A question for the roadies on thehub

[kingalton]

The thecnical bit is that two ridesr should never be staying next to each other - the one line should always be passing and the other one should be falling back (clockwise or anti).The idea is the very front rider should ride hard for say a minute and when he tires he joins the retreating line and the next rider in the passing line takes over. So your offending rider did not know what line he was in. This way all rider get a chance to work and to rest - an absolute pleasure when it happens.

 

This kind of riding seldom happens and confusion reigns

Thanks - I understand the whole echelon story and that wasnt going on at the time, there was 2 guys upfront doing all the work (their own choice) and there was no movement, it was simply 2 lines..

['Dale]

Bunch riding is all about following the wheel in front of you.

If a gap appears, then a rider can take position ahead of you.

 

Doing the 'squeezie in between' thing is out of line, so to speak.

Be prepared to hold your line and be bold.

 

When that should happen during racing, verbal spats will soon create the order that is necessary for safety. Like "back off... " or "no space here..." or "if you wanna move closer to the front, go pull..."

[Falco]

It happens when riders can't tell the difference between racing and training.

 

They are taught that when racing, moving up the middle is the best way to conserve energy. It becomes a habit, and soon they do it on every ride.

 

On training rides it's dumb, and dangerous.

[Daideron]

This was just a case of bad manners in my eyes! He should ride like everyone else in the group. It I may add my two cents on other bad riding manners...half-wheeling, this is just such bad manners on a group training ride! It is not a race and there are no points or prizes, so why insist on continually trying to keep your wheel ahead of the other rider in a shared line?

Snorting snot out of your nose when you are in the middle of a shared bunch or paceline? Seriously?! Have you forgotten there are people around you?

Guys who insist on weaving all over the road in an attempt to break away during a training ride?? It is not a race. The car passing may not be ready for your Contador'esque attack and you wont look as good on his bonnet either!

Riders who insist on riding alongside a shared 2abreast paceline just to be next to their friends. Your just making our bunch wider, and making us all even more of a target.

 

I hate to sound like a grumpy old man but so many of these factors end up not only upsetting the riders around you, but other road users as well. And lets be honest we dont need any more bad press!

And yes, I do concede it is wrong to ride 2 abreast. But lets be honest nobody is going to change that anytime soon. So lets just manage it better guys? Club leaders be harsh on riders regardless of who they are. You could be saving a life.

And yes it is irritating having to sit behind a bunch who are taking up the road. But reacting to them with rage and violence is only going to land you in hot water as well. Is that overweight guy who believed buying a fancy bike would also buy him talent worth going to jail? Just think. Count to ten and thank your lucky stars you are free to have the burden of sitting behind a group of inconsiderate people, and go home to your loving family. I know I do!

And I do apologise to all for my fellow roadies behaviour. We are not all bad. Just like we are not all good!

[GLuvsMtb]

Ask him if he wants to take the wheel you are on or the wheel of the guy next to you, because he is not on any wheel and disrupting you, the guy next to you and possible the one on his wheel's rhythm. Despite what some may think, riding 2 abreast with a good shoulder is safer in many ways than riding single file. Everyone is more visible and vehicles tend to give you a wider berth than with squeezing you off the shoulder when passing.

[The Guy in Pink]

Road Cycle Racing is a tactical endurance sport where exposure to wind plays major part.

A 10% increase in speed requires 33% increase in power to overcome the increased drag , and sheltering behind another cyclist may reduce your exposure to wind speed by 50% and your power requirement to 12.5% , conserving your energy and extending your endurance. .

So road cyclists are always going to get rotating pace lines going or look for a wheel to shelter behind, it is not in-ethical - it’s the very essence of the sport, and yes we do take up a bit more of the road sometimes. The problem is not so much with cyclists it with the mindset of motorists who do not believe that they have to share the road with anyone.

I Joined my first cycling club in 1966, and have continued racing bicycles for the whole of the 47 years since then. I have survived on the roads without any major interaction with motor vehicles by adopting early on an aggressive defensive tactic. I occupy my road space and force motorists approaching from behind to make a decision, either to slow down and wait, or to go around.

Once I hear they have approached closer and have made the decision, I then more over to the left (or where I am now to the right) and gain myself and extra metre or so space.

[kingalton]

Ask him if he wants to take the wheel you are on or the wheel of the guy next to you, because he is not on any wheel and disrupting you, the guy next to you and possible the one on his wheel's rhythm. Despite what some may think, riding 2 abreast with a good shoulder is safer in many ways than riding single file. Everyone is more visible and vehicles tend to give you a wider berth than with squeezing you off the shoulder when passing.

Next time I will be a bit more forceful, but hopefully the guy(and others that do the same) is on thehub and reads this post and I don't need to be.. ;-)

['Dale]

I never talk to guys that push for space.

I show them my hand as in 'back off'.

 

He's more at risk to be switched than you in front. Just hold your line.

[kingalton]

I never talk to guys that push for space.

I show them my hand as in 'back off'.

 

He's more at risk to be switched than you in front. Just hold your line.

I ride mostly Mtb, but got a road bike to mix it up a bit, its great cross training due to intense riding the whole way, pedalling uphill, downhill and flats - basically all the time - I generally like riding in the bunch. its a nice dynamic that most people seem to get..

[Martin PJ]

In training, single file is the way to go, and it's the law. Otherwise you could get slapped on the butt by a mirror when the cars go past at 100 km/h.

 

In races, anything goes. Personally I never cross wheels with the bike in front of you unless you can quickly pull up right next to them, you will go down (and they won't) if the rider moves across suddenly.

 

In the big races, you need to be fearless to ride well. Don't brake, push the guys out of the way if they come too close, don't use your front brake much (at all). I think the main skill in keeping in front is to brake less than everyone else and always try to push into space. Don't be scared to ride a bit in the wind, the better riders trust their strength and power, to do a bit of work and still be there at the end.

 

The bunch normally rolls around anticlockwise, so try to stick on the right of the bunch, there will be a natural flow pushing you to the front. Don't ride on the left, you will ride in the debris and glass of the gutter.

[Let's Ride]

I would make sure he never does that again.

 

It's dangerous and stupid. If he wants to go infront go around.

 

He is proboably one of the guys that would jump a que. Don't smaak them.

[Wipeout2]

Perhaps the best thing to do is have a team briefing before the ride starts, this is where the "rules" should made clear, if anyone has a concern or question they can raise it.

 

Call it a safety briefing, as I am sure everyone would like to get through the day alive and well.

['Dale]

I ride mostly Mtb, but got a road bike to mix it up a bit, its great cross training due to intense riding the whole way, pedalling uphill, downhill and flats - basically all the time - I generally like riding in the bunch. its a nice dynamic that most people seem to get..

 

Oraait.

The etiquette in bunch riding is to FOLLOW THE WHEEL IN FRONT OF YOU.

So, you have all the right to tell him to find another wheel and get in 'formation.

 

In roadie world, it's all about riding PREDICTABLY in order to avoid crashes.

[Joe Low]

Road rules dont apply to a training ride of 40-50; whichever way you cut it, it's not going to be legal.

 

In the bunch be strong in your space, if the guy is impinging let him know, subtle-like or not-so-subtle. Its a training ride, so you're training to ride with douches, just like in a race.

 

Talk to others in the bunch and see what the group feeling is.

[porqui]

I ride mostly Mtb, but got a road bike to mix it up a bit, its great cross training due to intense riding the whole way, pedalling uphill, downhill and flats - basically all the time - I generally like riding in the bunch. its a nice dynamic that most people seem to get..

 

 

AAaah! now you tell us - this changes the whole story. You should not be on the road - FULL STOP - you are the danger.

You like to mix it up a bit - in more ways than one it seems.

Mt bikers can't keep a line - truth!

[kingalton]

AAaah! now you tell us - this changes the whole story. You should not be on the road - FULL STOP - you are the danger.

You like to mix it up a bit - in more ways than one it seems.

Mt bikers can't keep a line - truth!

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