Angry about today's club ride

[KnottedYet]

I'd say the domineering ride leader was a major b*tthead and irresponsible!

[ace]

He is. He treats the "Lights" like we're his little fiefdom, and I think no one else in the club wants to give up their Saturdays to lead us, so even though everyone in the club knows he's a nut case, they let him lead.

He is very good about instructing people on how to cycle well (shifting, pedalling, etc.), but sorely lacking in coaching on group riding skills, safety, etc. He told me today that he can hear the people in the back when they were saying "car back!" so it was disruptive for the rest of us to repeat it! How does he know that everyone could hear them? Plus, last year he basically wouldn't let me stop to drink on a couple of rides when it was over 90 degrees, said I had to learn to drink while riding. I ended up getting heat exhaustion twice (I have a camelbak now so that problem's resolved).

He's not a bad person, just drunk on power and clueless.

[makbike]

I think there is at least one of these in every club! I've had my encounter with my club's jerk captain and I typically will not participate in his rides (not that he cares but I choose not to subject myself to his inflated ego).

I'm sorry you had to endure this today. I hope you recover quickly.

[Triskeliongirl]

A suggestion, why don't you volunteer to lead the beginners ride. Leading ride doesn't take a lot of experience, it just takes being willing to show up early, pass out maps, and ideally STICK to the planned route, periodically stopping to regroup. If you feel you are not fast enough, you can also 'lead from the back' , letting everyone know ahead of time where the regroup points are.

[ace]

You know, Trisk, I thought about it, but not this year for a couple reasons-

1) I am going to skip a few of the rides, because they're too much climbing for my knee

2) I'll be in Italy for 3 weekends so would miss those rides, too

Also, leading in this club seems to require some mechanical ability, and I can barely change my own flats.

There are a couple of hundred people in my club, there's gotta be someone better suited then that guy. The co-leader (and pretty much everyone else in the club) just doesn't want to go head to head with the guy, so until the club confronts the issue he presents, nothing will change.

I will feel much better when I've had my say to the prez.

[MINIskirt]

Wow! That really stinks! I'm glad you emailed the club president to let him know what happened.

[Jenn]

Ace, THAT SUCKS!!! Bless your heart, oh I hope you are icing that knee, and taking it easy.....excuse my language but what a bunch of crap!!
See, that is EXACTLY why we decided not to go on this new group ride in 2 weeks, and wait and train and do the half century at our pace in June.
I am sorry that happend, it's just not right. But, it brings up a topic I was actually going to address.
What is the deal when you are riding, if you pass a fellow cyclist, most will wave, but some just act as if....."I don't see you I'm WAY to above!!"
That is the ONLY thing I don't like about this sport is the holier then thou attitude, it really pisses me off!!
Everyone starts at the bottom, EVERYONE, and we ALL have to work or repair our selves back up!!

[matagi]

The guy sounds like a bit of a jerk, but did you try talking to him about this? Or is he one of those people that treats every suggestion like a personal insult?

And I disagree - leading a ride, especially a beginner's ride, requires a lot of skill, because what you should be doing as part of the ride is teaching your beginners cycling skills. Any fool can ride in a straight line, but how about emergency braking, bunny hops, bunch etiquette, stuff like that?

The other suggestion I would make is to take a map so if you decide you can't continue, you at least know how to find your way back.

[Triskeliongirl]

Oh, I totally agree that he was wrong and you did the right thing. I just wanted to point out, without knowing the specifics of your situation, that even a bad ride leader is still a volunteer who is giving up his/her time, and that sometimes by getting involved ourselves can make a difference in our club. Clearly there is a problem with your club finding good people to lead these rides, so if it had made sense for you to volunteer, you could set a good example. In our club, each month the ride chair circulates the ride list to a group of regular ride leaders, and we volunteer for the rides we want to start. Some of us have a regular ride, others do it less frequently, so you only have to commit to one ride at a time. You could do it once a year or twelve+ times a year. In general, our slower riders tend to volunteer to lead the beginner rides, so people are not being forced to ride a pace that is not natural for them. Just a suggestion. But what a jerk, I hope you are not in as much pain as you are expecting tomorrow!