjoying my cycling again

I actually think I'm in better condition too :shock: .......

LeicesterLad

Yossie wrote:

Redhog14 wrote:

Got an axe to grind about your local club and cafe Yoss?

Clubs - plural

Yup - 85% of them are rude and ignorant to newcomers - cliquey and rude to established riders. Too much money, no talent: supreme examples of turkeys who have all the gear and no idea.

I ride with extremely high standard triathletes/duathletes (Europeans/Worlds standards)- easily as good as the local road riders but much more chilled out, more fun and less twatty. Also means that you get to laugh at their funny clothes as you go along.

The few times I have been out club runs they've been more hassle than they are worth, after races I just tend to hand in my numbers, say thankyou to the marshalls (which most club riders tend to "forget" to do - must be because they are pros and are too busy thinking about their new contracts/image rights) and go home. I'm not the only local racer to do this either.

Completely agree with your last two posts. Twatty sums it up nicely, there are a lot of twatty people involved with club cycling. (disclaimer - theres probably a lot of non twatty ones too, but the ones that stand out are always the twatty ones, for being twatty, and i'd say 85% was around the right area for amount of twattys at any one clubrun. Twatts)

Redhog14

LeicesterLad wrote:

Yossie wrote:

Redhog14 wrote:

Got an axe to grind about your local club and cafe Yoss?

Clubs - plural

Yup - 85% of them are rude and ignorant to newcomers - cliquey and rude to established riders. Too much money, no talent: supreme examples of turkeys who have all the gear and no idea.

I ride with extremely high standard triathletes/duathletes (Europeans/Worlds standards)- easily as good as the local road riders but much more chilled out, more fun and less twatty. Also means that you get to laugh at their funny clothes as you go along.

The few times I have been out club runs they've been more hassle than they are worth, after races I just tend to hand in my numbers, say thankyou to the marshalls (which most club riders tend to "forget" to do - must be because they are pros and are too busy thinking about their new contracts/image rights) and go home. I'm not the only local racer to do this either.

Completely agree with your last two posts. Twatty sums it up nicely, there are a lot of twatty people involved with club cycling. (disclaimer - theres probably a lot of non twatty ones too, but the ones that stand out are always the twatty ones, for being twatty, and i'd say 85% was around the right area for amount of twattys at any one clubrun. Twatts)

thats a shame, my local Club Stirling Bike Club are quite the opposite, although i did start on the MTB side, which is decidely more chilled and social, when i went out with the road guys for the first time they were just as welcoming. I have met people though who have had similar experiences with the well established road club in another famous Scottish city in which I work, but won't name...in case I join and the other 15% decide I am a twatt. SBC have a policy of not dropping anyone from the road rides and at least one member will accompany anyone back if they can't keep up. The only reason I don't ride with the club anymore is a logistical one, i.e. Speedyburd who I met through the club now lives with me in the sticks instead of in Stirling itself.

markos1963

Going to do plenty of Club 10s as it's not proper racing and hopefully gain my silver award from my cliquey club. Complete the Little Mountain TT in a respectable time(for me) courtesy of the cliquey Beacon Roads CC. Run or get organised a Club 10TT series for new riders as I'm a twaty club member who never speaks to new riders. Oh! and give up making sweeping generalisations about people.

LeicesterLad

markos1963 wrote:

Going to do plenty of Club 10s as it's not proper racing and hopefully gain my silver award from my cliquey club. Complete the Little Mountain TT in a respectable time(for me) courtesy of the cliquey Beacon Roads CC. Run or get organised a Club 10TT series for new riders as I'm a twaty club member who never speaks to new riders. Oh! and give up making sweeping generalisations about people.

There was a disclaimer. Your obviously not one of the 15%, you enjoy your twatty TT's way too much.
















EDIT. PS You could genuinely have been one of the 15% but you clearly can't take a bit of a laugh (regarding the TT thing in my original post which nobody else has mentioned, so really perhaps your right, it might be the 15% who are a bit twatty after all) and your opinion is just that, as is mine - don't acuse me of generalisation, i'm not quite sure you have met every club rider in the country? In my experience, I stand by what ive said. Perhaps your experience is different, in which case, great. Perhaps i'll move to Norfolk.

markos1963

^ Actually it was more of a go at Yossies post. Yes you do get cliques and idiots in all walks of life but to say 85% of club members are twats is a poor cheap shot at the club system. I don't have a problem with lone wolves and informal groups of riders it's a big enough sport for all. In my experience a lot of non club riders on here and out there like to take full advantage of all the facilities clubs offer, TT's , road races, sportives, joining in chain gangs etc and most are welcome and thankful but I have noticed a growing band slagging off said clubs after using their facilities. As I said sweeping generalisations do no good and just raise hackles.

LeicesterLad

markos1963 wrote:

^ Actually it was more of a go at Yossies post. Yes you do get cliques and idiots in all walks of life but to say 85% of club members are twats is a poor cheap shot at the club system. I don't have a problem with lone wolves and informal groups of riders it's a big enough sport for all. In my experience a lot of non club riders on here and out there like to take full advantage of all the facilities clubs offer, TT's , road races, sportives, joining in chain gangs etc and most are welcome and thankful but I have noticed a growing band slagging off said clubs after using their facilities. As I said sweeping generalisations do no good and just raise hackles.

To be honest, not being in a club has held me and my cycling back, big style - without a club you are left with the sportive market, they soon get pretty boring and all other avenues are closed without club membership, jersey and a promise to attend the clubruns every Saturday (even though Solo training is more beneficial). Now i can undestand it to an extent, its the same with most sports, to compete you need to 'belong' to something or other - but for people like me, who have pretty decent cycling skills and fitness, but strugle with the social side of things, or prefer to train alone there is nothing. I'm not against joining a club, in fact I wuld love to join a club for the facilities and to also be social, unfortunately for me i'm quite nervous meeting new people etc and on the occasions I have tried to join clubs I have come up against the type Yossie speaks of, and for someone with little confidence around others its hardly an ideal situation. Each year I tell myself i need to get racing before i get to old etc etc and i never achieve it based on these past experiences, sometimes i'll think sod it, i'm going to the local club this weekend, but then I imagine turning up on my Carerra and without even saying a word getting laughed at, snide comments or because i'm not on a Cervelo (and believe me, the saggy overweight 50+ club rider in his il fitting kit but standing proud over his shiny Cervelo looks far more an idiot than me - its just they seem not to realise it) they don't take me seriously - it's not my problem im considerably poorer than your average club rider (and round here, they are pretty well off and (pretend) to be pretty upper class) and then all the enthusiasm i had drains out of me and there goes another year pootling around not doing much...

markos1963

LeicesterLad wrote:

markos1963 wrote:

^ Actually it was more of a go at Yossies post. Yes you do get cliques and idiots in all walks of life but to say 85% of club members are twats is a poor cheap shot at the club system. I don't have a problem with lone wolves and informal groups of riders it's a big enough sport for all. In my experience a lot of non club riders on here and out there like to take full advantage of all the facilities clubs offer, TT's , road races, sportives, joining in chain gangs etc and most are welcome and thankful but I have noticed a growing band slagging off said clubs after using their facilities. As I said sweeping generalisations do no good and just raise hackles.

To be honest, not being in a club has held me and my cycling back, big style - without a club you are left with the sportive market, they soon get pretty boring and all other avenues are closed without club membership, jersey and a promise to attend the clubruns every Saturday (even though Solo training is more beneficial). Now i can undestand it to an extent, its the same with most sports, to compete you need to 'belong' to something or other - but for people like me, who have pretty decent cycling skills and fitness, but strugle with the social side of things, or prefer to train alone there is nothing. I'm not against joining a club, in fact I wuld love to join a club for the facilities and to also be social, unfortunately for me i'm quite nervous meeting new people etc and on the occasions I have tried to join clubs I have come up against the type Yossie speaks of, and for someone with little confidence around others its hardly an ideal situation. Each year I tell myself i need to get racing before i get to old etc etc and i never achieve it based on these past experiences, sometimes i'll think sod it, i'm going to the local club this weekend, but then I imagine turning up on my Carerra and without even saying a word getting laughed at, snide comments or because i'm not on a Cervelo (and believe me, the saggy overweight 50+ club rider in his il fitting kit but standing proud over his shiny Cervelo looks far more an idiot than me - its just they seem not to realise it) they don't take me seriously - it's not my problem im considerably poorer than your average club rider (and round here, they are pretty well off and (pretend) to be pretty upper class) and then all the enthusiasm i had drains out of me and there goes another year pootling around not doing much...

Well all I can say is you must be really unlucky to have such bad clubs in your area. I have never come across any snide remarks regarding kit in our club, in fact you are more likely to get positive feedback if you are a good rider on cheap kit as we recognise a good rider regardless. I was like you as well, shy and awkward around strangers and indeed you can mistake group friendliness for cliqueness sometimes. Once I was going regulary I found I really came out of my shell and joined in a lot more. As I say though, join a good club if you want to but nothing wrong in stalking the roads on your own if thats what you want.

verylonglegs

Yossie has a point its just that it's a problem not exclusive to cycling, all pursuits and interests can result in clubs that suffer from the problem. My recently retired father decided to join a chess club as it's something he's always loved and now has the time for and he settled on the 3rd one he tried saying the previous 2 were a bit cliquey. Yes, a fookin chess club. It just seems to be a consequence of human nature when groups are formed.

Back to topic of goals mine are fairly simple, just enjoy the time available! Never been one to chase average speeds and self-flagellate over eating a bacon sandwich anyway but it's been rammed home even more lately that you have to pursue whatever makes you happy (s'long as it's legal obviously) as I've been scheduled for a spine and brain scan after a consultation with a neurologist. So if you think everything can wait til next year then you should reconsider. LL I'm an introvert who doesn't communicate and connect easily so understand your issue totally but if you really want to do something then dive in, don't let them dictate how you enjoy your life. GL.

DrKJM

Oddly enough a colleague's OH was racing last night at Mallory park. So I presume they are still on.