# Bailed on a club ride



## cyberknight (9 Jun 2019)

Club ride today I was playing the usual mugs game of helping out by taking my turn on the front which turene out to be everyone wheelsucking till a hill then blasting past .
After 12 miles of this I was dropped again so I just stopped and turned around for a solo ride,no one has yet contacted me even Though it's a no drop ride.
Left facefluff and WhatsApp club pages as tbh this happens most weeks and I cant go on like this


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## Phaeton (9 Jun 2019)

Find a new club or ride solo, it's supposed to be for fun, if it isn't then don't do it.


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## Fab Foodie (9 Jun 2019)

cyberknight said:


> Club ride today I was playing the usual mugs game of helping out by taking my turn on the front which turene out to be everyone wheelsucking till a hill then blasting past .
> After 12 miles of this I was dropped again so I just stopped and turned around for a solo ride,no one has yet contacted me even Though it's a no drop ride.
> Left facefluff and WhatsApp club pages as tbh this happens most weeks and I cant go on like this


I was missing at a regrouping of our local club run and they sent out s search party, phoned me and phoned home to check I was ok. As another rider had led me down the wrong road I felt both thankful for their vigilance and embarrassed at the same time!

This is the standard that all clubs should adhere to.


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## I like Skol (9 Jun 2019)

Wonkers! Name and shame.....

There is absolutely no need for a rider or riders to get dropped. Sounds like they just don't give a damn as long as they have a good ride. Find another club.


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## fossyant (9 Jun 2019)

Damn good job you know where you are - could be a disaster for a new rider !


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## Dayvo (9 Jun 2019)

Tell 'em to shove their membership...

Riding solo is more 'liberating', IMO, but if you want to ride in a small group, see if there are any CCers near you who might want to go out for a regular ride.


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## sheddy (9 Jun 2019)

Start your own. Think up a snappy name. Meet at the same place and time each week. 

I guess FB might work for this ?


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## Venod (9 Jun 2019)

cyberknight said:


> Though it's a no drop ride.



Sounds like no ones in charge, never leave anybody behind without asking if they are OK especially when its advertised as a no drop ride, but if its happening regular be realistic and admit you are in the wrong group.


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## Racing roadkill (9 Jun 2019)

Typical tribal clubby behaviour. There aren’t many ‘clubs’ that aren’t like this in my experience. Some try and pretend to be all ‘nicey nicey’ but they are pretty much all the same in the end. ‘Tree house politics’ and the like really makes me laugh.


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## cyberknight (9 Jun 2019)

was ride leader for months and no one turns up. maybe the odd one or two .
Today as the Saturday rides were cancelled due to the weather they all turn up today and from the meet point i felt like an outsider.


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## Racing roadkill (9 Jun 2019)

cyberknight said:


> was ride leader for months and no one turns up. maybe the odd one or two .
> Today as the Saturday rides were cancelled due to the weather they all turn up today and from the meet point i felt like an outsider.


If you’re leading, you have to be part regimental sergeant major, part circus performer. The ratio changes, dependant on the group.


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## cyberknight (9 Jun 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> If you’re leading, you have to be part regimental sergeant major, part circus performer. The ratio changes, dependant on the group.


i wasnt leading today , when i am im always keeping an eye on whos where etc


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## DCLane (9 Jun 2019)

That doesn't sound like good club behaviour - mine's definately not like that. Well, a very small number of riders are and they've found themselves isolated and only go on unofficial club rides together. The 'no drop' rides definately are no drop and every ride I can think that's run wouldn't want to do this.

My suggestion: find an alternative, if there is one locally to you. Edit: I've checked and there are several options.


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## Sharky (9 Jun 2019)

I rarely go out on a group ride. I expect to get dropped nowadays, especially as I'm giving away 50 yrs on some of the younger riders.

But when I do, I will avoid pace setting and take shelter at the back and be ready for the KOM's.


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## avsd (9 Jun 2019)

New club required. Mine only behaves similarly 5 mile from finish which is fairly reasonable. We have pushed guys with stuck freehub for 15 mile once. Fair amount of slagging and verbal abuse but no one is abandoned on a ride


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## mjr (9 Jun 2019)

Dayvo said:


> Tell 'em to shove their membership...
> 
> Riding solo is more 'liberating', IMO, but if you want to ride in a small group, see if there are any CCers near you who might want to go out for a regular ride.


Why's 'liberating' in scare quotes? Is it because it's not?

I ride with a group twice a week in summer. Freewheeling not racing. Guided not led. Been a while since we lost anyone completely. Had a couple of failures to meet up en route, though.


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## rikki (10 Jun 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> Typical tribal clubby behaviour. There aren’t many ‘clubs’ that aren’t like this in my experience. Some try and pretend to be all ‘nicey nicey’ but they are pretty much all the same in the end. ‘Tree house politics’ and the like really makes me laugh.


‘Tree house politics’ - Thank you. I'm borrowing that term.


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## screenman (10 Jun 2019)

In 50 years of club riding I have never had that happen to me. We have been known to give some half wheelers a hard time though, but only if they deserved it.


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## Swanage53 (10 Jun 2019)

I don't tend to do clubs at all for any of my interests! I'm afraid I am a bit of an antisocial git when it comes to clubs and hate the politics and egos that they generally seem to attract. Don't get me wrong though I am always sociable with other cyclists and enjoy meeting people, it is just that clubs are not for me which says more about me than clubs I guess. And if clubs are for you then that is great.

I must admit that there are times when I would like a cycling buddy, I generally fly solo since my regular partner moved a hundred miles or so away, and I got fed up with the bullsh*t and egotistical nature of the other guy, which is a bit of shame.

So if there is anybody in the NE corner of Hampshire who is happy to do 25miles or 50 or 60 etc as the mood takes and averages about 15mph then more then happy to meet!

Perhaps I shouldn't have put that last paragraph in, it might make me sound like a weirdo (which incidentally I am)


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## byegad (10 Jun 2019)

It happened to me on a York Cycle Show ride a few years ago. Classed as Slow, we set off at a gallop shedding riders left right and centre. I made the lunch stop, by dint of knowing where it was from previous years. After lunch they did exactly the same thing, so a friend and I took the direct route back to the Knavesmire, arriving a few minutes later than the remnants of the ride who had taken the scenic route! They had lost over half the starting number by then.

I don't ride except alone now when at the Rally.


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## mjr (10 Jun 2019)

Those of you who have been dropped on rides advertised as none- left- behind, did you complain to the group or organisation? Complaining on here and sulkily professing to ride alone because groups are all meanies isn't going to improve things.


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## Dogtrousers (10 Jun 2019)

When I was riding with a club, nothing like that ever happened to me. I think the reason was that they ran 6 or 7 different levels of ride. I picked a level that went at a pace that was fine for me. I think picking your ride so you are 100% sure that you can stick with them is important. Of course for smaller clubs that don't have sufficient members to run so many levels this isn't necessarily an option.

I did on one occasion try a higher level and when we hit the hills I often fell off the back but they always waited. I was a bit embarrassed that I'd bitten off more than I could chew in stepping up a level, but they were reluctant to let me just bail. "Listen, I know these roads really well. I know exactly where I am. I can find my way home." "No, we are a no-drop ride. Stay with us and continue suffering". I did escape in the end  I returned to the level where I knew I was comfortable and all was well.

You could always volunteer to lead a slower ride (if your club is big enough to accommodate it that is) Edit. Just read the whole thread properly. You already do this.


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## mjr (10 Jun 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> When I was riding with a club, nothing like that ever happened to me. I think the reason was that they ran 6 or 7 different levels of ride. I picked a level that went at a pace that was fine for me. I think picking your ride so you are 100% sure that you can stick with them is important.


Sometimes it doesn't matter and the club is just badly-run, continuously allowing those who suffer rushes of blood to the legs (and away from the brains) to keep disrupting rides. I've heard of groups where the 12mph no-drop "beginners" ride has repeatedly gone at 16+mph average and consequently blown apart all over the hills with no attempt to regroup - no seriously bad consequences yet that I've heard of, thankfully.

I think groups need veterans on the ride with cool heads who will stay with the group and let the hot-legged show-offs ride off the front into the sunset in some pointless demonstration of machismo (if they're so good, why ain't they riding with the flat-out training group? Oh yeah, it's often because either they can't or they've been flicked for repeated bad riding) rather than try to keep up with the fools.


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## Shortandcrisp (10 Jun 2019)

mjr said:


> Those of you who have been dropped on rides advertised as none- left- behind, did you complain to the group or organisation? Complaining on here and sulkily professing to ride alone because groups are all meanies isn't going to improve things.



This^

Can’t help but think that the OP’s reaction is a very English (British?) response. Not having a go, I’d be exactly the same. Realise that something isn’t being run properly, get pissed off, grumble internally for ages, get even more pissed off, say nothing, then piss off without saying a word whilst muttering to yerself that they can go f*ck themselves.

Because I’ll be riding in the States in July, I follow a couple of US clubs. It’s noticeable how they’re more than willing to call each other out on the spot if things are going awry; and I’ve seen posts from ride leaders outlining, point by point, how the previous evenings ride could have been better. One rider even observed that there were too many bum cracks on show and it had to stop!


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## Dayvo (10 Jun 2019)

mjr said:


> Why's 'liberating' in scare quotes? Is it because it's not?



_I_ find it liberating, others may not. Hence the 'quotes'. It's not a fact, just what_ I_ experience.


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## mjr (10 Jun 2019)

Dayvo said:


> _I_ find it liberating, others may not. Hence the 'quotes'. It's not a fact, just what_ I_ experience.


"It's rather daft to quote oneself," said mjr "but if you aspire to be like another famous self-quoter, crack on!"


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## ColinJ (10 Jun 2019)

mjr said:


> I think groups need veterans on the ride with cool heads who will stay with the group and let the hot-legged show-offs ride off the front into the sunset in some pointless demonstration of machismo (if they're so good, why ain't they riding with the flat-out training group? Oh yeah, it's often because either they can't or they've been flicked for repeated bad riding) rather than try to keep up with the fools.


I was on a cycle training camp holiday in Spain... (Not because I was training for anything in particular; mainly because it was nice riding in the sunshine in March when the weather at home was crap.) 

I chose a group aiming for my kind of comfortable pace and we all set off together. 

After a good warm-up, _Super-fit Triathlete Woman_ said goodbye to us and time-trialled off the front into the distance and then out of sight. 

We continued steadily on our way but I found myself drifting off the front every time we came to any slight ascent. I did it one time too many and _Grizzly Veteran Ride Leader_ rode up behind me and barked "_Oh, so you think that you are effing fit and can split the effing group up on every effing hill, do ya...?_" I felt a gnarly palm on my back, and he shoved me so hard that I almost went over the front of my bars! "_Well eff off up the road after Super-fit Triathlete Woman and see how you get on with 'er!_"

I was really embarrassed and felt that I had no choice so I set of in pursuit of _S-FTW. _I chased her for about 10 kms, half-killing myself to catch her and by the time I did I was a spent force. It didn't matter anyway because she didn't want me messing up her training and she ordered me to go back to the group!

I drifted along until the group caught me up, sheepishly apologised and sneaked to the back ...


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## cyberknight (10 Jun 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I was on a cycle training camp holiday in Spain... (Not because I was training for anything in particular; mainly because it was nice riding in the sunshine in March when the weather at home was crap.)
> 
> I chose a group aiming for my kind of comfortable pace and we all set off together.
> 
> ...


i would be reporting the ride leader to the organization for at least dangerous behaviour if not assault .


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## cyberknight (10 Jun 2019)

Shortandcrisp said:


> This^
> 
> Can’t help but think that the OP’s reaction is a very English (British?) response. Not having a go, I’d be exactly the same. Realise that something isn’t being run properly, get pissed off, grumble internally for ages, get even more pissed off, say nothing, then piss off without saying a word whilst muttering to yerself that they can go f*ck themselves.
> 
> Because I’ll be riding in the States in July, I follow a couple of US clubs. It’s noticeable how they’re more than willing to call each other out on the spot if things are going awry; and I’ve seen posts from ride leaders outlining, point by point, how the previous evenings ride could have been better. One rider even observed that there were too many bum cracks on show and it had to stop!


contacted another ride leader who was on the ride and the club founder and no response as of yet .


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## Lee_M (10 Jun 2019)

mjr said:


> Those of you who have been dropped on rides advertised as none- left- behind, did you complain to the group or organisation? Complaining on here and sulkily professing to ride alone because groups are all meanies isn't going to improve things.



I complain on our club rides and get a load of crap about it -- and I'm on the committee!

Leaving people on hills and regrouping at the top is fine in my view as everyone does hills at a different speed, but on the flat it's not on. 

2 weeks ago it happened on a 6 mile Strava segment. I held back to guide someone and when we all finally regrouped and I mentioned it I wasn't even backed up by the person I waited for.

At that point I said I was having nothing to do with leading or planning rides in future.
Apparently that means I'm being childish.

So my childish reaction is to take over membership secretary duties and I'm carefully removing all those with access to club FB and Strava who haven't officially rejoined.


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## Dayvo (10 Jun 2019)

mjr said:


> "It's rather daft to quote oneself," said mjr "but if you aspire to be like another famous self-quoter, crack on!"



I really can't see the point you're making, but if it makes you feel better, carry on.


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## Soltydog (10 Jun 2019)

cyberknight said:


> Club ride today I was playing the usual mugs game of helping out by taking my turn on the front which turene out to be everyone wheelsucking till a hill then blasting past .
> After 12 miles of this I was dropped again so I just stopped and turned around for a solo ride,no one has yet contacted me even Though it's a no drop ride.


I rode with a club for a while, as a ride leader & on the committee. Quite often on rides once there was a tail wind the pace would get silly & riders would be dropped  I raised it at several meetings & it was to be addressed, but continued. Quite often I'd be sat at the back with the 'slowest' rider & half a mile or more back from the main group. The final straw for me was when I was a ride leader one day on my single speed & got dropped towards the end of the ride, at over 20mph, was about a mile back, so peeled off the route & did another hour or so on my own & never rode with the club again.
I generally ride solo nowadays, occasionally with a friend or a group ride on here, or the Fridays & that suits me. I'm now enjoying my cycling more than ever, sometimes miss the group thing, but happy where I am, going where & when I want at the pace I want & not having to please anyone  
I'm sure there are good clubs out there that do operate a true non drop policy, but reckon Strava has a lot to answer for, some folk are always after a PR


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## Pale Rider (11 Jun 2019)

Soltydog said:


> I rode with a club for a while, as a ride leader & on the committee. Quite often on rides once there was a tail wind the pace would get silly & riders would be dropped  I raised it at several meetings & it was to be addressed, but continued. Quite often I'd be sat at the back with the 'slowest' rider & half a mile or more back from the main group. The final straw for me was when I was a ride leader one day on my single speed & got dropped towards the end of the ride, at over 20mph, was about a mile back, so peeled off the route & did another hour or so on my own & never rode with the club again.
> I generally ride solo nowadays, occasionally with a friend or a group ride on here, or the Fridays & that suits me. I'm now enjoying my cycling more than ever, sometimes miss the group thing, but happy where I am, going where & when I want at the pace I want & not having to please anyone
> I'm sure there are good clubs out there that do operate a true non drop policy, but reckon Strava has a lot to answer for, some folk are always after a PR



Dropping a rider is one thing, but dropping the leader is taking the mick.

In some groups it's not done to overtake the leader, let along dump him out the back.

Complaining about ride behaviour is awkward because what is seen as a valid complaint by one rider will be seen as childish whinging trouble making by another rider.


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## johnblack (11 Jun 2019)

Only ever ride with my mates or solo, every club ride I see near me seems packed full of try hards. I may be wrong but I'm not willing to find out.


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## Dogtrousers (11 Jun 2019)

johnblack said:


> Only ever ride with my mates or solo, every club ride I see near me seems packed full of try hards. I may be wrong but I'm not willing to find out.


Oddly enough I've had more problems with being dropped by my friends than I have with a club. Problem being that I have some fast friends. But I have the opportunity to hide among the tootlers and pootlers at club level.


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## rivers (11 Jun 2019)

I'm in a large club, and in the summer months, it's not unusual to have 130+ riders out (about half that in the winter, maybe 100+ if weather has been okay). Every week there are at least 3 volunteers for last rider duties, 1 for group 2 and 2 for group 3. And it's as it sounds, that person is the last rider from those groups back to HQ, so if someone falls off the back, has a mechanical, etc, there is someone to stay with them. Groups 2 and 3 generally have several sub groups within the group, and while we do have a no drop policy, if you find the subgroup you have put yourself in is too fast for you that day, the expectation is you will drop back to the subgroup a minute or 2 behind.


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## johnblack (11 Jun 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> Oddly enough I've had more problems with being dropped by my friends than I have with a club. Problem being that I have some fast friends. But I have the opportunity to hide among the tootlers and pootlers at club level.



That's bad, you've got to stick together on the flats and rollers, hills are different, we all ride them to our own pace and re-group at the top. We are pretty similar in standard so it works well and when someones having a bad day, we'll let them sit in and ease off.


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## cyberknight (12 Jun 2019)

Well raised it to the club founder , lets see what transpires .........


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## pawl (12 Jun 2019)

PAt the age of 15 that was 63 years ago ago I joined the local section of the C T C..No one was ever dropped,.If any one went off 
e back on a hill or road junction that required a change of direction we waited and regrouped.Punctures were an opportunity to have a breather or assist with the repair.

Very different times.The current crop of magazines are all about sportives and training for them.We supported them by marshalling the open events and occasionally a few of there training rides which occasionally as expected getting dropped In the winter there riders would join us on are Sunday runs sometimes with Carradice saddle bags attached. How times have changed


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## Dogtrousers (12 Jun 2019)

pawl said:


> Very different times


Not that different at all.

That's pretty much how things were at the club I rode with until oooh all of three years ago.

The thing is that no one makes posts on here saying "I went for a ride and we all rode at roughly the same pace and had some regrouping stops." It's just not very interesting.


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## pawl (12 Jun 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> Not that different at all.
> 
> That's pretty much how things were at the club I rode with until oooh all of three years ago.
> 
> The thing is that no one makes posts on here saying "I went for a ride and we all rode at roughly the same pace and had some regrouping stops." It's just not very interesting.




A lot of people on here are concerned about going on so called non drop rides only to find that is what happens.Just what are sport needs.


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## Dogtrousers (12 Jun 2019)

pawl said:


> A lot of people on here are concerned about going on so called non drop rides only to find that is what happens.Just what are sport needs.


Yes, I'm sure it happens and I'm sure it's always happened since time immemorial, but my point is it's not universal.

Sure It's a bad thing when it happens, especially if the speed is higher than advertised.

There are tons and tons of well run rides out there, but of course no one posts about those.

Maybe I've just been unnaturally lucky. Or maybe my strategy of always riding with the slowest group has paid off.


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## cyberknight (15 Jun 2019)

One of the wheel suckers sent me a text asking if i was riding 
I said no as i had issues ( didnt say what ) and he never got back to me


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## PaulSB (16 Jun 2019)

cyberknight said:


> One of the wheel suckers sent me a text asking if i was riding
> I said no as i had issues ( didnt say what ) and he never got back to me



He might not of interpreted this as issues with the ride or club.

My club has a no drop policy which is implemented in a variety of ways depending on the ride.

The Intro group always stay together but as this group is made up of riders of varying ability it does get strung out and regroups even on the flat. There is always an experienced rider on the front and back. The Club ride always stays together with hills at own pace and regroup at the top. The Inters ride stays as a group but will be much looser - if a few fancy sprinting off the front the regroup will be at the next turn. When someone comes to try this group they are always looked after by people dropping back and the others waiting at the next junction. We also have a Sporting ride which I think, never ridden it, operates in a similar fashion.

My own view is both rider and group have responsibilities. The group to look after the rider and the rider to choose a group suited to his/her ability. If in a group which is a struggle then get in the front 5-6 and take all the advantage possible.


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## cyberknight (23 Jun 2019)

No takers today so i pootled around on my lonesome , no wheel suckers at least  
<iframe height='405' width='590' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='View: https://www.strava.com/activities/2473752795/embed/0828a66edec818e4ad1d6b332cd39e247f1cc02d
'></iframe>


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## davidphilips (29 Jun 2019)

looking at your Strava you are a strong/fast cyclist ,the cyclists that dropped you must be very fast. Because of this, way i look at it is you have 2 options, option one is just keep going out with them if you want to get faster just keep a note of how long you can keep up with them and try to make it further until you dont get dropped.
Second option just start going out with another club/group, if it was myself i would perhaps just go out with them every second week or so have a few solo cycles and at the same time look for another club, on fast club runs its not to easy to spot some one of the back.
If you do keep going out with this group just stay of the front and dont be adverse to saying steady up guys.


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## cyberknight (29 Jun 2019)

davidphilips said:


> looking at your Strava you are a strong/fast cyclist ,the cyclists that dropped you must be very fast. Because of this, way i look at it is you have 2 options, option one is just keep going out with them if you want to get faster just keep a note of how long you can keep up with them and try to make it further until you dont get dropped.
> Second option just start going out with another club/group, if it was myself i would perhaps just go out with them every second week or so have a few solo cycles and at the same time look for another club, on fast club runs its not to easy to spot some one of the back.
> If you do keep going out with this group just stay of the front and dont be adverse to saying steady up guys.


spoke to someone who rides with me an them and it seems they might be able to drop me a bit but they tend to be fast blast short distance riders and a 65 mile club ride is not something to tempt them : ) ,The ride in question was 42 with a cake stop .

To be fair i weighed myself this week and im the heaviest i have been in years due to a bucket load of family problems then working 3 hours overtime a day for 5 months ment i have been eating oddly .I have been getting the miles in , coming up on 2800 for the year so i will bite the bullet and take some of the blame but still doesnt excuse the feck em attitude of the riders.


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## yello (29 Jun 2019)

I'm not sure it's a matter of "blame" as such. It can be that you're either not cut out for club riding (not everyone is) or not cut out for that particular club.

I want to pick up something someone else said earlier. That is, it's a two way thing; the club (ride) owes you a responsibility and you equally owe it one.

Some club riders have been doing it for years, the process comes naturally to them, it feels easy and friendly. Hence club rides are advertised as "friendly" (Who would advertise themselves as unfriendly!) For someone new to club riding, it's not so straightforward; it's not simply a matter of picking the right group and keeping up. There are rules and etiquette, some of it spoken, some of it just known. Example from earlier, a mention of ostracizing for half wheeling.

A new rider may fall foul of such rules without ever knowing it, find themselves shunned for reasons unknown. When a new rider joins a club, it's the rider's responsibility to pick this up (not just ride etiquette but club etiquette too) Yes, more experienced riders will obviously help but there's also an element of osmosis to it. During that learning process, you're best served just being respectful and sensitive, observing and asking. Don't assume that you know because you can ride a bike. As I say, that's not all there is to it.

Most cycling clubs are, I'd wager, friendly - once you've served your apprenticeship and know the ropes, got yourself known and accepted. In fact, I'd say most clubs are like that, not just cycling clubs. It's just a club dynamic.

I've ridden with cycling clubs and it's not for me. I don't fit and I accept that, no problem. There's no blame to it, it is what it is - a two way thing; I don't fit them and they don't fit me. I don't even care WHY, I just accept it.

I should hasten to add that by "cycling clubs", I mean the traditional style racing club. I don't mean CTC and the like. I've ridden in CTC groups and enjoyed it greatly - a vibe that suits me more. I've learnt a great deal about bikes and cycling through CTC groups, they've motivated and enthused me, enabled me to find and place myself as a rider. Had I have taken the traditional cycling club route, I would probably have given up!


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## cyberknight (29 Jun 2019)

yello said:


> I'm not sure it's a matter of "blame" as such. It can be that you're either not cut out for club riding (not everyone is) or not cut out for that particular club.
> 
> I want to pick up something someone else said earlier. That is, it's a two way thing; the club (ride) owes you a responsibility and you equally owe it one.
> 
> ...


I rode with another club for maybe 7-8 years and moved to this one as it was a bit closer to get to when it formed i started maybe 1 month after it got going so i have been there from the start near enough putting a lot of time and effort into running rides , planning routes , advice etc


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## yello (29 Jun 2019)

Sounds like a club or personality issue then @cyberknight as you're clearly an experienced club rider.

My (long) reply above was me thinking generally about clubs, and cycling clubs particularly, rather than intended to be a specific comment on your situation.


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## velohomme (29 Jun 2019)

Went out with a group once. Thought I was going out with moderate group. Turned out they were some where else. I knew I was in trouble as soon we left the meeting point. All you could hear was the sound of chains dropping onto small sprockets. Needless to say I soon bailed out. Definitely knocked my confidence for a while. I find I prefer riding on my own anyway.


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## mjr (1 Jul 2019)

yello said:


> I should hasten to add that by "cycling clubs", I mean the traditional style racing club. I don't mean CTC and the like. I've ridden in CTC groups and enjoyed it greatly - [...]


Well, CTC had Club in its name long before most of the current racing clubs were even formed, so I think we should probably be careful to say "racing club" or similar when that's what we mean, else we do the touring and leisure cycling clubs a great disservice.


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## Globalti (1 Jul 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I was on a cycle training camp holiday in Spain... (Not because I was training for anything in particular; mainly because it was nice riding in the sunshine in March when the weather at home was crap.)
> 
> I chose a group aiming for my kind of comfortable pace and we all set off together.
> 
> ...



Just read this Col and I'm a bit appalled. My experience with clubs has never been good; I rode with a local mountain bike club for some of my 21 years of dirt and hated the bickering and overt racism towards a couple of young Asians who tried to join. Have more recently ridden a couple of times with a local shop club and there is only one character who has any leadership skills or concern for his pals and he is an RAF officer - go figure. Even back in the 70s when I tried to join a mountaineering club I was appalled to be left behind sherpherding an extremely slow, frightened and ill-equipped young woman on the Aonach Eagach ridge in winter; we reached the pub an hour after dark by the light of my head torch and nobody seemed to have been concerned enough to wait or come back for us.

When my brother was a teenager he wanted to take up Scuba diving but the older members didn't take kindly to him because he was too young to go boozing in pubs. He joind a club in Tyneside and the dive boat succeeded in losing him and his buddy. who were swept down the coast into a neighbouring bay where they managed to swim ashore and stagger back on foot with all their kit. Disgusting.

All sporting clubs need to have a personality in charge wo makes sure novices are looked after. The only club approaching that is Cycle Sport Pendle who I would call a proper club who take care of junior members.


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## screenman (1 Jul 2019)

Globalti, I can add loads of named cycling clubs that look after kids, have you been to a grass track event recently as they are full of kids having fun and being well looked after. The cycling club I belong to has about 200 members, I guess 35 race and some do not even ride a bike.


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## ColinJ (1 Jul 2019)

Globalti said:


> Just read this Col and I'm a bit appalled. My experience with clubs has never been good; I rode with a local mountain bike club for some of my 21 years of dirt and hated the bickering and overt racism towards a couple of young Asians who tried to join. Have more recently ridden a couple of times with a local shop club and there is only one character who has any leadership skills or concern for his pals and he is an RAF officer - go figure. Even back in the 70s when I tried to join a mountaineering club I was appalled to be left behind sherpherding an extremely slow, frightened and ill-equipped young woman on the Aonach Eagach ridge in winter; we reached the pub an hour after dark by the light of my head torch and nobody seemed to have been concerned enough to wait or come back for us.
> 
> When my brother was a teenager he wanted to take up Scuba diving but the older members didn't take kindly to him because he was too young to go boozing in pubs. He joind a club in Tyneside and the dive boat succeeded in losing him and his buddy. who were swept down the coast into a neighbouring bay where they managed to swim ashore and stagger back on foot with all their kit. Disgusting.


Blimey, those clubs sound more like training for the SAS! 

My experience didn't exactly make me want to rush to join the nearest cycling club. I heard quite a few racist and sexist remarks in the group.

I've had much better experiences meeting people on CycleChat rides. That must be well over 200 different riders in the past 12 years and there have only been 2 or 3 who I didn't want to meet again, based on what I heard or what was reported to me by others.


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## I like Skol (1 Jul 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I've had much better experiences meeting people on CycleChat rides. That must be well over 200 different riders in the past 12 years and there have only been 2 or 3 who I didn't want to meet again, based on what I heard or what was reported to me by others.


I've not been on one of your rides for quite a while...….


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## ColinJ (1 Jul 2019)

I like Skol said:


> I've not been on one of your rides for quite a while...….


You weren't one of the dodgy ones! 

Come and join us on the Cheshire ride on the 20th July?


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## Dayvo (1 Jul 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I've had much better experiences meeting people on CycleChat rides. That must be well over 200 different riders in the past 12 years and there have only been *2 or 3* who I didn't want to meet again, based on what I heard or what was reported to me by others.





I like Skol said:


> I've not been on one of your rides for quite a while...….



Are you one of the 2 or 3?


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## ColinJ (1 Jul 2019)

Dayvo said:


> Are you one of the 2 or 3?


See post before!

(Although he did call me a 'Fat b*st*rd' when he first met me... )


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## I like Skol (1 Jul 2019)

ColinJ said:


> See post before!
> 
> (Although he did call me a 'Fat b*st*rd' when he first met me... )


Was I lieing?


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## I like Skol (1 Jul 2019)

ColinJ said:


> Come and join us on the Cheshire ride on the 20th July?


Would do it but will be at Heathrow putting my 16yr old on a flight to Tanzania that day.


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## ColinJ (1 Jul 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Would do it but will be at Heathrow putting my 16yr old on a flight to Tanzania that day.


That's a pretty reasonable excuse! 

As for the 'fat' thing... Admittedly, I was about 5 stone over my ideal weight at the time!


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## Globalti (1 Jul 2019)

Yikes! We've just taken 19 y.o. GtiJunior down to that Laaandon for his year's attachment and that was tough but... Tanzania? Wow.


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## DRM (9 Jul 2019)

Surely if you make enquiries to a club about joining, they should be asking what sort of level you ride at, it’s the one thing that’s off putting if you’re worried you’ll end up getting dropped in an unfamiliar area.
I think that with what I’ve read here, surely the best thing would be to send a potential new member out with a slower group so that the others can explain the does and don’ts of riding in a group, whilst being able to easily keep up, or even call it a training ride, some of those clubs discussed up thread need a lesser known pro to try and join and give the show offs a proper beasting up the hills!


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## DCLane (9 Jul 2019)

DRM said:


> Surely if you make enquiries to a club about joining, they should be asking what sort of level you ride at, it’s the one thing that’s off putting if you’re worried you’ll end up getting dropped in an unfamiliar area.
> I think that with what I’ve read here, surely the best thing would be to send a potential new member out with a slower group so that the others can explain the does and don’ts of riding in a group, whilst being able to easily keep up, or even call it a training ride, some of those clubs discussed up thread need a lesser known pro to try and join and give the show offs a proper beasting up the hills!



That's exactly what my club does; they'll recommend a potential new member joins them on a shorter and easier ride to assess how they're doing. Some struggle on those (12-20 miles each way with a stop) and they can advise. There's a sister club for beginners which helps.


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## DRM (9 Jul 2019)

DCLane said:


> That's exactly what my club does; they'll recommend a potential new member joins them on a shorter and easier ride to assess how they're doing. Some struggle on those (12-20 miles each way with a stop) and they can advise. There's a sister club for beginners which helps.


That’s exactly what I mean, try & get a feel for how a new member will cope, then advise them accordingly, it’s really a worry how your going to fit in, let alone if you make a faux pas, or feel like you’re holding everyone up,but if it’s a small group, it can be less intimidating & I suppose if you get your timing right everyone can meet up at the cafe, having done their rides at the speed/distance they want, it’s the thing that puts me off is not being as quick uphill, I get there but I at my pace, understandable really when I have meds to keep my heart rate down, and to thin the blood that makes me slower uphill, but I still tend to average 14 to 15 mph out on my own.


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## cyberknight (6 Aug 2019)

Dunno where to put this but i guess it all comes under the same umbrella .
Seems a lot of the club are planning to do the st giles sportive but at £35 a pop im out , the more i think about it the more i feel im not right for the club.Last week someone else ran the club ride as i was off and attendance doubled.


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## davidphilips (6 Aug 2019)

cyberknight said:


> Dunno where to put this but i guess it all comes under the same umbrella .
> Seems a lot of the club are planning to do the st giles sportive but at £35 a pop im out , the more i think about it the more i feel im not right for the club.Last week someone else ran the club ride as i was off and attendance doubled.



LOL Dont make any thing of it, chances are the reason there was twice as many there is due to your input the week , weeks or months prior.


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## I like Skol (6 Aug 2019)

cyberknight said:


> Last week someone else ran the club ride as i was off and attendance doubled.


Nothing to do with fabulous weather and the summer holidays then?


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## PaulSB (7 Aug 2019)

DRM said:


> Surely if you make enquiries to a club about joining, they should be asking what sort of level you ride at, it’s the one thing that’s off putting if you’re worried you’ll end up getting dropped in an unfamiliar area.
> I think that with what I’ve read here, surely the best thing would be to send a potential new member out with a slower group so that the others can explain the does and don’ts of riding in a group



All the clubs I know of take this approach. My own would usually offer a brief description of our rides, terrain, average speed, distance etc. Depending on how the conversation develops we might ask the prospective new member about his/her experience. It isn't though an interview. Most people have the commonsense to join a ride they can complete comfortably.

While I agree s club has a responsibility to look after any member it's also true people should respect the group not attempt rides which are beyond them.

Each group runs a monthly "taster" ride intended to give members the chance to see if they are ready to progress to a faster group.


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## cyberknight (7 Aug 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Nothing to do with fabulous weather and the summer holidays then?


Cant be surely ?
I was on the beach diet aka chips and ice cream  
I think i need to chill a bit, i have had a difficult time over the last year what with lads ongoing issues , wife's stroke , MIL dieing etc et c maybe im doing a bit of lashing out in general .


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## DCLane (7 Aug 2019)

Maybe. How about dropping the ride leadership for a while and just see what happens.

Being 2nd/3rd claim on another club gets access to their rides as well.

For what it's worth I could never be a ride leader. I _may_ look after a group while it's on the road sometimes but it takes a specific set of skills I don't have to lead.


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## Phaeton (7 Aug 2019)

cyberknight said:


> I think i need to chill a bit,


You're clearly emotionally involved in the club, it may well be best to either step back 100% for a period or if you can do it without it causing you more issues become one of the riders, allow somebody else to do the hard work & you just enjoy being pulled along. Now whether you can emotionally do that is another matter, that is not a criticism btw I'm not sure I could do half measures.


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## cyberknight (8 Aug 2019)

DCLane said:


> Maybe. How about dropping the ride leadership for a while and just see what happens.
> 
> Being 2nd/3rd claim on another club gets access to their rides as well.
> 
> For what it's worth I could never be a ride leader. I _may_ look after a group while it's on the road sometimes but it takes a specific set of skills I don't have to lead.


well planning a imperial century on the 18th and so far i have 6 takers go figure


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## cyberknight (11 Aug 2019)

good turn out , sat cancelled due to weather so rides rescheduled to a day i can do , two groups to bosworth





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'></iframe>


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## davidphilips (12 Aug 2019)

Very fast cycling cyberknight, well done to all that done the Soggy sock ride.


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