Club rides and riders off the back

2»

Comments

  • singleton
    singleton Posts: 2,523
    Kingstonian wrote:
    They chose to slacken off a bit (think another guy was about to hit the wall too) but I'd have been absolutely fine with them leaving me behind.
    Slowbike wrote:
    They were prepared to wait for me though.

    I think sometimes there are guys who are themselves struggling, but their ego and pride won't let them admit it. When someone else gives them an "excuse" to slow down a bit, they often jump at it.
  • Mark Alexander
    Mark Alexander Posts: 2,277
    All valid points. The club has a responsibility to set expectations. In Cardiff there a couple of clubs with varying approaches. One posts in advance several groups, routes, rough ave speed, cafe stop and ride leader. No one is left behind on a Sunday unless they tell the group to. Another club/team roughly state they don't wait. The 3rd club rides very slowly. Sometimes too slowly for my liking. Aapproaches are firne because you know in advance what to expect.

    On the ride of perspective I do have a responsibility to learn your limits. I think the only way to improve in a group is to ride in a group with slightly stronger riders. You have to be prepared to fail. For my part I failed on two times and bonked off back. Claim to fame pushed up a hill by Luke Rowe.
    http://twitter.com/mgalex
    www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk

    10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    I haven't joined my local club because they have a policy that no one gets dropped. I'm worried I won't be able to keep up and there's no way I'm going out with them if someone is going to drop off to nursemaid me if Im too slow. Why on earth would any adult need someone to lead them home?

    Good attitude, you can join my club. I will leave you in the middle of a desert with no water though, if you can't keep up. You'll deserve it! :wink:
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    OP: How many people are in this "club"?
  • japiers
    japiers Posts: 17
    Our Club has failed to have club guidelines on riding etiquette like the CTC and I kicked off about this at the AGM. My request to have these Guidelines was ignored so now the rides are becoming more like a chain gang mentality where even pointing out potholes is a luxury. I spent years shouting at riders to behave and it drives me potty.

    Might want to find a more amicable club to ride with
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    If they're not even pointing out potholes I'd not be riding with them. Are they all newbie cyclists who know no better or something ?
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    "The first guy I nursed to a train station where he caught a train back."

    Christ! How long are these club rides??

    Sounds to me as if some people are choosing to join the wrong ride in the first place. The closest clubs to me give an idea of ride length, average speed and whether it involves a cafe stop, so new riders can decide which ride would suit them. Or like me, decide to ride on my own instead :D
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    keef66 wrote:
    "[b]The first guy I nursed to a train station where he caught a train back."[/b]

    Christ! How long are these club rides??

    Sounds to me as if some people are choosing to join the wrong ride in the first place. The closest clubs to me give an idea of ride length, average speed and whether it involves a cafe stop, so new riders can decide which ride would suit them. Or like me, decide to ride on my own instead :D

    Massive! The train he had to catch was the Eurostar!
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    Fenix wrote:
    If they're not even pointing out potholes I'd not be riding with them.

    ^ This. Same goes for getting on the wheel of a random cyclist. If I do find myself getting onto a wheel of someone I don't know I will always announce myself so they know I am there and then sit back a bit until I can see they are pointing out stuff. If they don't then I either drop off or drop them; I certainly do not decide to ride a couple of inches behind them without hazards getting pointed out.

    Coming back to the club thing, a club that does not go through the rudiments of advising riders what to expect on a ride could well find themselves on the wrong end of a legal claim should there be issues. My club have been through all this after we found that there has been a general tightening of 3rd party liability insurance and the insurers (quite rightly) have some clear expectations on what a club should do to protect themselves (and more importantly the insurers!). We were always pretty good but we are now extra careful to ensure that we follow all of the CTC published Ride Leaders' guide (doesn't have to CTC but at least it can be pointed to as a generally accepted good practice guideline) which includes clearly outlining a ride, pace and length prior to the ride itself. There is an onus on a rider to accept that all as part of joining the ride...and an onus on the club to stick to it (roughly) so there shouldn't be an ad hoc ramping up of the avg speed which results in riders squirting out the back and being left to fend for themselves in the middle of nowhere.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    frisbee wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    I haven't joined my local club because they have a policy that no one gets dropped. I'm worried I won't be able to keep up and there's no way I'm going out with them if someone is going to drop off to nursemaid me if Im too slow. Why on earth would any adult need someone to lead them home?

    If you ask to return by yourself any club will let you, as long as you look strong and alert enough to make it back by yourself.

    Some people dig too deep trying to keep up and would really struggle to make it home safely without being lead and paced.

    Yep my club (which I've only just joined) has a no-drop policy but they aren't going to force you to ride home with them - people ride home on their own quite often (e.g., needing to be back by x time etc.).

    They also split the ride into faster and slower groups where appropriate, and have a slow ride specifically for new members to try it out.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    Garry H wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    I haven't joined my local club because they have a policy that no one gets dropped. I'm worried I won't be able to keep up and there's no way I'm going out with them if someone is going to drop off to nursemaid me if Im too slow. Why on earth would any adult need someone to lead them home?

    Good attitude, you can join my club. I will leave you in the middle of a desert with no water though, if you can't keep up. You'll deserve it! :wink:

    My kind of club would love to join, my point though is that as I'm not an idiot if I went for a ride in a desert I would make sure I had all I needed regardless of who I was with.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    frisbee wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    I haven't joined my local club because they have a policy that no one gets dropped. I'm worried I won't be able to keep up and there's no way I'm going out with them if someone is going to drop off to nursemaid me if Im too slow. Why on earth would any adult need someone to lead them home?

    If you ask to return by yourself any club will let you, as long as you look strong and alert enough to make it back by yourself.

    Some people dig too deep trying to keep up and would really struggle to make it home safely without being lead and paced.

    Honestly I spoke to guy who runs it and all he said was no one gets dropped like robot! I think he's mental but he sets this rule so it's not for me, shame as I see them out all the time on my roads!
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    frisbee wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    I haven't joined my local club because they have a policy that no one gets dropped. I'm worried I won't be able to keep up and there's no way I'm going out with them if someone is going to drop off to nursemaid me if Im too slow. Why on earth would any adult need someone to lead them home?

    If you ask to return by yourself any club will let you, as long as you look strong and alert enough to make it back by yourself.

    Some people dig too deep trying to keep up and would really struggle to make it home safely without being lead and paced.

    Honestly I spoke to guy who runs it and all he said was no one gets dropped like robot! I think he's mental but he sets this rule so it's not for me, shame as I see them out all the time on my roads!

    Well either you're being wilfully difficult or this is an extremely unusual club.

    Most clubs have introductory rides where they won't drop you. However if you keep going you should be able to look after yourself.

    I've never heard of a club which guarantees to nurse everyone round regardless of incompetence.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Doesn't this all boil down to people in cycling clubs, at the end of the day, believing their own hype (and that of their "mate" at the LBS when he sold them di2)?
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    frisbee wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    I haven't joined my local club because they have a policy that no one gets dropped. I'm worried I won't be able to keep up and there's no way I'm going out with them if someone is going to drop off to nursemaid me if Im too slow. Why on earth would any adult need someone to lead them home?

    If you ask to return by yourself any club will let you, as long as you look strong and alert enough to make it back by yourself.

    Some people dig too deep trying to keep up and would really struggle to make it home safely without being lead and paced.

    Honestly I spoke to guy who runs it and all he said was no one gets dropped like robot! I think he's mental but he sets this rule so it's not for me, shame as I see them out all the time on my roads!

    Well either you're being wilfully difficult or this is an extremely unusual club.

    Most clubs have introductory rides where they won't drop you. However if you keep going you should be able to look after yourself.

    I've never heard of a club which guarantees to nurse everyone round regardless of incompetence.

    Honestly it's not me, when I spoke to him at first I thought he must be joking, I pointed out they ride the same routes I do and have done a million times but he was having none of it. Strict no one gets dropped policy whether you want it or not. I'm telling you the guy is mental I think he went on some course to be a sky ride leader and its gone to his head. They still wave etc when they pass me on the road so freindly bunch but it's very peculiar!
  • ForumNewbie
    ForumNewbie Posts: 1,664
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    frisbee wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    I haven't joined my local club because they have a policy that no one gets dropped. I'm worried I won't be able to keep up and there's no way I'm going out with them if someone is going to drop off to nursemaid me if Im too slow. Why on earth would any adult need someone to lead them home?

    If you ask to return by yourself any club will let you, as long as you look strong and alert enough to make it back by yourself.

    Some people dig too deep trying to keep up and would really struggle to make it home safely without being lead and paced.

    Honestly I spoke to guy who runs it and all he said was no one gets dropped like robot! I think he's mental but he sets this rule so it's not for me, shame as I see them out all the time on my roads!

    Well either you're being wilfully difficult or this is an extremely unusual club.

    Most clubs have introductory rides where they won't drop you. However if you keep going you should be able to look after yourself.

    I've never heard of a club which guarantees to nurse everyone round regardless of incompetence.

    Honestly it's not me, when I spoke to him at first I thought he must be joking, I pointed out they ride the same routes I do and have done a million times but he was having none of it. Strict no one gets dropped policy whether you want it or not. I'm telling you the guy is mental I think he went on some course to be a sky ride leader and its gone to his head. They still wave etc when they pass me on the road so freindly bunch but it's very peculiar!
    But if you didn't want to be pressured to continue the ride, and said you were leaving to take an alternative route home, they couldn't stop you.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    I got the impression this dope would follow me! Maybe he wouldn't in reality if it came down to it but his attitude put me right off so I'm still solo. Don't really mind too much as I just fancied trying group riding but the idea of being nursemaided home on my own roites, at 54 years old, is too ridiculous for me. There are other clubs of course but that one is very local and my motivation to explore options is too low so I just left it. This thread reminded me and thought I would post to see how odd this guys attitude is - pretty odd judging by the reactions.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    I got the impression this dope would follow me! Maybe he wouldn't in reality if it came down to it but his attitude put me right off so I'm still solo. Don't really mind too much as I just fancied trying group riding but the idea of being nursemaided home on my own roites, at 54 years old, is too ridiculous for me. There are other clubs of course but that one is very local and my motivation to explore options is too low so I just left it. This thread reminded me and thought I would post to see how odd this guys attitude is - pretty odd judging by the reactions.
    Well just ride with a normal club then... Like I said the one I ride with has a no-drop ride but that's specifically so when you come on your first couple of rides you don't get left in the Peaks with no idea where you are...
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    Matthewfalle wrote:
    Doesn't this all boil down to people in cycling clubs, at the end of the day, believing their own hype (and that of their "mate" at the LBS when he sold them di2)?
    No. That doesn't even make sense.

Categories