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Sorry but I'm still recovering from the fact that I've no ambition to be a cyclist.
[i]The OP comes across as a tool.[/i]
To you. But then you're probably a roadie.
Why don't all these super competitive riders who can drop people at will and ride sportives at 23.8mph actually race?
Plenty of amatueur TT / crit / 4th cat / CX races about..
Should have come on holiday over here. The fast road group would have shattered any/all illusions of adequacy. Then put him in hospital and told him to suck it up as road riding is dangerous.
anyone else curiously aroused by all this ?
I'm off to put on my best lycra and "polish my steed" for a bit
I wouldn't ride with OP. He is coming across as far too awesome for me, but don't take it personally cos I hate people and that's why I have just bought a rigid singlespeed so no one talks to me.
To you. But then you're probably a roadie.
I'm a cyclist. MTB, CX, road, TT, whatever.
I'm a member of two mixed road/offroad clubs and an offroad race team. The only 'organised' road group ride I do outside races is a loose conglomeration of lads who turn up to the same meeting point on a Sunday for a blast. If you can keep up and don't ride like a muppet then you're welcome.
This bloke sounds like a muppet.
Why don't all these super competitive riders who can drop people at will and ride sportives at 23.8mph actually race?
Plenty of amatueur TT / crit / 4th cat / CX races about..
Because in some areas of the country there aren't plenty of races, and the 'entry level' races are broken to the extent that 'only' averaging 23.8mph would see you dropped by the main group before half way. Same deal with 'sport' in MTB races.
Until BC (or someone else) introduces proper entry level racing then there's going to be loads of folks whose only outlets for their competitive side are sportives and strava.
This thread just highlights how socially inept the vast majority of people are judging from the points highlighted by the OP and subsequent responses. Keyboard warriors that would turn into shrinking violets should they be confronted in person living in their own little bubble of self importance and take no accountability for their own actions.
From personal experience both groups suffer from a similar affliction although I find road cyclists can be a little more extreme in their anal retentiveness and complete disregard for anyone or anything else around them for the sake of their own personal average speed or power outputs.
Driving around Newlands and Peaslake is a great example where the roadies quite happily pull out to over take over groups while cars are also along side overtaking at the same time and cause complete mayhem in the process. I guess the MTB equivalent would be the Stava KOM straight line crusaders.
Fair play to the OP for being restrained. Better man than I am, that's for sure.
fifeandy - MemberUntil BC (or someone else) introduces proper entry level racing then there's going to be loads of folks whose only outlets for their competitive side are sportives and strava.
you know what, he's got a point.
(there's even little point turning up to our local 'mates race' series, unless you're an extremely handy Dh racer)
OP, the club might have thought/hoped that asking you for £15 each was enough to put you off and, when it wasn't, they had to invent some new objection 🙂
I'm lucky enough to be in a very friendly and very inclusive club. [url= http://www.leekcyclistsclub.org.uk ]Leek CC[/url] is one of the oldest continuously running cycling clubs in the UK and just had its 140th birthday. Anyone can come along to our Sunday club run to "have a go" but eventually will be asked to join after 3 rides. It's not unreasonable to ask a few questions about experience/fitness beforehand so it is best to get in touch first rather than just turn up.
I do think I'd find it odd if someone just merged with our group whilst we were out riding though, and that would be the case whether I was on a road ride or an MTB ride or just out walking with the family. By all means ask, but understand that the answer may not always be the one you want or expect. I've had scares when riding in a group with someone not used to it, so if a stranger asked to ride in the group I would be wary. Fortunately where our club rides it's (a) on very quiet roads so imperfect group riding etiquette is not the problem it might be on a busy road and (b) it's so hilly the group often falls apart anyway (with me usually near the back!) Your encounter in the OP does sound a little volatile though, so I do wonder what else happened.
As for these average speeds, I can only dream. I don't even get out of the teens on a 5 mile TT!*
*In my defence the Club 5 miler is up and down rather than flat and I am not exactly in tip-top cycling fitness.
you only have to visit the top of Box Hill on a Sunday and look at the riders - the roadies all seem to be standing around trying to look serious and pro-like, and the mtbers are just looking normal.
Box Hill is crap for mountain biking. If you visit Peaslake on a Sunday you'll find loads of mtbers standing around looking very serious and enduro-like.
They are just different types of bikes - with a relatively similar proportion of cocks riding them. I just don't get the constant competition - its like rugby league fans slagging off rugby union.
This whole thread is madness. I'll bet that someone in the club skim read the email, thought ok, they can join, then someone else pointed out that they were in fact inviting someone that claimed 21mph in a sportive made somehow qualified them for a fast chain gang and pointed out the madness in that, when most clubs offer social introductory rides as a starter. They then saw the opportunity to back out, and three pages later here we are... 🙄
Is it not enough to accept that some people are just dicks, and some arent?
This whole thread is madness.
Most are. Still they keep us amused.
I ride race MTB, CX, road and just for kicks Arctic Ultras and I've met bell-ends on all types of bikes but the growth in popularity of road riding certainly seems to have attracted a higher degree of bell-enderly! These days I mainly ride with a small group of friends - somedays we ride hard, some less so - we've on occassion encountered riders who in the process of being overtaken seem to think it's OK to jump into the middle of our group ride. It only takes one knobber to touch wheels and take down a group - if it's a mate, I can live with it, but not some numptie breathing out his ar$e trying to impress his girlfriend.
[i]Is it not enough to accept that some people are just dicks, and some arent?[/i]
I'd say there are some people who just take themselves far too seriously.
It only takes one knobber to touch wheels and take down a group - if it's a mate, I can live with it, but not some numptie breathing out his ar$e trying to impress his girlfriend.
Completely agree.
For a social road ride, usually anyone is welcome.
But for fast chain gang rides, you only want people you know and trust riding in such close proximity. There's usually a few intro rides and training before people are allowed to join such rides.
(Also why I can't stand strangers "drafting" when commuting)
Racing and TT's are a huge part of traditional roadie clubs, and that means some rides will be formal fast paced disciplined training rides.
crikey, we're such a bunch of misanthropic MTBers we have to advertise on here to get people to come riding with us.
Even then, no-one comes out twice. 😥
after doing my bit on the front I tried to get into the line
If you'd known how to ride in a group, and dropped to the back of the line, all of this could of been avoided.
Ah, if you want to see the pinnacle of "roadieness" you should visit Regent's Park and/or Richmond Park - the capital of Rapha manliness.
Was looking up passive aggressive online and came across this thread
People like the mboy is why I won't ride any organised road events in the UK.
You really are coming across badly, and I can confirm that if I'd been riding as part of an obvious small group and you'd tried to push into the middle of the line you'd have been told where to go as well.
- get a life 🙄6 guys all in their "team" kit
Part of the OP reminds me of the time we were practicing our dance routine for Britains Got Talent in the local park. It's a highly syncronized and choreographed number with many, many highlights. A guy and his girlfriend (i assume it was his GF cause he told us he had a girlfriend and the friend with him was a girl) heard the beat drop and came over and decided to bust some moves in the middle of our practice. They thought because they could ripple, they could throw down. But that ain't street in my street so LeroyTurbo told him to moonwalk off and take his punk-ass wiki-wiki-wak moves with him.
Word on the street was he took his sorry ass to the social medias hoping to raise a posse, yo!
then 3 miles later destroyed them on the next climb!
Bit rich from someone who says he doesn't take his cycling too seriously.
You sound like a ****ing knob. I hope I have never put business your way.
I suspect that the OP never really did take his cycling too seriously until he reached the heady heights of a 4.37 in Ride London.
Now he is almost a pro who can blow people away on climbs and join organised chain gangs on a whim.
Read the 1st page and then this page.. ^^ those last 2 comments! Christ, this forum has some bellends 🙄
mboy, I find there are far too many overly serious roadies. They just seem to take the fun out of going for a ride. Possibly because its a more constant grind, whereas the usual MTB rideout is sprint down a hill (segment 🙂 ) as fast as possible and then stop and chat. You might get the same attitude with serious XC riders? I dunno. Our rides are fun and anyone can join in.
I remember it being the same with Tennis+Squash. I stopped tennis and started playing squash.
The irony is that the OP seems like the most 'serious' (not best) 'roadie' of the lot. Getting angry because nobody would work with him in a non competitive group ride and having to drop them in retaliation. Heck.
[i]You might get the same attitude with serious XC riders?[/i]
Only ever encountered 1, who joined our jolly group many years ago.
We used to stop and piss about on "techy" bits to try to clear them, stuff like that. I remember one particular hill-climb in the Devil's Punchbowl - he just used to stand and watch until we carried on with the planned route.
If they're all like that... 😉
If they're all like that...
Pretty much from what I've seen. Though so are most of the serious road riders I know.
I find there are far too many overly serious roadies. They just seem to take the fun out of going for a ride.
I'm sure there are, but that's not been my experience.
I find there are far too many overly serious roadies. They just seem to take the fun out of going for a ride
Do you also find that anyone else who is different from you "overly serious". Just because others enjoy different aspects of bike riding it doesnt mean you are right aand they are wrong.
By now the poor bugger will be in a field at the bottom of Bowderdale in the pissing rain, misty-eyed when he thinks back to his happy times on the road.
Wonder which club it was up here? Stopping randoms with unknown skillz join the faster groups wouldn't be totally unreasonable. Joining a social cafe ride, why not? And as for inserting yourself into the middle of a group from a club...I imagine they were quite relieved when he smashed them into oblivion etc up the next hill.
I see just as many miserable sods on MTB rides as on the road. I'm probably one of them.
[i]I'm probably one of them.[/i]
At last! An admission 😀
Well, I think mboy sounds alright, even if his words weren't quite as carefully chosen as STW requires. I'd ride with him.
And yes, some roadies are miserable buggers. He's not the only one to comment on it, and I've certainly experienced it. I once rode out from town to the local club 10 with half the field, tried to chat and utterly failed. Maybe it's me, I dunno.
And yes, some [s]roadies[/s] people are miserable buggers.
FTFY 🙂
Sounds fairly hellish to me. I think many have some anecdotes of 'miserable roadies', i'd have given up after being asked for a £15 fee just because of the attitude it shows. Then again, I generally can't stand having my cycling freedom and outward misanthropy compromised by riding with...'other people'. 🙂
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Going on holiday with your missus and your bikes, then trying to find groups of unknowns to ride with, is a bit weird tbh.
Might be just me though?
Admit it MBoy, you were wearing this..
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I don't join clubs / club rides. They are all numpties and I am a miserable misanthrope.
the only group rides I have done is the old TBC / Edinburgh pentlands night rides where the only rule was anyone going too fast will be mocked and fed to the bears
The irony is that the OP seems like the most 'serious' (not best) 'roadie' of the lot.
Define the 'best' roadie in this particular context.
How could you tell the people you met on Ride London were "roadies"and not "MTBers" like you and your GF?
Just interested in how you spot the difference?
Ooh ooh! I know this one! Pick me sir!
It's cos it wuz a road ride!?!
In the interests of fairness, everyone I spoke to on Ride London was very friendly. The pompous arses at the front end of the last Brecon Beast I did on the other hand.......
In the interests of fairness, everyone I spoke to on Ride London was very friendly. The pompous arses [b]at the front end[/b] of the last Brecon Beast I did on the other hand.......
It is impossible to write a seemingly balanced comment on STW without some kind of hidden willy waving 🙂
when I'm at the front of the chain gang, people are very friendly, pointing out hazards etc.
However when I finished [b]7th[/b] in my first ever trail half marathon, not one person stopped to point out rabbit holes. i nearly broke my ankle 3 times. but i didn't, I finished [b]7th[/b]