Am I being overly sensetive.

[DDH]

I have a question to pose to all of you. I have found a bike club here in town that is just starting out. I rode with them a month ago, and I told them before I started that I was very slow and didn't want to hold others up, so if they didn't want me along to please let me know. I'd rather people be up front and honest ya know?
Anyway, they were great to ride with that first time. They were all men, and they were a lot faster then me, of course, and the one guy stayed with me the whole time. As we rode a couple of the other guys came back to check on us and they seem like a great group.
They are a new club just starting out and he told me over and over not to worry about it, he does his training rides during the week, he didn't mind staying with me and riding slow. He was very encouragin on the hills and such and pushed me along. He said they are trying to grow in size with the club and in doing so, they need a diversity of riders.
Well, the next week I wasn't able to go and then they didn't have one the next week after that I think because he was sick, and then last week they were going at 2 in the afternoon and I am not up to riding in the mid-day heat so I opted not to go.
Well I emailed him just a bit ago about this weeks ride which is 25 miles in and are that I know is worse with hills than my area around here is, and told him that I am up to around 20 miles on my bike now and think I could do 25 but wanted his opinion.
He said he did think I would want to try this one. Well at first it didn't bother me, but now I am thinking. Wait a minute here, if you want to start a club and get more people in there, how can you keep having these long 20 to 25 mile rides on the weekend when most beginners cannot go that far.
You can't start a group that way, unless you are going to have some that don't mind riding with the slower people and riding less miles sometimes.
I mean, I want him to be honest with me about whether he thinks I can do it or not and I am not mad, I'm just confused on how you start a club, and then don't have easier rides for the beginners.
Should I say something to him or sugest something?
I'm now thinking that maybe they just want a club with people in their biking range and don't want to fool with beginners.
Which again is fine as long as they make the point to let folks know.

Okay, hit me with it girls. Am I being sensetive, and should I say anything or just leave it be.
Should I bother to try to ride with them anymore. My DH is telling me not to worry with them, but I don't want to seem like I am upset about it.
It's their club and I am the outsider.

[jobob]

Well I emailed him just a bit ago about this weeks ride which is 25 miles in and are that I know is worse with hills than my area around here is, and told him that I am up to around 20 miles on my bike now and think I could do 25 but wanted his opinion.
He said he did think I would want to try this one. Well at first it didn't bother me, but now I am thinking. Wait a minute here, if you want to start a club and get more people in there, how can you keep having these long 20 to 25 mile rides on the weekend when most beginners cannot go that far..

I don't understand, he encouraged you to give it a try, what more do you expect?

It sounds like a small group. Larger clubs have the member base to be able to offer rides that fulfill everyone's desires, but it sounds like this group is too small to accomodate everyone.

Is there another, larger club in your vicinity you could join?

[DDH]

I don't understand, he encouraged you to give it a try, what more do you expect?

It sounds like a small group. Larger clubs have the member base to be able to offer rides that fulfill everyone's desires, but it sounds like this group is too small to accomodate everyone.

Is there another, larger club in your vicinity you could join?

I'm sorry, I guess I should have re-read my post better. He said he did'nt think I should try it, not did.
I see why you are confused. Sorry for that.

[equus123]

this is my perspective...

20-25 miles IS considered a beginner's level because in the whole picture 20 miles is not that long of a ride, especially for a group. i don't mean any discouragement or hurt for you. i only mean it in a literal sense. if a cyclist cannot go more than 25 miles then he/she *probably* won't have the amount of time in the saddle, group riding skills, handling skills, etc. - to be able to safely and properly ride within a group setting.

i think 20 or 25 mile rides are an honest distance for a beginner's ride. if that is too much for you then wait a little bit before you get into it. time will only help you.

[mimitabby]

am i missing something? Join the club!
then it's YOUR club. Sensitive? I am too. I take everything like that personally.

if he says "I think it might be more than you can do" (is that what he said? re-read your post, it wasn't clear) if he's ridden with you, maybe he's just concerned that it is an order of magnitude harder than the last ride you completed with the club. But you just did some mighty hills on your own.
Call him back and say i did this hill and that hill recently, I think i can handle a 25 mile ride..

The problem is honestly, if these guys are A LOT better (ie faster) than you,
whoever holds back for you is not getting a workout like he'd like to.

There are some people that don't mind doing that, but most people are too self centered and want to ride their own ride.

I hope this helps.

[jobob]

There are some people that don't mind doing that, but most people are too self centered and want to ride their own ride.

Ouch, Mimi, that seems a little harsh to me. People have lives and responsibilities and might not have lots of time to devote to riding. So yes, I could see them wanting to get the most out of that time.

I used to teach a beginners road skills course which would kill my entire Saturday. We started out with 10 mile rides and by the 4th week we would be up to 25 (I think).

I don't teach that road skills class anymore, because after a while I didn't enjoy blowing a precious weekend day to ride a short distance at a slow pace. If that's being self-centered, so be it.

[mimitabby]

Jobob
i couldn't think of saying it another way. You took the initiative and taught beginners; but most people won't do that!
I've been on a lot of rides, and there are people that will stay in the back for folks like ME, but most won't.

[jobob]

Mimi, you'd probably like riding with my husband, he's super-patient and likes to ride in the back (and he has quite the fan club among the Northern California TE contingent, I'm finding out ). Alas, I'm nowhere near as patient as he.

[DDH]

am i missing something? Join the club!
then it's YOUR club. Sensitive? I am too. I take everything like that personally.

if he says "I think it might be more than you can do" (is that what he said? re-read your post, it wasn't clear) if he's ridden with you, maybe he's just concerned that it is an order of magnitude harder than the last ride you completed with the club. But you just did some mighty hills on your own.
Call him back and say i did this hill and that hill recently, I think i can handle a 25 mile ride..

The problem is honestly, if these guys are A LOT better (ie faster) than you,
whoever holds back for you is not getting a workout like he'd like to.

There are some people that don't mind doing that, but most people are too self centered and want to ride their own ride.

I hope this helps.

Your right, and I totally agree, and that's why I told him over and over that I don't want to hold them back, and I was very slow. I'm not really upset over him telling me he didn't think I would want to ride this one as I am over the fact that they say they want to start a larger club with more deverse riders but then don't have any easier rides for the beginners.
The last 3 weeks have been killer hills along with 30 miles, and 50 miles rides and then this week is 25 which I could totally do, but am not sure about the killer hills with it. LOL
I guess I will just ride with them when they have the little bit shorter distances. I really don't want to slow them down when they want to ride hard so that is why I always email him and ask him whether he thinks it's one I can do or not.
I'd rather ride a ride I know I can do and not make someone have to come pick me up or something, and then be embarassed.

[Tuckervill]

Your right, and I totally agree, and that's why I told him over and over that I don't want to hold them back, and I was very slow. I'm not really upset over him telling me he didn't think I would want to ride this one as I am over the fact that they say they want to start a larger club with more deverse riders but then don't have any easier rides for the beginners.
The last 3 weeks have been killer hills along with 30 miles, and 50 miles rides and then this week is 25 which I could totally do, but am not sure about the killer hills with it. LOL
I guess I will just ride with them when they have the little bit shorter distances. I really don't want to slow them down when they want to ride hard so that is why I always email him and ask him whether he thinks it's one I can do or not.
I'd rather ride a ride I know I can do and not make someone have to come pick me up or something, and then be embarassed.

Responding to the part I bolded.

DON'T ask him if he thinks you can do it. Get the route, look it up yourself and decide for your own fine self whether you want to tackle it or not! You decide! Use your power! You rock!

Karen

[DDH]

Thanks girls for all the advice and comments.
I am not mad or even really hurt, I was just confused as to whether they really want to start a club for everyone or just for thier own elite.
If thats what they want, that is their own priveledge and I have no problem with it really, as long as they make it clear and be up front about it.
They advertise at the LBS and that is where I got the number.
Please believe me when I say, they were great to ride with when I did ride with them. I ride by myself all the time so I don't mind being left behind as long as I have a map of the route and someone knows that I am riding so they know I'm out there.
Trust me I made all of that very clear and yes he was honest and I definitely appreciate that. I would rather someone be up front with me.
I just got a little sensetive I guess about, if they really want to start a club for everyone then they have to include everyone with different rides and such. I really think that they want this but right now, they just don't have anyone but me that is slow and a beginner "so to speak".
Like I said, I don't want to be the one slowing eveyrone down. I did email him yesterday and told him that maybe if they get more beginners I could be their leader to help them with the route and those guys can still get a good workout.

[7rider]

am i missing something? Join the club!
then it's YOUR club.

I'd agree with this.
If it's a new bike club - it's probably a bunch of folks who knew each other and said "Hey! We should form a ride club!" - and you went and joined in and now they're puzzled by what to do with their own success (gulp! New folks actually joining the club!).
Ultimately, any group of riders will have folks of vastly different skill sets, and eventually, once it gets big enough, the group will, by necessity, splinter into different sub-groups.

Get the cue sheet - or have them make one for you - and offer to start up the "B" group rides. See if someone knows the area better than you who can initially lead a beginner group (or offer to lead it yourself). Encourage them to have their wives join you (if it's mostly guys and they're much faster than you - not making a sexist generalization here!). It's an opportunity.....Plus, as an added bonus, you'll meet more cyclists of your own ability and goals (b/c not everyone rides to go fast).

[Geonz]

This is a really common problem with about every small or medium sized bike club I know. See the other thread rolling around about "group ride etiquette" question ( http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=17872 ) .
Some clubs rotate the ride leader for the "everybody" ride, so that one person isn't always the one getting the slow ride. They have to be organized enough to think of that and do it, though
See if you can bring others into the fold. For a long time I could go 40 miles, but at 12 mph. - a function of skill and my bicycle. There's a big group of folks like that in the Richmond Area Bicycling Association (or at least there was) - only when I moved away did I discover that's uncommon. Even out here, our beginner ride on Saturday often goes 20-25 miles, though we do not have hills and that makes all the difference.

[jobob]

mea culpa - there I am talking about "blowing" a Saturday teaching the beginners class. Talk about sounding harsh

In actuality, I enjoyed teaching the road skills course. It was a lot of fun and very gratifying. It's great to see how most of the students really took to it, and to know that I was a part of it.*

The parts that got old had nothing to do with the students - there were actually a couple of other teachers that got under my skin after a bit (snapdragen would totally understand where I'm coming from here ) and it was a long drive for us to and from the start of the rides.

And, unfortunately, since I wasn't getting very much riding in while I was teaching the course, my own fitness really suffered during that time !

*Here's something that I'm especially proud of - one of my students from a couple of years ago really got into riding, and this year she completed three double centuries for a California Triple Crown !

I have to admit I was tickled pink and super-proud when I heard that.

[Triskeliongirl]

I will also chime in that I agree, he is being extremely sensitive to encourage you to try, and to have stayed behind with you like he did. 20-25 miles IS a beginners distance. Our club rides usually vary from 30-75 miles. Our beginners rides are in the 30 mile range, and if you are really slow its hard to find someone willing to stay with you.