msu2001la

Sometimes I ride the TT bike on my Zwift group rides just so my teammates can yell at me.

Reflector Guy

Every time I see this thread it reminds me of a certain Seinfeld episode.

Flatballer

You got me excited that we'd captured yet another new person who is oblivious to how old this is.

MoAlpha

Anyone yells at me now, they better be downwind or I'll sue their ass. **** has gotten real.

Koyote

Exactly my experience. In fact, just the other day, I was wondering what happened to this thread...And now, here it is again.

CAT7RDR

Yell all you want. My hearing is bad and getting worse.

Eric F

Going to join a group ride tonight that I used to do when I was young and fast. There's a good chance I won't be around long enough to get yelled at.

downhillmaster

Too funny

Mojo31

I know a guy.

Inusuit

2859 posts confirming why I don't do group rides.

rubiksoval

How depressing to not ever try something for yourself.

big john

Do you do the Montrose ride?

big john

If you did group rides you would understand some of the posts better. You might also see why some of us keep doing group rides after decades of doing them. Or not, riding solo is ok, too.
It always surprises me how many people on the forum say they only ride solo, especially in the 50+ forum. .

Inusuit

I got my fill of group rides when I did road motorcycles. The more people, the less I liked it. Always someone wanting to stop, lingering at stops, riding after drinking, having poor skills, riding unpredictably, etc. Bicycling groups may be different and for those who enjoy group rides, good on ya. I do ride road bikes regularly with one person my age, 76. We have similar goals and fitness level.

The rides I enjoy the most for myself are solo rides on the dirt roads near my home. Almost no car traffic. Have never seen another cyclist on any one of the dozen or so different routes I take. Have seen deer, antelope, coyotes, swift fox, raptors.

I suppose I might be a bit antisocial.

BillyD

Is there nothing during your lifetime that you can look back on and say "I'm glad I never did that"?

Bob Ross

Every time I see this thread it reminds me of this thread.

Jack Tone 

One time I did a midnight motorcycle poker run. Each stop was at a bar. I saw a lot of Goldwings on their sides that night.

Eric F

Late-'90s until I quit riding in '05, Montrose was my Saturday ritual. Since I've been back on the bike (Dec 2019), I haven't been out there yet. Part of it is not wanting to be with groups that big yet. Part of it is knowing I don't have that kind of intensity in my legs right now. I'm hoping to make a return at some point, but it might be with the early "old guys" group.

big john

There are bicycle groups with the same turnoffs. If that's the only group rides there were, I would ride solo, always. I joined a road club in 1989. 500 members of all persuasions. It definitely takes some sorting to find the ones you're comfortable riding with and people are coming and going all the time.

rubiksoval

Nothing that I care about enough to frequent and post about on a message board concerned with said thing.

rubiksoval

You don't know what you don't know.

Odd thing to jump on a thread about group rides just to point out how, even though you've apparently never done one, you're glad you haven't...

merlinextraligh

People tend to regret the things they didn’t do much more than the things they did.

mercator

I dunno, how about:
BASE jumping?
Russian roulette?
Urophagia?

Hiro11

I've been riding in groups for almost 35 years. The "rules" of group riding have been the same for that entire time. There's an unquestionably right way to do it. I had a coach in high school who was an experienced racer. He rode with us, taught us the ropes and was unafraid to call us out if we were riding dangerously. He was polite but firm: this is how you do it, do what I say. We had formal post-ride reviews where we'd talk about what went well and what could have gone better. These reviews were again respectful but firm. To me, that's the right attitude. There's no reason to be a jerk on the road, but riding in a group is a serious matter. Riding in a group is assuming mutual responsibility for each other's safety. It's not a "snobbery" thing, it's a safety thing. The second you stop respecting the rules of riding on the road in a group, you will pay a harsh penalty. If you ride long enough, you'll see these lessons learned the hard way.

To some new to road cycling, joining an established group can be intimidating because too many roadies famously can be very "vocal" if you do something dumb. Personally, I have no problem with newer riders who are learning and make mistakes. On the other hand, I do have a problem with those who should know better, don't listen, and continue to ride erratically. I know some people who have been riding in groups for years and just refuse to follow the rules. They also refuse to listen to the group about their erratic / dangerous riding, get annoyed if anyone calls them on it and continue doing stupid crap.

There's obvious stuff to avoid like blowing through stop signs, riding much faster/ much slower than the group's agreed pace, failing to hold your line etc. Then there's the more subtle but equally important stuff. A recent early season group ride reminded me of a few of the more subtle things that I see people do wrong on group rides:
1. People who can't ride smoothly. Pedal/coast(ratchet sound)/pedal/coast(ratchet sound)/pedal. On/off/on/off/on. Stop it.
2. People who can't sit back down smoothly when climbing out of the saddle in a paceline. Similarly, people who dramatically back off the effort before they crest a hill.
3. People who lead the group straight into avoidable potholes while pulling. This is often followed by a flat/crash and a mumbled "sorry guys".
4. People who blow themselves up on a pull and stop pedaling before they come off the front. Or people who come off the front way too dramatically, slamming to the left without warning. Or people who completely blow after a pull and can't get on the back of the group causing everyone to wait for them.
5. People who shout too often about obvious or trivial "hazards". If you're constantly yelling about everything, nothing gets noticed.
6. People who ride too far to the right, right along the curb, because it's "safer".

Etc.

If you're a new rider, it can be hard to swallow your ego and listen to what more experienced riders say. If the more experienced riders are being jerks, it's even harder. Still, if you're a new rider you should try to learn proper group riding technique. If you're an experienced group rider, don't yell at new riders but do politely call out non-obvious mistakes.

Sy Reene

Welcome back, but I think you should devote some energy back into this thread.