Paceline

psiturbo

Usually I ride by alone when cycling, but lately have found this group to ride and have a few questions.

Although I am new to the group, I am not new to riding bikes and so it seems that is the label I got with the group. They seem to be pretty strong as the pace is 25+ average speed, hitting flats of 30+. Have been riding with them for a while and so far drafting, with no extraordinary or amazing situations going on. In other words, I show up, draft, and go home, everybody safe calling out debris and hazardous objects on the road. No chit chatting, just go ride, practice safety and done for the day.

So it happens that riders pull, and instead of going to the back of the line, they jump back in within a few riders back. Their "buddies" seemed to let them in, and I am left always in the middle of the pack, or all the way to the back. And if I want to ride on the front I got to make my way by almost jumping over the side and they get mad even after telling them they dont let others pull maintaining the SAME speed, not slower or faster and all other considerations like call out things on the road, no sudden movements, maintain a clean line, etc.

I dropped the subject of been able to pull and let the day end by drafting once again. Another day, come back and finally was able to pull, study how they ride, the average speed, how much time each rider pulls, and when is my turn I pull at the same speed. A few seconds later I look back, and I am riding by myself, they let me go by they riding slower, and asked them what is the deal once they catch me. And nobody said anything and they kept on riding...

I was like wtf!

What is going on? Anybody have any ideas?

jibberjim

Talk to them - maybe they don't want a stranger getting in the way?

jonomc4

maybe you farted?

drlodge

How bigs the group? Sounds to me like the rest of the group all know each other well and they really don't want a stranger getting in the way, which is why you're always at the back.

25+ average speed is very fast, I'm assuming they're all into racing and they perhaps race together so have a close "bond". You're best bet might just be to bide your time and hope they will let you into their clan over time.

t.m.h.n.e.t

If you have to jump to pass a group then they,

A) Don't want you near them
Don't want you near the front
C) You are unwittingly accelerating instead of letting the pace behind you slow gradually( through and off is a gradual smooth movement,not a mad dash)


Inevitably it sounds like you have been crashing a party.

flasher

25+ average, and you dropped them................blimey!

NewTTer

Couple of things, the speeds you are quoting seem unrealistic except for Pro Level riders.
And has it occured to you, that they just really dont want you there, and were just sending a message, which you are failing to get? They could of course have just asked you to bugger off, which would have been easier, but some people take offence.

psiturbo

http://www.velobrew.com/JaxTraining.asp

Tuesdays, 6:00 pm, marked in yellow, 25+, and yes they do go 25+ all out, sometimes attacking with break-aways etc.

I did not say I pull away from them, and left them in the dust. Once everyone is warmed up, and my legs are ready for been on the wind, check the average speed, and go from there. If they are at 25 I maintain 25, go to the front (if I can) and pull, but then I look back and I am left alone, they seem to lower the speed a little and let me by myself in the front. I am no noob, started riding in California, hills everywhere, with a very strong group that I dearly miss.

I always always check how fast, how much time, the pull is, and proceed to do the same. If everyone pulls at 24, then I go 24, if everyone stays in the front for 30 seconds, then I do the same. I copy how they call out and signal objects, in other words, not re-inventing the wheel, just exactly like them. I am not going to group rides to be Mr. Sociality, and have everyone under my facebook account, be quiet and ride. And no, I do not slow down the group...

If the day before I went too much at the gym, and am burned out definitely stay on the back and not even bother them.

Will certainly talk to them, I think it is more of the stranger thing. I managed to talk to one of the guys of the group, and he said it could be they do not feel comfortable having someone they do not know riding in front of them at such speeds. But its kind of stupid, reminds me of surfing back in the day where only "locals" could surf etc, the same retarded mentality, but man they sure ride fast.

To me its kind of like drlodge is saying, well lets see...

They are 25 to 40 riders depeding on the day.

For now what I do is ride on the back in the draft and if I want to get some wind simply let the paceline fade away up front. Then I will proceed and catch them, and I do intervals just like that, instead of pull/pullout like they do. Or also just get off the paceline either to the left or right depending on the road in a safely manner. Most of the time I do the first one, only thing got to be careful not to get caught on a stop or traffic sign, and then they are gone.

smidsy

Why not just find a different group if they are 'unfriendly' ??

Mind you at those speeds it will be hard to find another I suppose, especially local.

Ultimately if they are 'no go' just do your own thing - it has obviosuly been working given your current ability.

johnnicebutdim

I just read their 'About Us' section on the webpage for the VeloBrew club. Their philosophy seems to be 'a warm welcome to one and all'.

Gazspurs

Just sack them off mate, sounds as though they've got the bike snobbery going on! I had a similar experince, find a more welcoming group... cycling should be about enjoyment & going out as a group/friends/team

the playing mantis

when you say found a group, do you mean you introduced yourself at meet up at the start of ther ride, or just tagged onto a bunch of random strangers you saw on your route as you were going along one day.

if the latter im not surprised they ignore you, they must wonder what on earth some complete stranger is doing getting in their way and trying to be part of their group when they dont know him from larry...im not too sure of the etiquette of road cycling but it seems to me a bit of an odd thing for an individual to do...its like some stranger just joining in a kickabout over the park without saying who he is or asking to join in. you did ask them if it was ok to tag along?

if the former, well find another group to join, as if you have introduced yourself to them and they still ignore you, you probably dont want to be riding with people lke that.

seanorawe

i can solve this little problem you have.

1. Eat a vindaloo the night before
2. Dont speak to anyone beofre you set off, and if someone tries to speak to you, growl at him
3. When on the road, go like the clappers and get to the front, then let rip a mighty roar form your back end

If they stop to be sick, you will be victorious. If they breathe it up and get on with it, your only option is to push the biggest one off his bike and go home.

Hope this helps

badly_dubbed

did the group have support cars and motorbikes in front and behind?

26+ avg is mental lol

gabriel959

25mph average!!! enough said

Omar Little

Have you joined this club or are you just meeting them for rides? In the UK at least most clubs wont like unknown riders going out on their fast rides - not just in terms of confidence riding with them but also in terms of insurance and liability. If non members go out too much then it can void their insurance cover. Of course they should really be upfront about this rather than acting like dicks!

btw I'm normally the first to doubt average speed claims on internet forums but IMO 25 mph average for a paceline in Florida doesnt sound too unrealistic considering how flat it is.

amaferanga

Don't see what's so surprising about 25mph plus on a chaingang.

psiturbo

Its a typical group ride where anyone can join and simply cycle on with them. No need to go on and say, Hello my name is...

For about a month or so I simply road on the back and studied the situation. After that they knew who I was, everyone is welcomed, no big deal.

Did talk to a few of them and simply ignored what I just talked about. Most of them, thats the nature of our group and what do you want us to say. Although it is a no fee, as long as you can keep up and play safe, anyone can ride, but that does not seem the case. I did talk to the president, who right now is out of the game due to a knee surgery. Talked for a while with him, did not seem to help much. I found another group, almost the same speed, 22-26, and sometimes speeds of 29/30 on certain sprint outs.

Have been riding for years, but it is the first time on group rides and wanted to hear some of the people's feedback, and or suggestions.

jibberjim

One thing to note is that North American group rides and UK ones are completely different beasts, with different rules, different expectations etc. etc. Here in the UK, especially in the south east and the more congested parts, group sizes tend to be kept very small, and the terrain doesn't suit more than a few riders - our winter training rides don't really go above 6 riders for example because it's not really safe. So strangers generally aren't welcome, even our non-training rides you're expected to introduce yourself, too few riders is rarely a problem here. Too many is!

The completely different road system in North America tends to mean higher speeds (road surfaces and lack of bends), larger groups (road width and different safety considerations) and because of that strangers tend to be more welcome it seems (I've only ridden in Canada but I imagine it's similar)

the playing mantis

i c. sund like a bunch of unfriendlys..do u really want to be cycling with such people? find a friendlier bunch.

Slack

I find it hard to believe, that out of a bunch of 25-40 riders, you are not spoken too, by at least one of them!

They probably seem themselves as being elite and as a result are snobby. You probably just need to do some pre-ride research, they may be out on a specific drill/training. Get in contact with them via their website and find out about their club etiquette etc. What's your style of riding like.....are you all over the road etc...do you have an aggressive style leading to what appears to be goading them.