It only takes one jerk to make me want to swear-off group rides.

[grey]

We had a guy like this in our little group. He always knew more than everyone else and in his mind was always right, you were an idiot to disagree with him because of course, you lacked his intelligence to begin!

I'd finally had it a few years ago, I was riding hubby's mountain bike yet because I hadn't found a bike I liked and honestly, it's hard for us to spend money. We are savers, so as long as I was unsure of what to get, it made sense to still ride the mtb.

One day he says (really loud) "the reason you don't have a bike is because you don't have any money!" and proceeds to snicker. I was speechless for a moment, who would ever say something like that? If it had been true, I can't imagine the sting it would have caused.

I had a reply. I am ashamed to say I used it. Around the same week, I had been helping a friend with her restaurant business and filling in as cook/ waitress. Small area, of course he was a customer. He was demanding, picky ('my organic tomato should be deep red all the way through') and would deliberately do things to make waiting tables difficult, and I was just helping a friend on my day off! I snapped "well, how can I make any money when folks like you only leave a 62cent tip?"

He turned bright red. I mean really really red. I felt like CRAP for saying it, for stooping to his level like that. I know it didn't make me look good, and heaven forbid it got back to my friend.

As it is, he moved away 18 months ago. "Good riddance!" according to another rider. He came by another riders place of business just before valentines day and she was too busy to talk to him. Apparently he took personal offense to it. We haven't heard a peep since. I'd venture to say your loudmouth woman is the same. Ignore her and she disappears.