Cycling Club Shennanigans

[WindingRoad]

There was a ride that started at 6:30 Sunday evening to an area of the city that has luminary's all around their neighborhoods. Unfortunately in order to get to this part of the city you have to ride through some sketchy neighborhoods. Me, my boyfriend and some new friends I knew from online all met up and planned to ride together. First of all, we just had a considerable amount of snow so the ride started on the bike trail and it was covered in packed snow and solid ice. It was nearly impossible to ride through in places. I was on a mountain bike and still almost bit it numerous times. So then we get to the luminary neighborhood and the snow is like 2 inches deep all through the streets and super slick! I had to get off my bike and walk because there were cars going by us. I'm sliding all over the place so I just did NOT feel comfortable being that close to cars. At this point there are really no ride leaders around and the only people I do know that are associated with the cycling club inform me that they aren't going back to the start of the ride One nice older gentleman offered to ride back to my car with me. We picked up another rider on the way back. This guy and myself had ridden down the bike trail and both were horrified by it. The gentleman that was nice enough to ride back with me wasn't even on the ride. He was out delivering meals to families in need on his bike with a bob-tail trailer. How cool is that, he was the highpoint of my ride I guess my point is that I can't believe this was considered an organized ride. There was no ride leader to be found. There were no maps. No one asked if anyone was new. Like I said, some of the people I knew from online came down to do this ride from another town so they had NO idea where they were in Indianapolis. Fortunately my boyfriend got separated with them and knew the city well enough to get them back. I can't believe he and I got separated. From what we pieced together one of the other riders on the ride was telling people to go and wait at a certain point and then they left and didn't wait??? Keep in mind the areas around this neighborhood we rode to are really bad in parts. I used to commute a lot through Indy but my boyfriend hasn't he was pretty shaken up and my online friends were really upset and angry too. They drove all the way here just to be dropped off in a crappy neighborhood because the weather was so bad they really should have cancelled the ride. This isn't the kind of ride that is supposed to be 'hard core' it's supposed to just be fun. It sooooooo wasn't fun. Ironically I rode with the president of this club for a brief period and we were talking about the cycling clubs in Philadelphia (as many of you know I recently move from Indy to Philly) and I was telling him how nice the clubs were and how organized they were. He was very interested and wondered if they could learn from the Philly clubs. Let me see.... where to begin. As a brand new rider in Philly not once was I EVER left anywhere. A ride leader was always checking on me if they thought I was getting tired. I even had an unexpected mechanical dropped my chain in the middle of a steep intersection. They didn't just keep going, they stopped, and a couple riders came back to help me out. I got the chain back on all was fine but had they just left me like they did in Indy I would have be completely lost! I am so completely disappointed in the Indy club. I don't think I will be going with them again. Super lame and disappointing

[tulip]

What we have here is a failure to communicate! Sorry you had a bad ride. It does happen. Sounds like a great ride with studded tires, but too slick for regular tires.

Sounds like your expectations did not match with the club's intentions. Maybe the ride leader decided to skip it because of the road conditions (a reasonable decision!), leaving folks like you and others searching for a leader. Maybe it was more casual ride--without a ride leader--than you understood it to be. And maybe the club leaders dropped the ball.

I guess my take is that no matter what the ride, each rider must be prepared to take care of themselves. That means maps (even if not provided), phones, clothes, food, tools, lights...So while I understand your frustration, I also figure that anyone who would go on a ride should have a back up plan in case things don't work out as planned.

Glad you got home safely. How were the lights?

[WindingRoad]

Let me clarify something, the fact that we were riding on the bike path after dark is illegal normally. Therefore the ride leader is a police officer and this is the only way we can do this ride is escorted by him. I think that sort of inherently requires that we stay together, with him. Generally we take the same bike path back to the start but we didn't even have the option to do that because he left a bunch of us. I agree this was a lack of communication but it could have had some very serious consequences. IMO if you are going to hold a ride and invite people out at night, in 20 degree weather and going through bad neighborhoods you should at least make sure everyone who starts with you stays with you. Maybe they should have had more ride leaders? I dunno? This particular club has problems recruiting new members and retaining them, it seems to me this is probably a large part of that problem. I know as someone who's gone to a new unfamiliar place, I brought my GPS with me the first time or two I went on rides because I wanted to be prepared for the worst. Even if I had been dropped on those rides I think the emotional damage of being left for 'dead' would have made me not go back. I'm pretty self sufficient but isn't one of the main points of riding in a group the safety factor? If people just ride off and leave each other, intentional or not, that doesn't make any rider feel welcome or wanted. This is just my opinion. I have lead rides too so I understand how hard it is to keep people together at times. However, I wanted to make absolutely positive that no one was turned against cycling because of a lack of communication like this. Not to mention I don't want to horrify anyone by leaving them somewhere and they are lost. Because no matter how 'tough' we say we are it never feels good to get left behind in this situation.

[indysteel]

Sorry you had such a bad time. I've never had a desire to do that ride because it seems rather a bad idea in bad weather. I agree that they probably should have cancelled the ride. By the same token, however, anybody who chose to participate in the ride arguably should have anticipated some spotty conditions, especially on neighborhood streets.

In any event, if you're really bothered by what happened, send an email to the ride leader and/or to the leader of CIBA's ride committee. They should be open to criticism and comment, so let them know you felt that the ride was badly organized and, at times, unsafe. To the extent it was labeled as a "Grand Touring" ride, the ride leader should have tried to keep everybody together.

[Roadtrip]

+1 on the poor move on behalf of the ride "leader" and sorry you had a bad ride.

Perhaps given you've come from a place where they had a really good club, you can help change this club, as it does seem the President is at least willing to listen to some ideas.

It really sounds like the "leadership" is ran too thin or perhaps new to being in charge. I coached Softball one summer and it was a total disaster. There was no leadership to speak of and all the things I was told coming in (recruitment) ended up being lies. The offers of help, the support system, all the things they promised me went away once the first game started, when they all turned competitive and were only out to run up the score on my team.

I finished out the season and turned in my equipment and never went back. It made me look bad to the girls I was coaching as it seemed I was the one not in control. I had a player injured on the field and actually ended up breaking her ankle, but because I was the only coach and didn't have any assistants, I was left to try and manage the entire game and didn't see all of the play and she didn't tell me she was hurt. She complained about the other team playing dirty, but never about her foot, so I left her in the game which was about over. I felt horrible when she showed up at the next practice in a cast and her parents weren't too happy with me, but I simply explained to them had I known their daughter was hurt I would have stopped and had her treated on the spot.

I could have stayed, but I honestly didn't feel that the organization was all that willing to listen, they were too busy managing the Pony League for boys that raked in more concession money then we did. Our field wasn't even properly cared for and it was a battle to even get them to turn on the lights if a game ran late, so I bailed.

If you want to continue on with this club, I'd be open and tell them how you feel about this ride, but offer to help. It sounds like you have the experience and knowledge to turn this club into a really, really good experience for everyone-- advanced riders to newbie.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!!
Shannon

[Catrin]

Winding Road, I am sorry to hear that you had this experience. I had considered going, but the weather kept me home and I suspect that the ride would have been a little long for my leg right now anyway.

I agree with IndySteel that if you are really bothered by this then a letter to CIBA is in order. Especially since this is a winter ride, they really should have officially canceled it rather than the ride leaders just not showing up or disappearing. I know it was a "Grand Touring" ride, but still I am really surprised that no effort was made to assure that people stayed together, or to check on those who were left behind. It is one thing for that to happen in southern Indiana in height of summer, another thing entirely for sub-freezing temps and in bad neighborhoods to boot. This just makes me even less likely to participate in urban rides hosted by the club... (I love the rural rides though).

[indysteel]

The thing with CIBA is that each group ride is really only as good at that particular ride leader makes it. There are some really good ride leaders who go well out of there way to provide a safe and enjoyable ride. Then there are those who do the bare minimum. If there are problems, the "top brass" won't necessarily find out about them unless someone complains--which is why I think WindingRoad should.

I, personally, have had more trouble on CIBA "grand touring" rides. They simply don't offer--and aren't required too--all the typical ride support that you find on the regular weekend rides. The last one I did out of Columbus was pretty bad in that they routed us over some really chewed up roads. That wouldn't have been anything more than an irritation except that some of the bad roads had some fast downhills. While I really like the ride leaders, they are SO familar with that area that they sometimes forget that not everybody else is. Plus, the idea that people stick together on a ride that's 40 plus miles long isn't realistic. Following a map works okay, but some of the roads aren't well marked.

I feel some need, however, to defend CIBA a bit. All in all, I think it's a great club. A great club that could stand to tweak a few things. The club offers free marked and supported weekend rides almost every weekend day from March until November. It's totally volunteer driven. While a lot of effort is made to educate ride leaders as to their responsibilities, mistakes and transgressions happen. I've led a weekend ride now for several years now. Every year I swear it's my last because it takes SO much time to put it together correctly. Please don't throw the baby out with the bath water. A lot of what CIBA does is done very well.

[Catrin]

IndySteel - all good points - my aversion to the club urban rides is really more due to my aversion to urban riding in general more than CIBA. I should have been more clear.

I totally agree that it really does matter who the ride leaders are - and you and your co-leaders did a fantastic job last summer and I hope that you do it again next year! I was on the same ride out of Columbus that you were on and couldn't agree more. I think that, overall, CIBA does a great job - and it is wonderful that there are so many volunteers that are willing to give of their time and energy to support so many rides year-round

[indysteel]

I wasn't really taking issue with anything you said, Catrin. Urban group rides aren't my cup o' tea either. I also don't like riding on snow or ice, and certainly not in the dark. You didn't catch me out there last night!

Don't get me wrong. I've complained a plenty to the folks at CIBA about various things over the years. They are not above criticism or reproach.

[Crankin]

Being a ride leader is hard work that most people don't realize; it's sort of like when I was a group fitness instructor. People thought it was a "fun" part time job and didn't realize the amount of preparation and leadership skills it took. And when you're a ride leader, you are doing it on a volunteer basis, which adds in another dimension. One thing that I think holds true for both of these situations is that just being "good" at it doesn't necessarily mean that you should be leading. Sometimes people volunteer or are recruited because they seem like good riders, but... they have no group leadership skills and don't have a firm grasp on the safety issues involved. People scoff at the leadership requirements for AMC, as it's really based on hiking, where there's as much liability involved as for cycling. But, I am glad I had to go through a 6 week course and a weekend. The other club I belong to has some good leaders, but, there's more variability and also I've been in situations where I never would have taken people through, mostly due to poor roads or traffic situations. So, definitely say something, or the club won't know.
I only lead 2-3 rides a year now, as I got kind of burned out. And I am happy to be the sweep, quite frankly.

[Desert Tortoise]

Sorry about the crummy ride. That was awful and I hope you never go through something like that again. The others have offered some really good ideas on how to make things better.

What struck me about your story was, yes the awful situation, but that in the midst of all that, a very kind person went out his way to help you through it. You went to see Christmas lights and ended with a gift of Christmas.

I know that doesn't change what all happened, but in that mess there was a shinning moment.

[spindizzy]

What we have here is a failure to communicate!

Cool Hand Luke. Excellent quote and excellent thoughts on preparation.

[Biciclista]

I just have one question, why did you ride? In those conditions, i would have turned around and gone home!

[WindingRoad]

I just have one question, why did you ride? In those conditions, i would have turned around and gone home!

Honestly I just got into Indy and didn't realize the snow was that bad. If I could have stopped sliding around long enough to catch my BF I would have turned back but unfortunately by the time I caught him we were 6 miles in.

I agree with everyone on telling CIBA about this. I really think they need to specify that the ride goes regardless of weather conditions if this is to be the case. It was my fault in assuming someone would make a judgment call on that part.

[ridebikeme]

While it does indeed sound as thoug the conditions were far from favorable, I too, would recommend that you contact CIBA. As many people have already mentioned, the club is only as good as the members of it.

I'd also encourage you that if you show up for the ride and find out that the conditions aren't favorable to you, there are no maps/route communication... then feel free to either go home or create your own ride. The bottom line is that that you feel safe and have fun!




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