another nice thing about group rides, creepy drivers tend to leave large groups alone.
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another nice thing about group rides, creepy drivers tend to leave large groups alone.
Interestingly, the only sour note for the day was when we 5 were cycling down the two way main street going through a small town (main street being about 3 blocks long). We were going down our lane single file, parked cars on our right, double yellow line on our left, and no shoulder, just the sidewalks. A car came the other way down main street, towards us, and passed by in his own lane, and we were nowhere near him or or his lane of course. As he passed, the driver, in his 50's with a really red angry face yelled out his open window at us "GET OFF THE F___ING ROAD!!!!". We were pretty amazed. I suspect he may have spontaneously exploded further down the road, and if so, he won't be bothering anyone anymore.Quote:
Originally Posted by mimitabby
Lisa, I am :D VERY HAPPY:D your group ride went well for you and DH!! I agree, group rides can be intimidating when you don't know what to expect - so glad yours was a good experience! Once you find the "right group", group rides can be really fun because you get to know more people and may even help someone or learn a thing or two to help you with your own cycling ... all good! :cool:
As for the "pointing things out and yelling car back", that is pretty standard in road group rides. Personally, I ride on skinny tires but don't point out everything -- just those things that could really damage someone such as road kill, tree limbs, large rocks, and potholes/road dips. As for "Car Back", I get tired of always saying it and there is many a time where I will yell "lots of cars back and they still keep coming!" ... then I quit yelling. Most of the time, everyone else stops calling too unless there is a long lull in traffic and a car pops-up or a large truck, boat, etc. is coming. Also, I have noticed we use the "car back" alot when the group tends to get wider than single file or starts to wander into the lane a little more than we should ... just to try and keep everyone aware of surroundings and safe. Of course there are those who will constantly point and yell throughout the ride and it is nice to have them along because without them we may all run into something and hit a car!! :p :D :eek:
Welcome to group riding!!! ;)
I think the main thing about calling objects and cars is because if you're in a true paceline then you won't be able to see, well, anything other than the hips and bum of the one in front of you. So if there is something to see, they need to alert you, likewise, the last person on the line will be the first to know about a car and can oftentimes be the only way the people up front can be prepared for one coming up.
Calling out every car, though, on a busy road... well it does get old. Unless it's something large and shoulder-hogging like a trash truck or schoolbus...
Anyway glad your ride went well!
K.
Lisa, it is great your adventure turned out to be so pleasant. It is a good attribute to possess, and that is to always try something new, then make a decision about it after having had the experience.
For those of you who said you bike the same roads, just go onto Mapquest, input your starting point, and from there zoom in on the map and hit the NSWE buttons to follow different roads. This way you can map out all sorts of new routes to bike on. Try the new roads, and if the roads are not feasible, then try other roads. Cycling should always be fun and an adventure.
Lisa, if you don't have this link, review the event rides at this site. New events are added all the time, so you need to review the site once a week or so. Input the name of your state, and the site will tell you all of the event rides for your state. Go on one ride and see how you like it.
http://www.bikeride.com/calendar/events.asp
Darcy
Lisa,
I enjoyed reading your report of your first group ride. It surprised me also yelling out "car back" and pointing out problems in the road the when I rode with the club last year. Needless to say when I followed suit and felt like quite the cyclist.
I am happy it turned out to be an enjoyable experience for you and your dh.
~ JoAnn
Lisa, glad you had a safe and enjoyable ride. Another comment about the "car back" thing...let's say I'm riding up front and all of a sudden see a pothole I'm about to ride into. I will likely instinctively swerve to miss it, if it won't jeopardize other riders. If, however, someone had just called "car back" I would just hold my line and take the pothole. So that's another reason to call it out. If it's a long string of traffic then everyone should know that cars are back. If it's been awhile since a car came up then I'd be sure to call it out.
By giving a c+ rating he was trying to avoid what you didn't want...people who go too fast. So I don't see why you should be upset with that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
Now I'm not fast, but I did take exception to your comment about people who want to show off and go as fast as possible. What's wrong with that? Why do you think they are "showing off?" I want to go as fast as possible, but I'm not "showing off." For one thing, my fast as possible isn't very fast. I'm trying to build my speed and endurance - what's wrong with that? And I would suggest that I am enjoying my ride just as much as you are enjoying yours. Sure there are times that people in the group get competitive and the speed jumps up...but I don't think they are "showing off." Seems more to me like they are playing and enjoying their ride.
Let's ride our own ride. Fast or slow doesn't matter. One isn't better than the other. Let's not assume the reasons behind other people's actions.
Lit10up,
I do see your good points. You may be interpreting some of what i wrote in a different way than how I intended it:
Yes, DH and I certainly do call out "car!" on roads where cars are often irregular. I mentioned that this group was on a pretty busy highway and were calling out car back every 30 seconds- I thought that was a bit excessive for the situation. But yes I see your point. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by li10up
I do see how it is different when riding in a group line. Up to now, I have been used to riding alone or with DH and/or a couple friends- I have a helmet mirror that I sweep my eyes past automatically every 15 seconds or so while riding, without even thinking, the same way I automatically glance at my rear view mirror while driving. Usually on my bike I always know if there are any cars approaching at any given time. But like you say riding in a long line does partially block your vision and I can see how it necessitates more communication. I also understand that they need to be more wary of road irregularities.
As I said, I had hoped to learn new things about group riding and I hoped to not make any mistakes due to my ignorance of group riding. I was glad to learn what the routine is. I was glad to learn new things and new riding etiquette! This was a casual ride with good natured patient people and that made it a good learning ride for me to ride as a group for the first time. I was lucky!
Again, I had never encountered this way of rating people or cyclists (only movies, etc), and to me it was odd and different. I purposely reserved judgement about it despite it being vaguely disturbing to me on a gut level, until I learned more about it. Now I realize there is a good reason for it.Quote:
By giving a c+ rating he was trying to avoid what you didn't want...people who go too fast. So I don't see why you should be upset with that.
What I said was:Quote:
Now I'm not fast, but I did take exception to your comment about people who want to show off and go as fast as possible. What's wrong with that? Why do you think they are "showing off?" I want to go as fast as possible, but I'm not "showing off." For one thing, my fast as possible isn't very fast. I'm trying to build my speed and endurance - what's wrong with that? And I would suggest that I am enjoying my ride just as much as you are enjoying yours. Sure there are times that people in the group get competitive and the speed jumps up...but I don't think they are "showing off." Seems more to me like they are playing and enjoying their ride.
"One of my fears is that there will be mostly two kinds of riders there that I won't enjoy riding with- ....people who don't have common sense and might do dangerous things that put me in serious traffic jeopardy....and people who are show-off speed roadies who simply want to go as fast as possible."
What makes you think that "showing off" necessarily means something bad?
If I lose weight and am proudly "showing off" my new body in smaller clothes I don't think that a bad thing. If I "show off" a pair of socks I knit carefully. If a little kid on a mtn bike rides wheelies around me and then zooms past me while I'm sweating up a hill I see it as "showing off" but it's mostly funny too.
I was describing my FEARS that I would be in a situation where I didn't fit in with the skill level or couldn't keep up at all. If those other guys had simply wanted to show off their abilities they could have easily left me in the dust (and they did, on the hills!) and I would never have seen them again. But they chose to wait for me to catch up several times, they chose to keep their average speed donw for that ride to help encoourage me, and for that I was very grateful. I also asked the leader at the end whether he felt I was holding everyone back too much- I don't WANT to keep others from riding at their fastest level. I was riding as hard as I could, and I wouldn't want to prevent others from doing the same.
I have NO doubts that people who ride fast and hard are totally enjoying themselves and their ride- not sure why you think I think otherwise? I was revealing my own fears for my own as yet unknown experience.
Absolutely right, fast is not better than slow, and vice versa. But if skill and speed levels are too extremly diverse in a particular group of people, then perhaps it's better indeed to "ride our own ride" and not try to ride in a group.Quote:
Let's ride our own ride. Fast or slow doesn't matter. One isn't better than the other. Let's not assume the reasons behind other people's actions.
I was VERY pleased with having had such a considerate small group of people show me the ropes of group riding, so I won't be as clueless or afraid next time! :)
You are absolutely right...I assumed you meant "showing off" in a negative connotation. Reading it in context that's how it appeared to me but, as we all know, things online don't always come out as intended or aren't interpreted by others as intended.
I lead a beginners group ride and so I do know where you are coming from. Just last year I felt the same way. I was afraid I was holding everyone back, etc. It's nice to find those who kind of take you under their wing and look out for you and make you feel that all is well and welcomed in the group. That's what I try to do when I'm leading a ride. I'm always hoping that I can influence one more person to take up cycling.
I guess the reason I thought you were saying that those going fast weren't enjoying their ride was because you talked about how at your pace with DH how much you enjoyed the ride. I inferred, incorrectly, that you were insinuating that those who rode fast didn't have time to enjoy their rides.
So, I thank you for considering my views and I apologize for my misconceptions. Now let's raise a frosty one and then go for a ride!!!!
I agree with this, I like to ride fast, especially down hills. Although I just wanted to say thanks Lisa, for describing your ride, and your rides in general. They sound peaceful, relaxing and lovely, and I could really go for a ride like that right now. Yesterday's ride was a sufferfest and I'm going to need some motivation to get back out there. I'll keep you in mind on my next ride and just try to enjoy being out there in the beautiful place I live. Unfortunately I forget to do that sometimes.Quote:
Originally Posted by li10up
(But I'm waiting for a wind-less day to go back out!!)
I can see how my words could easily have been read with several different shadings.Quote:
Originally Posted by li10up
Thank you for being so gracious!
I would LOVE to go for a ride! :p
I keep having women in town come up to me when I'm on my bike and say stuff to me like "Oh I wish I could get my old bike out of the garage and get riding again, but I'd never be good at it or fast enough." I always tell them to just haul it out, take it to the local sport store for a tune-up, and then call me. I tell them I'd be thrilled to ride around the school parking lots for a while with them until they feel safe and then we could go on some short really easy rides. They then always object that they'd be "too slow" for me, and I have to reiterate again how I would absolutely LOVE to ride some beginner rides with them, that I am not so fast as they might think, and how I was in exactly the same place last summer as they are now, and what are they waiting for? So far no takers, but I WON'T give up. Someday I hope to be able to spread around some of the joy that biking has given to me. :)
Lisa, in response to your last post about the ladies--why not join the bike club and volunteer to lead some "D" rides? In our club we call these "social rides." They are short and slow. If it's really slow, the leaders will ride out ahead and then circle back. Also, it's a great confidence builder to the beginners to learn about "car back" and pointing out potholes, etc. It also is a wonderful opportunity to instill in them the importance of wearing a helmet and using hand signals. They will soon find that they can ride with the "big girls and boys."
Lisa - I'm so glad that you enjoyed your first group ride! I ride alone or just with DH a lot, so I actually still get nervous about every group ride where I don't know who's going to show up! Even now...3 summers after I started!Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
Anyway, I also wanted to comment on what you said above. I get a similar reaction from women at work. I'd love to get more women involved with athletics (biking in particular). I joined up with our company's MS150 team as the only woman 2 years ago in the hopes that it would inspire other women to come out. It seems to have had the opposite affect! They all think I'm some kind of super athlete (grouping me in the same circles as the marathoners at our office) and I keep trying to convince them that I'm nothing special and that anyone can ride. If you find a good way of encouraging those women, please share! I'd love to know what else I can do. Self-deprecation doesn't seem to work! :p
Yes well, the club leader did say to me that once there were enough participants they would then be able to split it into different level rides. The club is very new, and this is a rural area, so I really don't know how it is going to develop. I can't imagine myself leading rides yet until I have a bit more experience riding in groups, but it's not out of the question later on, I suppose.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aint Doody
There were only 5 of us last weekend- and that included me and my DH! :eek:
We'll see what the warm weather brings.
This morning I did give my email to a woman in town I saw who I happen to know got a new cross bike last Fall and hasn't ridden it much yet. She claims she's all out of shape now but she sure doesn't look it and besides she's in her 30's so she has the jump on me! Again, I offered to show her some easy rides around here, and she seemed semi-interested. Maybe I should put a note on some bulletin boards around town?
I think people see me in lycra and a helmet and gloves and they assume I'm some hot shot rider athlete or something...if only they knew the sordid truth!!:eek:
Just a couple more things about group rides...
Last year when I first started riding, I jumped right in and did a women's group ride about a month after I bought my bike. I was so nervous that someone had to tell me "okay, get on your bike." Everyone was very encouraging, and they all waited at the tops of the big hills until the last rider caught up and then waited longer so that last rider could catch her breath before starting up again. I find that this is pretty common in women's group rides around here, especially if it is aimed at beginner riders.
Try to learn about the etiquitte of the group you're riding with before the start of the ride. I remember one ride where the leader kept taking off at a pace that nobody else could keep up with. Once she explained that she was doing intervals, and that she would come back to the group in between her sets, everyone was okay with that and we knew she wasn't going to leave us on some unfamiliar route.
Group rides can definitely push you beyond your comfort zone, which is a great thing if you're trying to improve your cycling. Or they can just be social gatherings on wheels. This is where the A,B,C ratings come in handy!
One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is that group rides are a great way to meet new friends who share your passion. I've met more interesting people in the past year through cycling than any other avenue.
Don't be afraid to try the group ride. There's nothing like cruising along in a peleton and thinking "this is so cool." And if it's a group of all women-- then all the better!
cheers,
kate ;)