Ride report and observations

[saab2000]

I missed the 7:10 ride with DC Velo because I miscalculated the distance from East Falls Church Metro to the corner or Beach and East-West highway. So I went to the Mormon Temple ride.

There was a dude there on a C-50 with Lightweight wheels. He was also using Rapha clothing. It looks nice in pics, but here's my problem with that stuff, it sags. He had a few things, but by no means too much, in his pockets and the jersey hung down basically past his Äß, and almost over his saddle. This was at the beginning of the Saturday morning ride, not after 228 km of mountains in the Giro in the rain in 1938. If I spend that kinda coin on clothing, I don't want saggy stuff. Also, the white shorts he had on may or may not have been Rapha, but they were MP. He shoulda kept his spare wrapped around his shoulders. That would have won him enough style points to make up for the white shorts and saggy jersey.

Why are there always a few folks who have no idea what the words, "Car Back" mean. 25 guys can get more or less single fill to let car(s) pass but some tool has to hang out not in the center of the lane of traffic, but literally close to the yellow line. Why? I am saying nothing because 1. It's not my ride an 2. I am not there to teach ride ettiquette.

Anyway, did 75.46 miles and would have liked to have done more, but being on call I could not really have done the full ride to Sugarloaf.

Doing the Bike Rack ride tomorrow if I can.

[Sandy]

I have found some of the faster riders in the DC area to be some of the least friendly riders who show little rider etiquette and often ride unsafely. Just do a ride with some of them down Beach Drive and watch how they go 3 or more abreast with traffic behind them. I have been passed numerous times by a bunch of them as I am trying to climb Tuckerman Lane. They usually don't even acknowedge you and will often simply cut in front of you or across your path with nary a word. I remember telling one of them, who literally swung over from his lane directly in front of me, to please be careful and communicate what he was going to do. He said nothing in response and just kept on going.


Sandy

[Sandy]

If you go on a Smiley ride with a bunch of cyclists of varying abilities the above is not true. Fast ones like Flydhest,Too Tall, znfdl, and djg are remarkably contrary to those in my previous post. Fast, friendly, and helpful. Sometimes I think the fast group mentality takes over with groups like you described.


Snail Slow Slug Serotta Sandy

[cadence231]

Baggy jerseys are the worst. It feels soo fred to me. Remember 80's wool? I got a modern Castelli a few weeks ago that is doing the same thing and if I had purchased an even smaller size it would be too small. I think it is made for rides where one would not want to carry anything in the rear pockets, or produce sagging sweat.
There was a "new" kid in our weekly Sunday ride last week that wouldn't pull over for cars. Diplomacy is definitely on order when mentioning etiquette etc to someone you don't know. I can see how it would be frustrating for you not knowing anyone.

[Elefantino]

White shorts are only cool if you shave. Everything. Even in back.

Waxing is OK, too.

[Ginger]

It only seems like there are more fast riders who are inconsiderate because you see more of them passing you. There are just as many slow riders who don't have a clue about where they should be in the lane...they're just going the same speed so you don't catch them, and they don't pass you.

So it seems like there are fewer of them.

that's my theory.


I've tested it out on several tours where I'd get stuck in the same "time range" as some really obnoxious riders. I'd either skip a stop where the questionable riders were stopping, or take a break, sit and wait for them to get some time on me and start riding in a different "time range" and there were just as many in each time range.


Jim Jim Jim...
Obviously the guy in the baggy Rapha was a poser. Hasn't embraced the Rapha "hard man" attitude. Either you ride with nothing and stitch up your tubular tires with a thorn and a thread from your clothing when you flat and blow them up to 90psi with your lungs, or you're supposed to ride with a team car chasing that carries all that junk for you.

[saab2000]

Obviously the guy in the baggy Rapha was a poser. Hasn't embraced the Rapha "hard man" attitude. Either you ride with nothing and stitch up your tubular tires with a thorn and a thread from your clothing when you flat and blow them up to 90psi with your lungs, or you're supposed to ride with a team car chasing that carries all that junk for you.

Well, he shoulda wrapped his spare around his shoulders and across his back. And worn goggles. And an 80 year old Bianchi. Then the baggy Rapha woulda worked. Style. It's what it's all about.

Oh, and the idea about inflating the tubulars with my own lungs is a good one. I can save a few ounces by not bringing a spare pump next time. :beer:

Anyway, in spite of it all, it was a good ride and I aint' gonna complain any time I get to ride 75 miles on a work day.

[Ti Designs]

I am saying nothing because 1. It's not my ride an 2. I am not there to teach ride ettiquette.


I felt the same way about guys who show up on the fast ride and sit on the front of the group 'til we're puttering along at 16 MPH when we should be closer to 25. Then Too Tall gave me the OK to show 'em a thing or two. Today two guys wanted to sit on the front the whole time, so I took another racer dude and the only girl on the ride and ripped past the front in a quick rotating paceline. We wound up waiting for the two guys who wanted to sit on the front. I tried to explain that if you always go 16-18 MPH into the wind, you get dropped when the pace picks up, better to learn how to go fast. My theory that guys in lycra can't think held up, they both tried to sit on the front again and both got dropped for good.

It wasn't my ride to set the pace, but the guys who's ride it was invited me back...

[Fixed]

it's a race for some cats
here too
cheerss

[flydhest]

I don't think it's simply fast riders. Lots of slow riders are terribly annoying as well. Many, for example, can't seem to ride in a straight line but will get jumpy if you pass them and make sharing the road more difficult.

I think there is no shortage of annoying behavior, independent of speed. Indeed, in my view, leading a ride each sunday, it is more often the not the riders who are just faster than average who are the most annoying. They seem not to realize the difference between riding well and riding fast. They seem always to need to prove that they have something in the engine, but don't seem to have anything between the ears when it comes to safety and riding with a group. Go figure.

I'm thinking of having the letters PSFA on all the shop riders jerseys. It stands for "pay attention"

[Climb01742]

my observation from sunday's ride: over two hours in pouring rain with temps in the lows 40s makes the hot shower afterwards sweet indeed.

[Mud]

but pass and are passed by many more who all seem to be OK. The ones that are nuts are the groups where they all dress the same. We pull off the road and let them get on their way.

Yesterday's weather was a bummer. It started at 45 degrees but two hours into the ride it was sunny and 70 and we were dying. We should have ridden with a Camelback Mule is carry the clothes-ran out of pockets and had to cut it off close to 40 miles.

We are ready for Spring.

[saab2000]

No Sunday ride for me. I wanted to do the Bike Rack ride in DC, but was called out to ferry an airplane on Saturday night and then, ironically in view of the horse racing thread, flew to Louisville and then back to DC with a bunch of folks who were at the Derby. BTW, if it's a different kind of horse that runs those races, it's also a different kind of person who goes to them. These folks appear to be well bred and come from good stock too.

[sailorboy]

finding the right bike: about $4000+ and a 6 year wait...

finding the right group of people to ride it with: priceless

that's probably why I ride alone most of the time.

[neverraced]

No Sunday ride for me. I wanted to do the Bike Rack ride in DC, but was called out to ferry an airplane on Saturday night and then, ironically in view of the horse racing thread, flew to Louisville and then back to DC with a bunch of folks who were at the Derby. BTW, if it's a different kind of horse that runs those races, it's also a different kind of person who goes to them. These folks appear to be well bred and come from good stock too.


Absolutely right. These people are the best damned Republicans money can buy.

[Too Tall]

Jimbo, my cell...you have it right? USE IT!!!!! I woke up late and had to go beat myself to a pulp all by my lonesome :(

[zap]

snipped


I'm thinking of having the letters PSFA on all the shop riders jerseys. It stands for "pay attention"

Like when we were noodling along and approached a clearly visible 3 way stop yesterday, car was at the stop on the other side and had right of way to turn left in front of us (damn, he had blinkers on!), I was on the left side of the lane because I figured the odds were pretty good that it wasn't going to work out the way it should, I yelled "stopping" early enough so that everyone could ease to a stop but no, everyone went right through the stop sign on my right.