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

[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.

[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.

[Running Mommy]

I see the "other viewpoints" expressed, but I SO would have gone off on him after the ride! Just because he's the group leader for that ride doesn't give him the right to berate you in front of others!
This is a club ride correct??
I've seen many times where one (usually rather obnoxious) person appoints themselves as leaders, and makes everyone else fall in line.
I can't believe that the others are putting up with it??!!
Sheesh. The guy needs to be put in his place.
If he had a problem with your pace then he should have ridden up alongside you and asked that you not leap frog. - In a NICE CALM TONE....

[Zen]

The guy needs to be put in his place.

Eh.
Life is too short.
If people don't like the way he leads a ride then he won't have any riders to lead.
A non-confrontational way of "putting him in his place".

[lattae]

We had an older man in our group that would always set things up for where and when we'd all ride. He'd get irritated if a certain woman in our group who was faster would go ahead and ride ahead of the slower riders..

Over the past 4 years that we'd all ride together our grumpy older man started to become more irritated with people in general. He'd really become defensive and belligerant if we would ask about his food and drink intake on the rides.. but he'd always give out unsolicted advice all the time. He started to really become short tempered with all of us also so subsequently, our riding group has broken up except for my girlfriend and I. I'd still ride with him off and on approx year ago but he snapped at me while we were on a long organized ride.. I had no indications at all that he was upset or irriated but all of a sudden he had this angry outburst directed at me.... I decided that his friendship wasn't worth keeping and was very angry with him since we did have a friendship for about 4 years. The only bad thing was that we'd run into this man at the local coffee shop or on our local trails.

[KSH]

Well, I'm really perplexed by this situation.

Apparently, this grumpy old man has verbally attacked people before... and for years.

When I posted about this on my local cycling club's message board, I got a few "OH! That guy!" stories. Someone even commented how the other cycling club's President supposedly addressed the issue. Yea... uummm... NOT.

What they don't get is this... he's going to scare people off. And luckily I knew the area and I'm a confident, seasoned rider with a thick skin...but I know some ladies who would probably end up crying and lost, after him kicking them off the ride and verbally attacking them.

Well, I wasn't a member of that club before, but I am now! I made sure to sign up and pay my dues... so if he does it again, I will let him know that I'm in the club and I don't appreciate him yelling at me.

I don't take kindly to anyone trying to bully me... physically or verbally. I was nice the first time, but if it ever happens again, he's getting it right back.

I have found that usually people who bully others, back off when they realize they can't bully someone.

[colby]

Well, I wasn't a member of that club before, but I am now! I made sure to sign up and pay my dues... so if he does it again, I will let him know that I'm in the club and I don't appreciate him yelling at me.

I don't take kindly to anyone trying to bully me... physically or verbally. I was nice the first time, but if it ever happens again, he's getting it right back.

I have found that usually people who bully others, back off when they realize they can't bully someone.

Next time, you can tell him to get used to looking at your butt, because that's going to be his regular view of you unless he gets his act together.

[Mr. SR500]

Makes me glad to live and ride where I do. The local guys are great, group rides test you and press you, but are always a blast.

[KSH]

Makes me glad to live and ride where I do. The local guys are great, group rides test you and press you, but are always a blast.

Well, the cycling club I have ridden with for four years... the Greater Dallas Bicyclists have been nothing but an amazing group to ride with! Always welcoming, never rude and they don't verbally attack anyone. If someone is not following the rules of the ride, they just politely let that person know.

I also use to ride with the Plano Bicycle Association. Again, wonderful people. Nothing but great experiences.

And even though this club... the Carrollton Cycling Club... has not been overly friendly towards me... no one else in the club has been as rude as this guy was. It's just bad because they let him lead rides and represent the club.