SteveG
pfm Member
I decided it was best to stick the offender in my ignore list, which has returned this thread to it's rather more pro-cycling intent.
Cycling log - random events in the day of a cyclist II
- Thread starter PhilofCas
- Start date
I decided it was best to stick the offender in my ignore list, which has returned this thread to it's rather more pro-cycling intent.
Me & a friend were overtaken by Graham Briggs & one of his training buddies the other week. We were only tapping along chatting but so were they, the distance they opened up ahead of us was unbelievable.
Probably a good idea, I have quite a few in that list already!
Mullardman
Moderately extreme...
Yes and no. I'm looking into local approaches but still insist that Public Footpaths throughout England are not for cyclists.
You're going to have to take my word for it.. but I was ready to end my interesting and valuable contribution to this thread until you said that. Where did I say that cyclists cause trouble on roads, or at least any more trouble than minorities in any other group of road users? Some pedestrians cause trouble, some car drivers cause trouble, some goods drivers, some taxi drivers,..etc.,etc. Secondly, the number of uninsured drivers on the roads says nothing about anything other than the number of uninsured drivers on the roads. Being uninsured is stupid and criminal, but not necessarily an indication of poor driving.
And for the last time.. with feeling.. my point is not about cyclists on roads. It is about cyclists on footpaths.
I won't be troubling you further.
Peace.
Mullardman
Moderately extreme...
If that happens, it won't be me. I'm not anti cycling.
SteveG
pfm Member
Yesterday evening I switched to the road bike for a change, doing a short but fairly hilly loop that I've ridden a few times before (although not for a few years). That takes in a few sections that are popular with local club riders, either because they're flat and fast (you see a lot of TT bikes there) or hilly with steep bits (for the masochists). Overall the ride was fine - warm and sunny, light winds and a reasonably decent (for me!) average speed (15.2mph) for me on that route and with quite a few Strava PR's. Looking at the various Strava segments demonstrates just how crap I am on the hills though. On the flat or downhill segments then I'm usually top 10% or 20%, but throw in any kind of hill and it's a different story. On last nights ride there is a section that's about 3km long that is all uphill and while the overall grade is only 3% there are steeper bits, with the steepest bit almost getting to 19%. It's very popular with the local roadies (and given the steep hill on it, not really anyone else!) so the average times on it are quite fast - however while I PR'd it last night I'm only 988th of the 1354 folks that have recorded a Strava time on it. Looking at the Strava times from yesterday (which I find are a great way of identifying new route options by seeing where others ride) here was a chap who lives near me that did a very similar route last night, at a similar average speed (his was slightly lower than mine in fact, so it's not like he's a hugely fast rider i.e. overall roughly comparable to me) who also PR'd the same section but was a whole minute and a half faster than me over it (and was a faster on the other climbs by a similar amount) and that only placed him at about the middle of the Strava leaderboard on it.
Ok I'm still a fair bit down on power compared to when I was doing club rides regularly (235W average last night) however what those results are telling me is that I need to lose weight! I'm toying with the idea of joining a club up here but all the local ones do seem to ride faster than the club I was in down south, and at the moment I'm definitely way too slow on the climbs to ride with any of them.
Ok I'm still a fair bit down on power compared to when I was doing club rides regularly (235W average last night) however what those results are telling me is that I need to lose weight! I'm toying with the idea of joining a club up here but all the local ones do seem to ride faster than the club I was in down south, and at the moment I'm definitely way too slow on the climbs to ride with any of them.
Weight is key but very difficult to move forward unless you ride with people who are stronger than you. All you can really do is make contact with the clubs & see if they do some slower rides?
SteveG
pfm Member
With cycling clubs it can be a mix and also depend on the group. My London club had a "social" ride that targeted a 12mph average (and was sometimes slower) that went at the speed of the slowest rider and never left anyone behind. Other clubs operate with a policy that if you can't keep up they'll drop you and you'll need to make your own way home.
You specifically referred to selfish cyclists causing issues both on & off road.Yes and no. I'm looking into local approaches but still insist that Public Footpaths throughout England are not for cyclists.
Where did I say that cyclists cause trouble on roads, or at least any more trouble than minorities in any other group of road users? Some pedestrians cause trouble, some car drivers cause trouble, some goods drivers, some taxi drivers,..etc.,etc. Secondly, the number of uninsured drivers on the roads says nothing about anything other than the number of uninsured drivers on the roads. Being uninsured is stupid and criminal, but not necessarily an indication of poor driving.
And for the last time.. with feeling.. my point is not about cyclists on roads. It is about cyclists on footpaths.
I won't be troubling you further.
Peace.
But yes I want no further discussion on this. Sort your local difficulty out with the relevant parties & please don’t project it onto this 49 year old who rides with consideration for others.
That's the sort of thing I've encountered. A fast group, a slow group.
That's not a club. That's a set of arseholes.
Most clubs offer differing paced rides. If some are open about their ‘keep up or go home’ policy then that is fine; they will ultimately lose members & wither.
Personally I think there has to be a baseline of fitness before you tip up at a cycle club meet, you can’t really have complete beginners joining group rides.
As ever a balance needs to be struck.
andrew d
pfm Member
My club has intro rides which anyone can sign up and ride. It's a challenging 40 mile hilly route. New riders get to see what it's all about. If people then sign up as members they can chose to ride with fast, intermediate or steady groups. There's quite a challenging climb in the first two miles and if you've gone with a group that's too fast you can wait for the next one. No one gets dropped, everyone stops to help with flats and mechanicals.
The only Darwinian ride is the fast chain gang [ E1 ]where if you're off the back then it's time to lick your wounds. All other chain gangs will wait if someone gets dropped
The only Darwinian ride is the fast chain gang [ E1 ]where if you're off the back then it's time to lick your wounds. All other chain gangs will wait if someone gets dropped
Chain gangs are a specific thing, distinct from a club run. They should be keep up or go home. We have two designated re-gather points on ours but between that you have to keep up.
I've not been in a proper club only what used to be the CTC, which was, errr, very British shall we say.
Lots of red tape, AGMs, votes for this and votes for that, it almost seemed like the riding was a secondary priority to all the other guff so I jacked it in. They also used to get a bit sniffy if you'd been on a ride with other non CTC groups.
I'm not sure clubs are for me, I see cycling very much as a solitary pursuit, me against my mind.
Lots of red tape, AGMs, votes for this and votes for that, it almost seemed like the riding was a secondary priority to all the other guff so I jacked it in. They also used to get a bit sniffy if you'd been on a ride with other non CTC groups.
I'm not sure clubs are for me, I see cycling very much as a solitary pursuit, me against my mind.
It is easy to get sucked into the admin side but I don’t attend any meetings, not even the AGM. I will martial at one of the club TTs to help a mate out but that is all.
I have made some great friends through cycling, it has completely changed my social circle. I have had a couple of fall outs with the club secretary but we have agreed to differ & I don’t get involved in his area of business.
CTC was a bit different, you were kind of expected to be involved with, and turn up to, everything. It was like there had to be a vote on everything, even to see if we should spend 50p or a £1 on the biscuits.
I went on an 130 mile all night ride once with a group of folks from a bike forum, about 20 or more of us, when I mentioned it to the CTC lot they all scoffed and it was like I'd gone round their house on Christmas day and pissed on the Turkey. Low and behold two months later they put on a night ride
Our club used to have monthly meetings but people pretty much stopped going as they were boring, we now do them once a quarter. I think we are affiliated to the CTC.CTC was a bit different, you were kind of expected to be involved with, and turn up to, everything. It was like there had to be a vote on everything, even to see if we should spend 50p or a £1 on the biscuits.
I went on an 130 mile all night ride once with a group of folks from a bike forum, about 20 or more of us, when I mentioned it to the CTC lot they all scoffed and it was like I'd gone round their house on Christmas day and pissed on the Turkey. Low and behold two months later they put on a night ride
At one point you seemed to get more credit for attending meetings than for bike riding; typical bloke/committee shitstorm.
andrew d
pfm Member
My club has over 650 members. There are of course informal groups ( not cliques ) within the club so you tend to see the same core of people regularly, all of course are welcome. The club puts on TT's, crits and road races so to enable that we have a volunteering requirement that you assist on at least two occasions each year as part of your membership. The club committee is a fine beast.
SteveG
pfm Member
When I joined the club in London I had a look at their ride groups and didn't go along to one of their intro rides until I was already able to do 50 mile solo rides at 15mph average. As it turned out I was usually the quickest rider on their bronze/social group but enjoyed the more relaxed pace and the conversation, although I did occasionally go out with their silver group and could keep up with them ok as well.
The club in London use to do intro rides once or twice a month and they were a good way for people to check if it was for them or not.