Friday, April 18, 2014

Art of a group ride

This interesting article is from a cycling lawyer on his site, www.bikelaw.com.  I share some of his frustrations.  Most of what he says refers to a paceline and the good old days he is pining for are really the bad old days of road bike snobbery to which the Fogbees are the antithesis. Still, he has some points for us to ponder.

By

Sep 01, 2011 Every so often, I’ll ride a recreational group ride. I love the camaraderie of cyclists, the talk, the last minute pumps of air, the clicking in, and the easy drifting out as a peloton. “I miss riding in a group,” I’ll think to myself.
The magic ends by mile 10. The group will surge, gap, and separate, only to regroup at every stop sign. I’ll hear fifteen repeated screams of “HOLE!” for every minor road imperfection. And then no mention of the actual hole. Some guy in front will set a PR for his 30 second pull. Wheels overlap, brakes are tapped, and some guy in the back will go across the yellow line and speed past the peloton for no apparent reason. A breakaway?!

Click link to read full article. 
Bruce

2 comments:

Docbruw said...

From someone who has been cycling for 27+ years, Amen. I can't say I have not violated some of those "skills" every now and then but learning to ride in a group is a valuable skill everyone should learn. I believe their is safety in numbers when riding but only when we as cyclists know how to ride with each other AND the other motorists on the road.

Thanks for the reminder Bruce. Prost!

Caledonia said...

Bruce, thanks for the link to an excellent article.