For the first time ever... I got kicked off a group ride for being too fast! HA!

[KSH]

Went out to ride last night with the Carrollton, TX club on their group ride. I've been doing this ride for about a month, and it's never the same... meaning I just kind of go with a group and always end up with people who sprint off.

Well... It was so windy! VERY WINDY! And I went with the group I thought was my speed.

They were going a slower speed, but I was fine with that due to the wind.

Then we hit the section with the hills. I tend to fast up the hills, but I held back and didn't push it. I wanted to stay with the group. But ya know, there comes a point where if you go slow on hills, it's just downright miserable.

So I got ahead of the main group. I saw some people who were faster who took off. I decided to wait at the light for the slower group as I didn't want to push it. My IT band was hurting and my knee wasn't feeling great.

So the group catches up, and then I fall behind the group leader. Then we go up another hill, I was going slow, but it was painful slow. So I sped up some and got a little bit ahead of him. Mind you was only doing 15.5 mph and I have done 18+ up this hill. I was holding back. It wasn't my intention to cream people going up the hill.

Apparently this is grumpy ride leader. Someone told me about him the week before... the leader you DO NOT PASS. I didn't remember that and didn't know this was him.

So as I'm like 5 feet ahead of him going up this hill.... he starts to yell at me..." Well go on then... JUST GO ON! Go ahead! TAKE OFF! JUST LEAVE!"

Trust me, he was yelling and it wasn't in a friendly tone. He was ticked off and wanted me off the ride.

I turned around and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I was going as slow as I could... I couldn't go any..." and stopped myself from saying slower.

He was ticked off at me... so I just took off.

Yep... I got KICKED OFF A GROUP RIDE! First time ever. TOO FUNNY! Seriously. Me? Getting kicked off a group ride for being too fast? That's a first.

Then I heard them yelling right turn... I continued on ahead and went my own route.

After the ride was done I saw some of the people from the ride, one of them a guy I have ridden with for years.

They assured me that the ride leader is a grumpy old man who does that to everyone who passes him. Man, someone needs to pull the stick out of the ride leaders rear. Hump.

[F8th637]

Pfft. . sounds like Grumpy Ride Leader needed an attitude adjustment. At least you were forewarned about him and I'm glad you aren't taking it personally. I think you might have bruised Grumpy Ride Leader's ego.

[Bad JuJu]

I think you might have bruised Grumpy Ride Leader's ego.

Yep, that's what it sounds like to me, and what a particularly bruisable and insecure little ego it must be to be threatened by someone getting a few feet ahead of him on a climb.

You speed demon, you!

[Tri Girl]

That's funny! It's all the IM training you've been doing. You're just too fast for you own good, now.
And what a grump. I wouldn't want to ride with him even if I stayed behind him. You probably had more fun on your own anyway- so there!

[smilingcat]

Hi KSH,

sorry to hear about your encounter with grumpy old man. It's OK to take off the front on a hill climb like you did (unless its mentioned before the ride that its not OK). All group leaders should be well aware that on a hill, the group will break up. So it is a point for any group ride to regroup at the top of the hill. And allow enough rest time for the last rider up the hill to recover.

Even with a group of beginning riders, the leader must make it plain and simple, and clear on where to stop and regroup. Group leader always ride with the slowest rider up the hill. He shouldn't be at the lead on a hill climb. Or at the least have one of the stronger rider ride with the weakest to help encourage the last one up the hill.

Allowing stronger riders to race up the hill is a good thing. It gives the stronger rider a reason for the group ride, to push their limit, burn off excess energy and make them feel like the group ride was worth while effort. What is the point of a group ride if you didn't feel like you got a good workout? Maybe for social rides but not on a training ride.

shheeesh. The grumpy old rider needs to check his ego and learn about leading a ride.

Anyway, sprinting off the front on a hill is okay. sprinting off on the flat is bit of a no-no for a group ride. Just my opinion and the groups I've ridden with. Men tend to get their egos bruised when a woman rides in the front. It usually ends up being a free for all race.

oh out of curiosity, 18MPH going up a hill? how steep and how long? and the group avged 14MPH?? yikes.

smilingcat

[mimitabby]

Smiling cat, she's in Dallas. I don't think we have the same definition of hills,
but it doesn't change the story. I've ridden with a lot of grumpy old men, but that one takes the cake. I'm glad you KSH aren't feeling too bad about it.
he needs an attitude adjustment.

[Tuckervill]

There's no way in he!! I would allow him to run me off after that...I'd just stay out in front the whole way--just far enough out front that he couldn't catch me without leaving the group, and just close enough to tick him off. But I'm just stubborn that way. What better way to give him what for?

Karen

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, just to present another viewpoint, not saying this is the case here, but....I've been on rides where one person is obviously holding back, jumps ahead a bit and then drops back, jumps ahead again, falls back....sort of like a racehorse bucking at the gate. It can be rather annoying not to mention distracting. A lot of unnecessary passing is imposed on everyone as well.
A friend of ours sometimes rides with us- he is a real fast rider and hates to ride slowly. As we slowly spin our way up a hill, he will zoom up the hill on his titanium bike, mashing all the way, then come back down and ride around us in a circle and zoom backup the hill again. We love our friend, but I still think that's kind of a show-off-y thing to do- making us feel like snails, especially since my DH hangs back on hills out of sweetness, for my benefit. I'd much rather our friend just go on ahead and then wait under a tree for us somewhere.
I guess it's just obvious that KSH needs to ride in the faster group next time!


18mph uphill?-

Smiling cat, she's in Dallas. I don't think we have the same definition of hills

Like, yeah! That would be a flat straightaway over here. Or maybe even a downhill...

[imdeanna]

Here's what the leader looked like:

AND to you KSH:

[KSH]

Awe, you ladies crack me up!

Smilingcat, you described perfectly what I have found on group rides before. And typically on this group ride!

Uh, yea... I'm in Dallas. Hills to us are inclines or slight inclines to others! Although, I will say for us Dallas-ites... these hills are a bit on the challenging side. HA!

Tuckerville.. you are a such a rebel! You know, I really didn't mean to tick anyone off, and I honestly have never been YELLED at on a ride like that. Shoot, I'm usually in the back following everyone. I like being last, not first.

BleeckerSt_Girl I can see your point of view. And yes, if it's a group posted at a certain speed, and the ride leader is there to keep that average for everyone... someone sprinting off ahead and making the average speed of the group go up is not cool.

I really get annoyed when I'm on a group ride and we are holding a nice steady average, and then some men at the front get all competitive and start going faster... which in turn makes the group go faster.

My goal was NOT do this. Which is why I even fell behind the group leader after I waited for the group at the end of the first 2 hills. Then when we went up the third hill, I was trying to go slow... but it was getting rather... well, too slow. So I just went around him to the side and rode up slightly to the side of him (it was a VERY WIDE lane). That way I wasn't on his wheel or overlapping. Then he freaked out on me.

Yes, I was with the wrong group. It was my fault for:

1) Not noticing the group I usually ride with take off.

2) Not going with the people who sprinted off up the hills and through the lights.

3) For thinking I would be OK with going slower on my ride than I usually do... because of the wind and heat. Unfortunately, I underestimated my skill level sometimes.

But that guy didn't have to be so freaking rude about it. And until that point, I was at the end of the group, letting others ride in front of me... the whole time.

[Zen]

somewhere.
I guess it's just obvious that KSH needs to ride in the faster group next time

yup

[sundial]

They assured me that the ride leader is a grumpy old man who does that to everyone who passes him.

Men--they're sooooooo competitive. LOL!!

[Bad JuJu]

A friend of ours sometimes rides with us- he is a real fast rider and hates to ride slowly. As we slowly spin our way up a hill, he will zoom up the hill on his titanium bike, mashing all the way, then come back down and ride around us in a circle and zoom backup the hill again. We love our friend, but I still think that's kind of a show-off-y thing to do- making us feel like snails, especially since my DH hangs back on hills out of sweetness, for my benefit. I'd much rather our friend just go on ahead and then wait under a tree for us somewhere.
I guess it's just obvious that KSH needs to ride in the faster group next time!

I've got a riding buddy who does that "ride circles around you" kind of thing, and I'm not saying our situation is the same as yours, BSG, but with my friend, it's not in any way meant to make me feel snail-like (though, in the interest of full disclosure, I fully admit that I am--snail-like, that is ).

My friend sometimes feels unequal to the faster group, but he's somewhat faster than our small, slower group, so sometimes he chooses to ride with us, but, being a stronger climber, he will occasionally ride ahead a bit then circle around and rejoin us. We know he doesn't mean anything by it--he's just making the best of the situation: not trying to make us go faster than we want to--or can!--but still wanting to get in his own best ride.

I guess attitude has a lot to do with this, and everyone understanding one another's goals. Anyway, just my little two cents.

[colby]

A few weeks ago I was riding on a local trail and came up to pass a guy who must have been riding with his wife - she was on a road bike, he was on a hybrid. They weren't serious all-out riders, but he was riding a little in the middle of the trail. A guy was walking a dog off the trail coming the other direction, toward us. I said "on your left" and started to pass the guy (who was pretty much in the middle of the path at this point) and his wife, and he literally started yelling at me. What if the guy's dog jumped out, what are you thinking, why are you such an idiot, on and on (well past the point where I was past him and his wife). I agree with his point - I should leave more room and be careful about passing when people are coming the other way. His delivery, however, could use some work.

Sounds like that's kind of how this situation was... yeah, you get the point, you should be riding with the other group. But why do you have to pay for it by getting screamed at? What does that solve? We all do these rides, we all have to see each other next week... we all live in the same town, we all have the same goal - enjoying ourselves on our bikes. Why can't we be friendly about it?

Some people's children.

[Crankin]

I have led a couple of rides where I knew there were a couple of men who could climb faster than me. I told them to go ahead and appointed a friend of mine who I knew would be responsible for keeping them in line until we got to the regroup place. Normally my husband would have been in the front to lead, but he couldn't come those days. Of course, in my club we are required to keep people together and have a sweep who really does stay with the slowest people.

I have been on other rides where I find that we stay together until the climbs. This is with another group that generally has people who average 13-14 and a smaller group who average around 15-16. Even on the climbs I tend to be with the front group and if the leader is someone who isn't as strong on hills, I have had them tell me to go ahead and wait. Most of these riders do not do the climbing I do, and although I am not fast by any means, I find your definition of a climb is very dependent on where you live and ride.