December 2, 2008

  • What's up with That (Soap box time)

    So I am surfing the web and looking at a web site which had section on group riding tips etc.   Most of the tips were good and then I came along to this section which stated:


    Nobody likes to be told how to ride even if they need it.  Therefore, don’t offer riding advice to anyone unless the directly ask you a specific question.  If you overhear someone asking someone else a riding question, refrain from jumping into the conversion with our own opinion.

    I was shocked to see this!   True enough, none of us want to be told that we are screwing up but IMHO letting someone go who is dangerous to the peloton is a huge mistake.   In the old dayz,  I had many a seasoned rider give me unsolicited tips and in most cases I was appreciative.  Even if I wasn't I would at least listen to the opinion of anyone who wanted to share one. 

    Much of  pack riding etiquette is tribal in nature.   Various groups have minor variations but they are all pretty much the same.   Occasionally there are differences which are not in-line.  As an example, I was riding with a group once that would flick their elbow to the side which they were coming off the front on.  I read this as them wanting me to pull through on that side.   I almost hit the rider as he drifted back!     We talked about this, and this is when I found out this difference.    If someone is new  to the group, and they look like they need some coaching, I would rather have someone a bit miffed at me than to have my $$$$ bike all screwed up cause a behavior which could have been corrected went unchecked.    In any case this tribal knowledge needs to be passed down and not restrained.  

    This reminds me of the 1st Spider man movie where our hero could have stopped the thief but choose not too, quoting,  "I don't see where that's my problem"...  Unsafe riding is everyone's responsibility to do something about.  Like I always say,  "If you are not part of the solution. then you are part of the problem".

    I know I have told riders things that they didn't' want to hear.  One such piece of advice was, "Don't ride to close to the edge of a ride with a drop  shoulder".  I explained the reason for this is to give riders behind you some look-see room on both sides of your wheel, other wise there was no room to the right without going off the road. This one was about safety IMHO.  The rider didn't agree with me and stated that he and his buddies did it ...... OK that's all well and good, but I was the ride leader and I felt entitled to speak my piece as I had many times before.   Most riders understood, but this was one who didn't.  Just because one rider didn't like my advice doesn't mean it was sound.  That rider never came to my ride again. and it was only months later did I hear about how disgruntled he was.... Hey, you can't please everyone, but if you give up your principles because someone didn't like something you did/said or whatever nothing would ever get done..

    A tactful way to give someone advice is to call a "Coaching moment", then calmly give your advice and hope all goes well.   I suppose that if you are shy you could bear your concern to the ride leader who could handle this for you.

    Thankfully, I doubt this advice is seriously practiced.

    OK,  now let me find my asbestos suit just in case