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occasionally asked if I ride in a club.

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  • October 21, 2018 at 1:01 pm #29065
    don simon fbpe

    The answer is a resounding NO!

    I’ve had the answer clarified over the last couple of weeks.

    I caught up and rode and chatted with a couple of club riders, including a nat champ. During the conversation I was told that I should wear a helmet with anecdotes to support the argument. Assuming that I think I should have been impressed with the nat champ bit, I didn’t want to tell them who I’ve rubbed shoulders in the past with in the world of cycling, it might have got embarrassing. But equally that mindset of club rider in not one which I could be a part of.

    Today really cemented my not wishing to be a club member position, and I am aware that not all clubs are equal.

    I ride a fair bit on the local greenway, which is a shared path. On joining the path at Northgate Village, I had to wait for this sea of club riders as the barrelled down the path. Not a problem.

    I joined the path and was behind them. The first observation was that they were carrying a lot of speed for such a sized group on a heavily used (by pedestrians) part of the path. Pedestrians were forced, in a wave of bell ringing, to stop as this group charged through without losing any speed, or ceding any space on this shared path. I can see why pedestrians have it in for cyclists now, they’re genuinely scared.

    Further up, a couple of riders took a wrong turn. Remember, I was following them. Did he wait for me to pass so he could rejoin safely or cut across me? Of course he cut across me.

    A little further on I decided that I wanted to pass the group ( I had warmed up and there were fewer pedestrians and this group were going quite slowly, in spite of what I said earlier) and let out a cheery “passing on your right” ( a couple of times) and was greeted with the lady of the group telling me that I wasn’t the only one who was using the path. I was now caught up in the middle of the group as it was still barrelling down the path, a couple of the club riders decided to close pass and cut in front of me in order to gain positions, I guess this is the club equivalent of sticking you cock on the table to demonstrate manliness, or how big a wanker you are, I’m not sure.

    I was now in prime position to see and feel what it was like riding in a large group of arrogant wankers who thought that they had greater rights than other users on this shared path, and I was embarrassed. At no point was more than 2/3 of the path given up to other users, at no point did speed drop to take other users into consideration. Oncoming cyclists were shaking their heads, pedestrians were stopping and stepping off the path for their own safety.

    At Mickle Trafford I sorted myself to do a u-turn at the gate, obviously one of the group decided that he’d stop, inspect the rear wheel and ignore my request to get out of my fucking way so I could proceed. He did.

     

    At no point during this 5km of hell was there any conversation beween the club and myself, except a couple of barbed comments.

    I’m well aware that the members from another club in that part of the world, North Wirral Velo, are absolutely sound, courteous and a pleasure to meet. I have have met this particular club on many occasions and know that this is not unique to this particular outing. There are a couple of other clubs that seem to ride in this manner too, but I have never had the pleasure of riding as one of them.

    Why the fuck would I want to join a club and ride like a wanker?

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  • October 22, 2018 at 9:51 am #929673
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    Crippledbiker

    As a counterpoint to the
    As a counterpoint to the above, I’ve had plenty of good encounters with groups of cyclists –
    Most of the time, all I get are positive remarks, surprised comments on my speed, or genuine questions about how it all works.

    On my upright, I’ve even had offers from them to join their chaingangs for a stretch, which is mutually beneficial – I’m about as aero as a housebrick on that, but that also means I’m great to draft off, considering the hole I leave in the air, which is great for them, and it gives me a chance to do a little less work, and make people more aware that yes, we exist, how it works, and y’know, have a chat about the whole thing.

    Honestly, that Stoke Mandeville encounter is the only really negative one that springs to mind in, oh, five years, nearly four years of daily cycling – most other “bad” encounters with groups have been through them not anticipating how I need to move (wide turns, for example), which is understandable, or them not realising they’ve blocked my path, which is also understandable, or bloody tourists not knowing how to ride a bike in traffic, not paying bloody attention and meandering all over the road because they’re gawking, particularly on Westminster bloody Bridge – which is particularly bad for me, since I’m heavy enough that I have a massive stopping distance, and I can’t swerve without rolling on my upright – can’t swerve full stop on the recumbent, simply can’t get enough turn on the front wheel before my feet hit the ground.

    The only other thing I can think of is people asking questions about the handcycle and how it all works, which I’m actually really happy to talk about, or people asking about my disability, which is often less welcome.

    I’ve been invited to join a few clubs but I don’t feel like I’m able to make the time commitment – I’ve got to make time for the adaptive cycling coaching stuff I do, and it almost invariably ends up with a clash, which is a pity. I’ve also got the whole “forgetting I’m disabled and overdoing it” thing going on!

    October 22, 2018 at 9:43 am #929671
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    Crippledbiker

    A couple of years back, I was
    A couple of years back, I was in a group of handcyclists near Stoke Mandeville.

    Now, for context – we’re all on decently specc’ed track and road recumbents – Quickie Sharks, Top End Force 2/3s, a couple of Force RX, one lady on a beautiful full carbon thing with a ground clearance roughly equal to the width of a gnaff’s chuff (possibly a GMT Blackbird, or a CarbonBike?)- and we’re all doing a decent lick down the country lanes, since we’re all about as aero as is possible without wearing funny shoes, hats, and suits – and as more sporty wheelchair users, we’re all quite strong, and a recumbent allows you to bring more core to bear, which is what we’re all about. We tend to tick along at about 20mph, and that’s accounting for the slowest.

    My point is, we are faster than people expect. A LOT faster than people expect. We’ve also got huge arses, and we’re rather long and ungainly – my Force 2 is 2.2m long between axles (Not including the wheels!), so I sympathise when somebody actually is faster and wants to pass us – it’s not as easy, and we’re also a little intimidating to overtake (for both parties) if it’s a bit tight, since our faces are roughly at the same height as your pedals are.

    We were passed, rather poorly, by a group of cyclists (on normal bikes), one of whom made unkind comments about our speed, and the fact that we are not the easiest things to pass without having to cross into the other lane – which wasn’t easy that day, due to traffic, and the fact that we were chainganging (which, you have to remember, takes up a lot more road on a handcycle, due to the width of our cycles – we basically take the entire lane, especially once you take into account the distance we leave from the gutter.).

    Hearing this, one of our group, a rather short gentleman with poor lower body but arms like fucking popeye, decided to go and enquire exactly what he’d meant by this.

    The poor chap who’d made the remark did not expect one of our group to suddenly burst from the middle of our pack, accelerate to some unfeasible speed and ask him to repeat his remark, which he suddenly couldn’t recall, becoming very quiet.
    Our friend decided to make a point of it, overtook their entire chaingang without joining it or using their drafting block, and disappeared up the road to our next waypoint to wait for us.
    What makes this particularly funny is that, on the next downhill bit, we ended up passing them like they were standing still – even a slow handcyclist will quickly get to 30mph+, and my solo record is 43mph, which I honestly thought would kill me.

    October 22, 2018 at 9:16 am #929669
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    Simon E

    It’s perfectly possible to

    To suggest that all clubs must be full of arseholes because you annoyed members of a group ride (and/or didn’t like their behaviour) sees pretty odd to me. It’s perfectly possible to behave appropriate whether you’re a member of a cycling club.

    Equally, you can be a wanker without joining a club. You can ride in club kit, full pro kit, high-end kit, football kit or Sports Direct; clipless or flats; you can ride carbon, alu or steel; solo or in a group (though sheeple prefer to flock in groups and simply follow their leader). Wankers can do all these things, just like everyone else.

    BTW since you’re such a proud Welsh nash why were you trespassing over the border? The roads and views in north Wales are surely better than Mickle Trafford and the lack of bilingual road signs must have been disconcerting. 😉

    October 22, 2018 at 7:41 am #929667
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    Anonymous

    I had a bunch of lemmings

    I had a bunch of lemmings (think it was Tadcaster’s Cycle Sense) come bombing down a blind hill almost into me one day.

    I was nearing the top of a short but sharp climb with a blind bend entrance if you’re coming from the top and heard shouts of “gravel! gravel!” and then this group of twats  hitting the 16% descent are all coming towards me on my side of the road at full pelt, now shouting some other signal so they don’t all run me over.

    It’s generally a pretty dead road but if I’d been in a car I’m pretty sure they’d have been collected on my bonnet. It would have been entirely their fault as well.

     

    October 22, 2018 at 7:15 am #929665
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    andyp

    What a bunch of arseholes.

    What a bunch of arseholes. Not all clubs are like that…

    October 22, 2018 at 6:27 am #929663
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    CXR94Di2

    The club chairman should be

    The club chairman should be issuing reminders of good cycle behavoiur and language.  Our club doesnt tolerate poor behaviour and club members especially the senoir one are quick to remind those who do make the odd error

    October 22, 2018 at 5:09 am #929661
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    davel

    @ds – fair dos.

    @ds – fair dos.

    @CXR94Di2 – the path runs to the North of Chester out to the A56, to the East. The main road route goes through Hoole and crosses the A55 via a few less-than-pleasant, but negotiable for experienced cyclists, roundabouts.

    On a sunny Sunday like today the path will be full of peds, dog-walkers, kids on bikes. It’s perhaps a strange choice to route a club run down the path and not the road. I’ve had a few club runs out of Chester back to Warrington myself, and have never used the path, but if it’s a social run, fair enough – avoid the nasty roads, but chill out. A club is nothing but a collection of individuals, and if a few of them behave twattishly, the club comes across like a bunch of twats.

     

    October 21, 2018 at 8:04 pm #929659
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    don simon fbpe

    @davel no, no names. The

    @davel no, no names. The riders and club will know who they are and will out themselves if they read this. You could start with trying to find out which bunch of muppets mungecrundle rides with, I suspect that he/she was there. Or at least he/she seems to think that disrespecting other users of a shared path is acceptable.

    @CXR94Di2 the riders represent the club when they are wearing club colours and are out on a club run. But yes, you’re right it is the individual, I had a conversation with another club who have since modified their behaviour after certain individuals in club colours  made tits of themselves.

    October 21, 2018 at 7:58 pm #929657
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    CXR94Di2

    Its nothing to do with the

    Its nothing to do with the club, but individuals.  

    October 21, 2018 at 7:56 pm #929655
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    don simon fbpe

    Mungecrundle wrote:

    Mungecrundle wrote:
    Sounds like you made a right arse of yourself. Well done.

    How so?

    October 21, 2018 at 7:54 pm #929653
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    Mungecrundle

    Sounds like you made a right
    Sounds like you made a right arse of yourself. Well done.

    October 21, 2018 at 6:57 pm #929651
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    davel

    I’ve regularly used that

    I’ve regularly used that section of the path. Even on my own, I take it easy – all sorts of users, sharp joining angles, couple of tightish chicanes. Seems like a few pricks in that club : mind I ask which one it was? 

    October 21, 2018 at 5:47 pm #929649
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    Anonymous

    Good shout, exactly my

    Good shout, exactly my feeling too regards to clubs/weekend warriors these days.

    It’s a long time since these groups riding was for the most part courteous, safe and had any thought towards others. This is why most if not all sportives have people saying they won’t do another because the wannabe racers ride like wankers. This is why I will confront tossers who think it’s okay to do shit like filter at speed right into my path when I’m lined up on my side of the road about to make a right turn and they call me out because they’re too impatient – the red light ahead of him and why I could turn around and have words with the noddy hat wearing knobjockey.

    Basically these people have been brought up driving and it’s atypical moton attitude/mentality, the plastic hats are most definitely part and parcel of the attitude/rider behaviour and indeed from that why the hats have not had the desired effect, so makes those that wear them and crash more often calling out others who don’t, fucking hilarious …not! 

    October 21, 2018 at 5:34 pm #929647
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    longwayround

    To be fair, you have found a

    To be fair, you have found a reason not to join one particular club. I like to think the club of which I’m a member is made up of friendly and considerate types. 

     
    October 21, 2018 at 4:52 pm #929645
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    vonhelmet

    Some clubs are full of nobs.

    Some clubs are full of nobs. Round our way there’s some that have very strong reputations at either end of the scale.

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