Club run behaviour
- Thread starter outlash
- Start date
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Thank-you very much, I will read and absorb this soon .. bless you and Merry Christmas.
RoubaixCube
~Tribanese~
- Location
- London, UK
I was gonna go on an introduction ride with FPCC earlier month, but due to finishing work late wasnt up for a 7Am start to make my way to the meeting point, My friend went in my place and while he did say they were a friendly bunch there seemed to be some sort of elitism going on as my friend was on an old hybrid and everyone else was on road/race bikes. According to FPCCs own website, the introduction ride is supposed to go as slow as the slowest rider that turns up, None of that happened. My friend on the beat up hybrid eventually had to drop out because he couldnt keep up.
I got an email of apology later in the day from the leader of the group saying that he should have split the group into two because the faster riders of the club had come out that day. None the less, I passed the message on to my friend and he didnt care much for the apology as he's attempted to join other cycling clubs in the past but had problems with some of the members either cycling too close and trying to 'bully him' into making a mistakes that would take the other riders down etc etc or simply just not talking or interacting with him simply because hes new, hes an outsider and nobody knows him.
He didnt want to join a club so we tried a few social rides from the skyride website and people were just the same. two of the groups we went out with, even if it was a medium paced ride just didnt seem to care about each other and a mechanical issue pretty much meant that your time with the group was at an end and you would drop out while everyone just cycled on without even the slightest hint of one of the people in the group let alone the ride leader/organiser themselves looking back and doing a head count.
The second social ride i went on with my friend, I ended up having a slight mechanical issue while on route. But i still managed to limp my way to the meeting point. Unfortunately the same friend that went on the FPCC ride was with me that day too but he took the wrong turn and ended up elsewhere.
I met up with the group. Spoke to the ride leader who was more interested in cramming her ride briefing down my throat then listen to what i had to say. Tried to tell her about my mechanical probs and that my friend who was probably less than 3mins away from the meeting point was still on his way.
What did they all do? They all left without us! That marked pretty much the last attempt at a social ride for both of us.
It was a real shame about the FPCC though as I have read so many nice things about how friendly they are and such. My friend doesnt want to go for an outing with them again as he prefers the more recreational and long distance rides.
As i have a road bike now. I will most likely go for an introduction ride with FPCC.
======
All that a side, i have been trying to get my friend to get rid of his 5 or 6 year old Hybrid for a long time for something newer but he doesnt want to spend the money. He commutes to work on it, almost goes everywhere on it but doesnt do any sort of maintenance on the bike - Not even cleaning or oiling the drivetrain. The only time his bike got any kind of love was when he ended up going into regents canal with it as duck ran out onto his path and he had to swerve out the way but lost his balance. Took it to cyclesurgery and they pretty much changed 90% of his drivetrain.
I got an email of apology later in the day from the leader of the group saying that he should have split the group into two because the faster riders of the club had come out that day. None the less, I passed the message on to my friend and he didnt care much for the apology as he's attempted to join other cycling clubs in the past but had problems with some of the members either cycling too close and trying to 'bully him' into making a mistakes that would take the other riders down etc etc or simply just not talking or interacting with him simply because hes new, hes an outsider and nobody knows him.
He didnt want to join a club so we tried a few social rides from the skyride website and people were just the same. two of the groups we went out with, even if it was a medium paced ride just didnt seem to care about each other and a mechanical issue pretty much meant that your time with the group was at an end and you would drop out while everyone just cycled on without even the slightest hint of one of the people in the group let alone the ride leader/organiser themselves looking back and doing a head count.
The second social ride i went on with my friend, I ended up having a slight mechanical issue while on route. But i still managed to limp my way to the meeting point. Unfortunately the same friend that went on the FPCC ride was with me that day too but he took the wrong turn and ended up elsewhere.
I met up with the group. Spoke to the ride leader who was more interested in cramming her ride briefing down my throat then listen to what i had to say. Tried to tell her about my mechanical probs and that my friend who was probably less than 3mins away from the meeting point was still on his way.
What did they all do? They all left without us! That marked pretty much the last attempt at a social ride for both of us.
It was a real shame about the FPCC though as I have read so many nice things about how friendly they are and such. My friend doesnt want to go for an outing with them again as he prefers the more recreational and long distance rides.
As i have a road bike now. I will most likely go for an introduction ride with FPCC.
======
All that a side, i have been trying to get my friend to get rid of his 5 or 6 year old Hybrid for a long time for something newer but he doesnt want to spend the money. He commutes to work on it, almost goes everywhere on it but doesnt do any sort of maintenance on the bike - Not even cleaning or oiling the drivetrain. The only time his bike got any kind of love was when he ended up going into regents canal with it as duck ran out onto his path and he had to swerve out the way but lost his balance. Took it to cyclesurgery and they pretty much changed 90% of his drivetrain.
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speccy1
Guest
This is shocking behaviour!
I`ll admit to having issues with my club in the past, but they have been political, nothing to do with the rides themselves.
We always split into 3 groups - social, tempo, and elite. Having ridden on all 3 over the years, they all follow the same pattern. If anybody has a problem or a mechanical, the whole group will stop and wait/help out. NOBODY EVER GETS ABANDONED. Unless people have other plans or need to leave early, we return with the same number as we started with. A few years ago I snapped my chain 15 miles from home, and one of the guys actually got his wife to come and rescue me and take me home! This to me is how a club should be (I know what happened to me was an extreme case), not what you are describing - that is just pants
RoubaixCube
~Tribanese~
- Location
- London, UK
Maybe we're just not looking at the right clubs. FPCC sounded really interesting as they have members that cover almost all areas of cycling apart from the more 'social' rides. Im guessing social for them is having newer riders join them for the 'introduction ride'
I half feel sorry for my friend though, I told him i wouldnt be going & he should also cancel but he insisted that he go so I was like "alright, go and find out what they're like..."
In FPCCs case - the ride description on their website says bring whatever bike you want but a road bike is recommended. I wasnt there so i cant tell if there was any 'friction' in the air when they all saw him roll up in a well-travelled hybrid. I honestly thought that he would of had a good time with FPCC - chatting with them, getting to know them and the club etc etc. Because of that, im not even half sure if i want to go out for a ride with them even if i have a road bike.
I dont want to turn up for a ride with them only to find out that everyone sticks to the people they know rather than the new people who may be interested in becoming part of the club. It doesnt really paint a positive image of them as a club.
So for the time being its just me and my friend doing our own rides around london and stuff.
speccy1
Guest
Seems like the website, and what they "actually" do are two totally different things.
If we have new people turn up on club rides, we do our best to make them feel welcome and want to join/come back again.
I do know of a club not too far away from me that act exactly the same as you describe, seems to be one extreme or the other............
vickster
Legendary Member
You could join the London Sunday CC rides?
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/sunday-london-ride.47966/page-463
Sky ride? CTC?
RoubaixCube
~Tribanese~
- Location
- London, UK
Id be totally down with that once in awhile - Nice to meet up with the london CC posse
