Show up for group ride - but dont ride with the group

[jimoots]

Why don't you just, you know, ask them?

[holliscx]

The answer's in your title: the rider showed up to an A group ride and doesn't wish to ride with Bs. If I were dropped from the As, I would rather ride faster solo until I could stay with the As than drop back and ride slower with the Bs if that were my choice.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Red Tornado

Now I realize some people want to get their workout

I've always contended that people who "want to get their workout" shouldn't be going on group rides.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by Red Tornado

It's the complaining that they had to do the last XX miles alone that I find irritating...

...Just don't complain about it.

NOW we get down to the real issue.

I understand your irritation. The dropped rider has a problem accepting responsibility for being dropped. In his case, everything is someone else's fault.

You could say something to him, but I doubt he'll get the soft approach. The blunt/rude/sarcastic approach may get the message across but I doubt he'll see the light and probably won't endear yourself to him.

[bcgav]

Originally Posted by Peter P.

NOW we get down to the real issue.

I understand your irritation. The dropped rider has a problem accepting responsibility for being dropped. In his case, everything is someone else's fault.

You could say something to him, but I doubt he'll get the soft approach. The blunt/rude/sarcastic approach may get the message across but I doubt he'll see the light and probably won't endear yourself to him.

Originally Posted by holliscx

The answer's in your title: the rider showed up to an A group ride and doesn't wish to ride with Bs. If I were dropped from the As, I would rather ride faster solo until I could stay with the As than drop back and ride slower with the Bs if that were my choice.

+1 just don't whine about getting dropped. If you're a new guy showing up with a bunch of regulars in an A group, they're going to test you and try to drop you. That's part of the game...

[holliscx]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

I've always contended that people who "want to get their workout" shouldn't be going on group rides.

Anyone can ride easy on his own but you can't ride as fast as you can in a group by yourself which is what many are after i.e. a superior workout.

[Mayhem]

Perhaps the rider is hoping to link back up with his group at a stop. If a B group 60 seconds behind can't catch him then he's doing okay in my book.

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by Peter P.

Maybe he doesn't want to learn.

I see lots of this these days.

People showing up to rides with the strength/speed to hang, but no concept of riding in a group and no willingness to learn.

Triathletes typically fall into this category (but that's another rant)

They'll either figure it out like the rest of us or they won't.

M

[redir]

I don't think that getting dropped by A's means that you are not an A rider. Cat 1's drop fellow cat 1's all the time for example. I'm a B rider these days but when I used to go out with the A group if I got dropped then I figured it's a good opportunity to practice TT's or bridging the gap.

By the way where I ride we send the B's off first and then the A's chase. So if you get dropped before you catch the B's then you are truly on your own.

[bcroslin]

Tell the dropped rider that he needs to learn how to suffer a little longer and he won't get dropped. It took me months to realize that when I'm on the rivet and hurting so are 99% of the group. Just suffer a little longer until the pace eases up and you're fine. But until then, no complaining.

[Red Tornado]

I guess it's the complaining and occasional zoned-out (doesn't comprehend what you're telling them) looks or unwillingness to work with a group (showing up but wanting to do their own thing) that has me puzzled. If you're fast enough to go solo and hold off the B1 guys, that's great - but don't whine because we couldn't catch you and you had to finish off the back of the A's. Yes, some people have done that. Riders from both A & B have explained to several of these riders, in a nice tone, what to expect, benefits of working with the group behind you, tips to help make you faster (to stay with the A's), etc. Some people accept what they're told, some don't.
I've read all the explanations in this thread and most, if not all, are valid.
I guess riders that want to ride solo for most/part of the route are really not an issue to me. I always thought that you show up to a group ride to ride with a group - not by yourself. But that's just one man's opinion and everyone has a right to do what works best for them as long as it's not detrimental to the group.
Personally, I use my time with the A's as a way to push myself harder than I would solo or with the B's and also gauge my fitness level. When I can't hold on, I look for the next wave of riders because for me there's a social element to riding as well as physical, in addition to the benefits of workload distribution/aerodynamics/etc. Plus it's fun to sprint at the end!
I ride solo plenty, and it definetly has its benefits, but I a group has its own unique benefits, many which you can't get by yourself.

[odin99]

this happens on our fast weekend ride too. in fact, sometimes people start 11-12 mi into the ride so that they miss the first major climb where they would get dropped. For the most part, don't worry about people that are getting dropped. just put your nose to the wind and make em' hurt!

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by holliscx

Anyone can ride easy on his own but you can't ride as fast as you can in a group by yourself which is what many are after i.e. a superior workout.

Right...but the problem is what if everyone in the group is looking for "their" workout? Suddenly you have as many agendas as you have cyclists. Great way to split the group apart, even if that's not your intention.

It takes a substantial amount of discipline just to hold a group of cyclists together; it takes an incredible amount of discipline to hold a group of cyclists who are all intent on getting their workout together. The easiest solution -- short of joining a team -- is to get your workout solo, and then work on your group skills when in a group. Doesn't mean you won't still get a workout...but your agenda has to be subservient to the needs of the group, or else you're being selfishly unfair.

[Mark McM]

We have one rider around here who frequently attacks from the group, and often rides solo in front of the group. But he does that even if he doesn't know the route. On occasion, he ends up missing a turn while off the front. The next time we see him, he complains that we didn't catch him before he missed a turn. Anyone else see the flaw in his thinking?

[Black Dog]

The problem is that a group of cyclists is just a group of humans on bikes. Most group rides suffer from the issues that have been raised here. Ignorance, selfishness, disparate agendas, ego....they are seem to transfer to the bike and in many cases the bike ride acts as an amplifier of these characteristics and not an attenuator. The best group rides have one thing in common, they are about the group first and the individuals second. Until folks are willing to subordinate themselves to the ride all the silliness that can take the fun out of a ride occurs. It really comes down to everyone knowing what terms of the ride are (whatever they are does not matter) and accepting and following those terms. So few rides are truly explicit about the terms of the ride.