getting dropped

[Jiffer]

I haven't had a lot of opportunity to ride with our club because of scheduling conflicts. However, I haven't made to much of a point to try, either, because I figure I'll just get left in the dust anyways. Yet, I discovered our club had a new women's only ride every Sunday afternoon. I tried it last weekend and was excited to actually be among the faster riders. We stopped a million times to wait and then one gal and I got so far ahead, we missed a turn and lost the group all together. I made a point to hook up her (exchanged phone numbers) and she almost went on a beach ride with me and another girlfriend of mine the next day, but couldn't make it. The point is, one group is too fast, the other is too slow, so I worked at making my own group of women riders. I also find sucking other girlfriends into riding helps! (I just snagged a new one who bought a bike yesterday. Woo hoo!)

[Fredwina]

I haven't had a lot of opportunity to ride with our club because of scheduling conflicts. However, I haven't made to much of a point to try, either, because I figure I'll just get left in the dust anyways. Yet, I discovered our club had a new women's only ride every Sunday afternoon. I tried it last weekend and was excited to actually be among the faster riders. We stopped a million times to wait and then one gal and I got so far ahead, we missed a turn and lost the group all together. I made a point to hook up her (exchanged phone numbers) and she almost went on a beach ride with me and another girlfriend of mine the next day, but couldn't make it. The point is, one group is too fast, the other is too slow, so I worked at making my own group of women riders. I also find sucking other girlfriends into riding helps! (I just snagged a new one who bought a bike yesterday. Woo hoo!)

For that one I usually ride over, do the ride, and ride home.
Yes it tends to be slow riders. I figure that way I can I can get in workout and help out some new riders - I get about 30 miles that way
The Saturday rides probably could stand some more slower riders, but it seem be in a "chicken or egg" situation. I.e. No wants to come out and get dropped, but we can't build the slower riders unless we have a base.
it make take some compromise on you all part to find a riding partner. I was think about his yesterday (sorry about being late). One of our older club member hadn't been on the bike for while,and I was moving on down Baseline road(about 20 mph). He complained about the pace, so I dialed it back a bit

[smilingcat]

talking about getting dropped. reminds me of a story from my brother-in-law. He has a training rides with his club. A young "punk" shows up and kept disrupting the training ride by going out too fast instead of customary 10-15 minute warm up run. And during pace line, he would surge out front instead of maintaining the training speed.

My in law and his buddy decided one day to let the boy surge out way ahead. then they changed their training route by turning onto some other road. They didn't see the boy the rest of the day. Happy riding I guess... He thought it was funny. I said the group was being mean...

So you could get "dropped" out front.

smilingcat

[kelownagirl]

talking about getting dropped. reminds me of a story from my brother-in-law. He has a training rides with his club. A young "punk" shows up and kept disrupting the training ride by going out too fast instead of customary 10-15 minute warm up run. And during pace line, he would surge out front instead of maintaining the training speed.

My in law and his buddy decided one day to let the boy surge out way ahead. then they changed their training route by turning onto some other road. They didn't see the boy the rest of the day. Happy riding I guess... He thought it was funny. I said the group was being mean...

So you could get "dropped" out front.

smilingcat

I did that to my dh once...

[OakLeaf]

So you could get "dropped" out front.

That's okay (and appropriate IMO) on an informal ride, but if it's an organized club ride with a designated leader, policies usually dictate that the leader has to go after the rabbit, so that s/he can make sure everyone finished the ride. A rider with that very habit is one of the reasons our Wednesday ride leader resigned at the end of last season

[PscyclePath]

That's okay (and appropriate IMO) on an informal ride, but if it's an organized club ride with a designated leader, policies usually dictate that the leader has to go after the rabbit, so that s/he can make sure everyone finished the ride. A rider with that very habit is one of the reasons our Wednesday ride leader resigned at the end of last season

Depends on the club rules and "generally accepted practices"... Several clubs have a general rule where if you pass the ride leader and sprint off past the horizon, you're no longer part of the ride and are wholly on your own after that. Our group (Arkansas Bicycle Club) hasn't discovered the concept of cue sheets just yet, so I've used some of these instances last year as a teaching point, and taken the pack off to a parallel, but different road for better scenery or less traffic.

Outside of learning to ride in a racing peloton or practicing race tactics, your average club ride is intended to be a social occasion where we share our enjoyment of this marvelous sport. In Magnuson's book, Heft on Wheels, his friend Saki always admonished, "Ride together."

Add together the fact that a pack of cyclists quickly succumbs to groupthink like a school of fish, and successful ride leading becomes nearly a black art...

[SadieKate]

Yep, the 3rd time you zoom out in front of the ride leader and you miss the turn? We're not chasing you down and your rescue and return factor is now entirely up to you. When we count noses at intersections/turns, the total has just dropped by one nose.

You get one freebie no matter what. You get a 2nd because I'm just too much of a mother-hen guilt ridden sort. The 3rd time, you're on your own.

I have no problems with people riding in front of the ride leader, but only if they stop at all the intersection that we've agreed to AND they know how to get to that intersection.

[SadieKate]

That's okay (and appropriate IMO) on an informal ride, but if it's an organized club ride with a designated leader, policies usually dictate that the leader has to go after the rabbit, so that s/he can make sure everyone finished the ride. A rider with that very habit is one of the reasons our Wednesday ride leader resigned at the end of last season

Sorry, but I think that even on an organized club ride a repeat offender should be allowed to "drop" themselves off the front. The group isn't dropping the offender, the rider is doing to the dropping him(or her)self.

Good ride leaders are far too valuable a resource to waste.

[indysteel]

Our weekday training rides, which are sponsored by the club and do have a ride leader, are marked so you can ride at whatever pace you want, although the expectation is that you stay with the group (there are actually at least two groups at most rides, one faster than the other). If you pull ahead or get dropped, you're on our own. The ride leaders will sweep the course if someone doesn't return to the parking lot within a reasonable time. There are multiple training rides, however, around town on any given day. Some are more "maternalistic/paternalistic" than others. The more they cater to the racers in the club, the less likely that anyone will care if you stay with the group.

When I ride more informally with a group of friends, we stick together. I've never known anyone to sprint off and I've never known us not to slow down if somebody starts to struggle.