[Deda]

I am a new convert to road cycling after a couple of years of successful mtb racing. I got onto a roadie only 2 mths ago and did my first group ride 1 mths ago. This group that I kinda have to ride with, the group closest to my area, are a bunch of a**holes and ego-trips. I was a strong mtb'er with some wins to back it up and because of this my stamina and basic bike skills are all there. I turned up for the ride in a singlet and my giant tcr and got the look immediately. It seemed as if I was unwelcolmed and that a newbie like me would not have survived the ride. They were also making comments of my dressing and "lousy" bike as they were all decked out with DA, Record, italian bikes and fancy wear. I just sucked it up and waited for the ride to start.

During the first 15mins, the pack was going slowly as warm up and they constantly tried to push me out to the sides or the back. This dude end told me in the face that i cant keep up so go to the back. By the time the pack reached fast speeds, I was jostled to the back. I was pissed of and I pushed and got in front. Then they started yelling at me and stuff and this really pissed me off. I knew that I had a better set of lungs are compared to them so I just made the move and upped the pace a substantial bit by moving to first guy position in the pack and held there till the ride ended.

Immediately, after the ride, a bunch of totally shagged out riders came to me and yelled at me saying that i disrupted their ride pace by going too fast and that a newbie MUST stay at the back. I was stunned!! Then I innocently told them that i found the pace a tad slow for me so i went faster and they did not have to chase/suck my wheels if it would disrupt their ride. After that incident, every ride that I do with them, they will find fault with me. This once, a car turned out of a T junction without checking and the pack with me in front was heading straight for it. I had to scrub speed off quickly and those a**es yelled at me for braking to avoid slamming into a car! They said I was endangering the riders behind me! What abt me? I should slam into the car then?

During rides where I pushed and dropped the pack, they would say that I sway too much side to side when i cycle and it was too dangerous for them to stay behind me. Ha! I think they just hate admitting to the fact that this guy wearing a singlet on a tcr can drop them even though he is 'new' to road cycling. Such a bunch of egos and trash talkers but no substance they are imho. For now, I shall continue to act like an innocent newbie and let their egos suffer the beating. Will not tell them that I was a mtb champion unless they asked...

 

[Dave Hickey]

What kind of reply are you expecting from us? Yes, some roadies are a-holes. So are some drivers, mtn bikers, priests, cops, etc...........

If this group ride wasn't good for you, find another group ride....

I'm sorry for the strong sounding reply, but coming to a road cycling forum and saying some roadies are a-holes is like walking into a catholic church and telling the congregation that some catholics are a-holes....What are you expecting to hear?????

 

[rriddle3]

Well, if you don't like them, why ride with them? Are they the only cycling group in town? Either move on or become part of the pack.

 

[TurboTurtle]

I am certainly not one to disagree that the roadie attitude can suck at times, but I don't find yours much better.

"I was a strong mtb'er with some wins to back it up and because of this my stamina and basic bike skills are all there."

Pack skills are not learned mountain biking.

"I turned up for the ride in a singlet and my giant tcr and got the look immediately. It seemed as if I was unwelcolmed and that a newbie like me would not have survived the ride. They were also making comments of my dressing and "lousy" bike as they were all decked out with DA, Record, italian bikes and fancy wear. I just sucked it up and waited for the ride to start."

Their bad and very common, though I sense a chip on your shoulder.

"During the first 15mins, the pack was going slowly as warm up and they constantly tried to push me out to the sides or the back. This dude end told me in the face that i cant keep up so go to the back. By the time the pack reached fast speeds, I was jostled to the back. I was pissed of and I pushed and got in front. Then they started yelling at me and stuff and this really pissed me off. I knew that I had a better set of lungs are compared to them so I just made the move and upped the pace a substantial bit by moving to first guy position in the pack and held there till the ride ended."

A new rider should go to the back and watch and learn about how this group rides, what is expected of a rider, pack etiquettte and pack skills. Even if you do have pack experience, they don't know that and are looking out for their safety. Showing off never endears you to a group.

"Immediately, after the ride, a bunch of totally shagged out riders came to me and yelled at me saying that i disrupted their ride pace by going too fast and that a newbie MUST stay at the back. I was stunned!!"

That is the rule for most (all??) groups. Stay at the back until you know how they ride and they know how you ride.

"Then I innocently told them that i found the pace a tad slow for me so i went faster and they did not have to chase/suck my wheels if it would disrupt their ride. After that incident, every ride that I do with them, they will find fault with me. This once, a car turned out of a T junction without checking and the pack with me in front was heading straight for it. I had to scrub speed off quickly and those a**es yelled at me for braking to avoid slamming into a car! They said I was endangering the riders behind me! What abt me? I should slam into the car then?"

Sorry, but sounds like a total exaggeration. Brakes in a pack are deadly.

During rides where I pushed and dropped the pack, they would say that I sway too much side to side when i cycle and it was too dangerous for them to stay behind me. Ha! I think they just hate admitting to the fact that this guy wearing a singlet on a tcr can drop them even though he is 'new' to road cycling. Such a bunch of egos and trash talkers but no substance they are imho. For now, I shall continue to act like an innocent newbie and let their egos suffer the beating. Will not tell them that I was a mtb champion unless they asked..."

Drop the chip off your shoulder and behave yourself. You are proving them right and will make it bad for any new rider for a long time. If you can't play by their rules find you own ride.

Check my past posts and you will see that I am not one to defend the roadie 'attitude'. But neither will I defend yours.

TF

 

[Spunout]

Join a club where you can learn some more skills, find a group that fits (FIT is important).

 

[TommyApplehead]

I'd ride alone if I had to put up with all that petty whining.
What a strange group of people?

I guess I prefer to go my own pace and change my route as time & interest permits anyway.

 

[bimini]

What I can't figure out is why the let you

ride with them the second time. One ride with you would of been enough for me.

 

[Spunout]

ride with them the second time. One ride with you would of been enough for me.

ROTFLM**O!!

 

[aliensporebomb]

Hm.

I sense trollishness.

Giant TCR is fine. It was raced in the tour so no problem. Some people are
just euro snobs.

Pack skills are what seems to be missing here. Still, I ride alone mostly
or with some friends - I've participated in the occasional group event but
sometimes you will find a group of people who don't agree with what you like
or do so what can you do?

I still think this post was made by a troll giggling under a bridge somewhere.

 

[Kerry Irons]

Wouldn't it be interesting

I would sure like to hear the story of this ride told by some of the riders who were b****ing. It's just possible that there are two sides to this. There's no excuse for talking down someone's clothing or bike, but there IS the possibility that you do indeed not keep a steady pace, that you don't ride in a straight line, that you don't ride smoothly in a group, that you don't know how to move up, that you don't warn others when you have to brake, that you jump the pace when you get to the front, etc. We weren't there, so we don't know, but it's pretty easy to imagine your doing all this stuff by reading your account of the ride. Every group has rules, expectations, and protocols. You can do your best to adapt to the rules, break the rules and be hassled abou it, or ride somewhere else. Your choice, but b****ing to us about it doesn't really help things.

 

[Deda]

my bad???

well guys, maybe I was at fault too but it never encountered such problem with my former mtb'er road pack and this group that i join on weekends. This particular group is the worse but I kinda have to ride with them on weekends as they ride at the time I am able to ride and they are nearest. The next group is a fair distance away.

Anyway, my point was that i broke off from the pack as it was too slow for me and they did not have to follow me. I never blame a faster rider for going fast. I just let him go and I do my own stuff. They whine and yell at me and yet they still suck my wheels and that aggravates me.

 

[teoteoteo]

Singlet.....

Did you attempt a full nelson on any of them? Maybe they were more Greco Roman guys.....

On a serious note define MTB Champion? Not to attack you any more, but the hostility seems troll-ish or similar to that of guy who won a few sport mtb races and has a major chip.

 

[magnolialover]

Sorry...

I am a new convert to road cycling after a couple of years of successful mtb racing. I got onto a roadie only 2 mths ago and did my first group ride 1 mths ago. This group that I kinda have to ride with, the group closest to my area, are a bunch of a**holes and ego-trips. I was a strong mtb'er with some wins to back it up and because of this my stamina and basic bike skills are all there. I turned up for the ride in a singlet and my giant tcr and got the look immediately. It seemed as if I was unwelcolmed and that a newbie like me would not have survived the ride. They were also making comments of my dressing and "lousy" bike as they were all decked out with DA, Record, italian bikes and fancy wear. I just sucked it up and waited for the ride to start.

During the first 15mins, the pack was going slowly as warm up and they constantly tried to push me out to the sides or the back. This dude end told me in the face that i cant keep up so go to the back. By the time the pack reached fast speeds, I was jostled to the back. I was pissed of and I pushed and got in front. Then they started yelling at me and stuff and this really pissed me off. I knew that I had a better set of lungs are compared to them so I just made the move and upped the pace a substantial bit by moving to first guy position in the pack and held there till the ride ended.

Immediately, after the ride, a bunch of totally shagged out riders came to me and yelled at me saying that i disrupted their ride pace by going too fast and that a newbie MUST stay at the back. I was stunned!! Then I innocently told them that i found the pace a tad slow for me so i went faster and they did not have to chase/suck my wheels if it would disrupt their ride. After that incident, every ride that I do with them, they will find fault with me. This once, a car turned out of a T junction without checking and the pack with me in front was heading straight for it. I had to scrub speed off quickly and those a**es yelled at me for braking to avoid slamming into a car! They said I was endangering the riders behind me! What abt me? I should slam into the car then?

During rides where I pushed and dropped the pack, they would say that I sway too much side to side when i cycle and it was too dangerous for them to stay behind me. Ha! I think they just hate admitting to the fact that this guy wearing a singlet on a tcr can drop them even though he is 'new' to road cycling. Such a bunch of egos and trash talkers but no substance they are imho. For now, I shall continue to act like an innocent newbie and let their egos suffer the beating. Will not tell them that I was a mtb champion unless they asked...

Sorry man, but most group rides have "rules" and or "standards" that people sort of have to abide by. Lots of group rides that I know have been going on for years on end, and to just show up, and be sketchy in a group where people don't know you, you should sit on the back, see how the ride goes, what kind of pace they're riding, and what the imbedded "rules" are for the ride. Either that, or just go out and ride alone. There is nothing that says you have to ride with a group. I train alone probably 80% of the time. Most of the time the only time I ride with a group is when I race on weekends.

 

[treebound]

Deda

Click into this thread titled "Proper paceline protocols" :
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=27716&highlight=paceline

In particular look at some of the links or quoted text such as:

On your first ride with us, find a place in the back of the line where the draft is the best. You don't know how good we are and we don't know how good you are, so it is safest for all of us if you get the feel of our group from the back. The comfort of the good draft will let you get used to our pace and to our style of riding. Once you know us, feel free to take pulls.

Hope this helps. Some group rides are training rides, and yes there is at times a bit of Lemming mentality where the pack will follow what the one in front does so the lead rider does have some responsibility to the following riders. There are also sometimes very subtle methods of communication between riders to indicate obstructions ahead and a good pack/group/peloton of riders will just sort of flow in unison around the object like a snake in the grass slithering around a branch. It's almost an art form when one gets into the esthetic flow of it, almost esoteric in nature. And, yes, some group rides, especially early season rides in northern climates where everybody's going bonkers to bust the dust loose, yes some group rides do turn into hammerfests. But training rides should be for training for the most part.

Read through the linked thread, give it an open mind read, and see if there's room for negotiation. And if not then there's absolutely nothing wrong with riding solo, triathletes do it all the time since there isn't supposed to be drafting in a tri.

What you do is up to you, how they react is up to them, how it all turns out is up to all of you. Define your goals, work to a solution. Simple enough. Have a nice ride regardless.

 

[wzq622]

I am a new convert to road cycling after a couple of years of successful mtb racing. I got onto a roadie only 2 mths ago and did my first group ride 1 mths ago. This group that I kinda have to ride with, the group closest to my area, are a bunch of a**holes and ego-trips. I was a strong mtb'er with some wins to back it up and because of this my stamina and basic bike skills are all there. I turned up for the ride in a singlet and my giant tcr and got the look immediately. It seemed as if I was unwelcolmed and that a newbie like me would not have survived the ride. They were also making comments of my dressing and "lousy" bike as they were all decked out with DA, Record, italian bikes and fancy wear. I just sucked it up and waited for the ride to start.

During the first 15mins, the pack was going slowly as warm up and they constantly tried to push me out to the sides or the back. This dude end told me in the face that i cant keep up so go to the back. By the time the pack reached fast speeds, I was jostled to the back. I was pissed of and I pushed and got in front. Then they started yelling at me and stuff and this really pissed me off. I knew that I had a better set of lungs are compared to them so I just made the move and upped the pace a substantial bit by moving to first guy position in the pack and held there till the ride ended.

Immediately, after the ride, a bunch of totally shagged out riders came to me and yelled at me saying that i disrupted their ride pace by going too fast and that a newbie MUST stay at the back. I was stunned!! Then I innocently told them that i found the pace a tad slow for me so i went faster and they did not have to chase/suck my wheels if it would disrupt their ride. After that incident, every ride that I do with them, they will find fault with me. This once, a car turned out of a T junction without checking and the pack with me in front was heading straight for it. I had to scrub speed off quickly and those a**es yelled at me for braking to avoid slamming into a car! They said I was endangering the riders behind me! What abt me? I should slam into the car then?

During rides where I pushed and dropped the pack, they would say that I sway too much side to side when i cycle and it was too dangerous for them to stay behind me. Ha! I think they just hate admitting to the fact that this guy wearing a singlet on a tcr can drop them even though he is 'new' to road cycling. Such a bunch of egos and trash talkers but no substance they are imho. For now, I shall continue to act like an innocent newbie and let their egos suffer the beating. Will not tell them that I was a mtb champion unless they asked...

that doesnt even sound like a real story....just trying to get responses from excitable roadies on this website...whatever man

 

[OES]

I bet they don't wave at other cyclists either.

 

[Sintesi]

I sense trollishness.

Giant TCR is fine. It was raced in the tour so no problem. Some people are
just euro snobs.

Pack skills are what seems to be missing here. Still, I ride alone mostly
or with some friends - I've participated in the occasional group event but
sometimes you will find a group of people who don't agree with what you like
or do so what can you do?

I still think this post was made by a troll giggling under a bridge somewhere.

Yep, troll.

 

[vonteity]

[ whining snipped ]...

Somewhere on this site there's another thread going around titled "some newbies are such a**holes towards roadies".

 

[CARBON110]

this is good stuff

this week in Asheville, Eastern cycling center of USA, we had our team super fast group ride with a few pick me up riders in and one GORGOUS red head! One guy was using his aero bars in the pace line when he got to the front or the back, a few others struggled, the wind was high, lots and lots of gaping due to people not knowing how to paceline and other stuff. Some riders hung off the back not taking any turns just hanging on but no one complained and the ride went on

Not one complaint to anyone about anything other than how nice an evening it was riding next to the river with the sun setting at 28-30+mph for 90 minutes and a cool breeze to accompany us on a 78'F spring evening. I promptly found a good recovery drink 30 minutes later......extra dirty, on the rocks with 4 olives and some Grey Goose to give me a good balance of accomplishment satisfaction and embracing the end to a great day

 

[orange_julius]

uh....

well guys, maybe I was at fault too but it never encountered such problem with my former mtb'er road pack and this group that i join on weekends. This particular group is the worse but I kinda have to ride with them on weekends as they ride at the time I am able to ride and they are nearest. The next group is a fair distance away.

Anyway, my point was that i broke off from the pack as it was too slow for me and they did not have to follow me. I never blame a faster rider for going fast. I just let him go and I do my own stuff. They whine and yell at me and yet they still suck my wheels and that aggravates me.

If you're not happy with them and you broke off from them anyway, why do you still "kinda have to ride with them"? Make your own ride then. You said that you were a champion MTBer, therefore you clearly don't need any help in being able to ride on your own.

If you had really meant to break away from them, you should CLEARLY tell them so. Otherwise everybody will be uncertain whether to let you go or not. Herd mentality occurs whenever you have more than one person in a group. It usually takes at least one person to take the initiative to yell out, "OK guys, let him go. We're riding at our own pace."

Ride by yourself and just be happy, man. Why care so much about a particular group of riders? Apparently they have their own agenda, and if it doesn't meet yours then you should make your own rides.