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Wheelsuckers

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  • October 8, 2010 at 9:48 am #12762
    KirinChris

    What to do…

    We have a club ride on Fridays.

    There’s usually a group of about 8-12 who split from the main ride and keep a pretty good pace. The roads here are flat and straight so we do turns on the front. Sometimes it’s quite hard work at 45+km/h but often we are just cruising along at 38-40km/h.

    Anyway in the last few weeks a new rider has joined us who sits on the wheels and never does any turns. It’s quite remarkable to watch. He clearly knows how a group works and plays it to avoid ever getting to the front. If he accidentally gets to second wheel he starts looking around, leaving a little gap, then a bit bigger and looking for an opportunity to drop back. He doesn’t just signal and move out, he breaks it up and uses that as cover to drop back. Today I was even pointing to the gap in front of him and telling him to close up.

    He’s not a weak rider. He even has the nerve to go with the sprint at the end. He’s clearly perfectly capable of keeping the cruising pace.

    What does the panel think ? I have to say something to him, but should I tell him he’s a parasitic wheelsucker or be a little more conciliatory.

    He wears an Astana top too, which in itself is worthy of reproach.

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  • October 12, 2010 at 9:56 pm #637983
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    Simon_MacMichael

    I like DaSy’s idea of
    I like DaSy’s idea of pre-ride talk. You could preface it by maybe saying “We haven’t done one of these by a couple of months but we have some new members, so…” and go on to say what’s on and what isn’t *

    If he still keeps doing it, pick him up on it one on one afterwards.

    * Pointedly staring at him during relevant bits optional 😉

    October 12, 2010 at 6:14 pm #637981
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    James Warrener

    Astana top you say
    Astana top you say 😕

    October 12, 2010 at 6:12 pm #637979
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    monty dog

    First time he gets on the
    First time he gets on the front, leave him there for the next 10 miles! If it was my group ride, I’d certainly have a word and explain what’s the deal with joining-in on the group – I’m quite happy to let weaker riders sit-on for a whole ride, but if riders sit-on for most of the ride and then starting jumping around near the finish, I’ll start making life more difficult.

    October 9, 2010 at 5:32 pm #637977
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    Anonymous

    I’ve ended up leading a few
    I’ve ended up leading a few fairly large but informal rides from my LBS, and had similar issues with some fairly crazy riding etiquette, and ended up by getting everyone together at the start of the ride before we set off and stating the way the ride was going to go, ie,

    We stop at red lights

    We roll off the front, no jumping round from behind (yeah, they were really doing that!).

    If you don’t want to take a turn on the front, you either roll off with the front rider or stay at the back and let the rider dropping back tuck in in front of you.

    Hold a steady pace, no sprinting off when you hit the front and dying after 200 yards and leaving the line shattered.

    It works if you get all to agree before you set off, as all feel like they have bought in to the plan.

    October 9, 2010 at 12:55 pm #637975
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    simonmb

    The obvious thing to do is to
    The obvious thing to do is to talk to him, and if that fails send him a link to this post.

    October 9, 2010 at 8:54 am #637973
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    KirinChris

    Yes probably best to try to
    Yes probably best to try to talk to him, although as I said, we’ve been trying to make it clear.

    If someone starts to point to the space you’ve left and wave you into it, that’s pretty unambiguous.

    Part of the problem is (and this is why I was interested in seeing if other people had dealt with the same thing) we don’t really have a ride leader.

    In Abu Dhabi there is no ‘club’ or non-profit entity in a legal sense, so we don’t have a committee and club officers or a ride captain. Plus the fact that people come and go fairly frequently means the rides evolve over time. We have a few senior riders and people who organise stuff, like me, so I guess on of us will have to say something.

    October 8, 2010 at 11:14 pm #637971
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    Fish_n_Chips

    What demoff said ^^^
    Just be
    What demoff said ^^^

    Just be positive in the approach. Who is ride leader or club leader? have chat with the others?

    I personally don’t mind and maybe he is just scared who knows? but if everyone agrees then tell him to take his turn.

    I don’t take my turn as much as I’m not fit from my injury but I will it give it a go until a friends gets fed of my speed and overtakes me laughing!

    Before any ride you need the leader to dictate the ride and what is involved/expected.

    October 8, 2010 at 7:24 pm #637969
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    demoff

    I would talk to him first,
    I would talk to him first, people don’t always realise the impact that their actions have. Tell him that the group rides the way you have explained and that you expect him to take his turn on the front. Is there a reason he doesn’t want to go on the front? You need to talk to him or else you are not going to resolve it.

    I have been on Club runs when a rider goes tearing of the front breaking up the rhythm he was told that he had to do more turns and keep it steady.

    October 8, 2010 at 7:09 pm #637967
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    TheHatter

    Explain that if he doesn’t do
    Explain that if he doesn’t do his turn in future you will punch him square on the nose. Its the only thing these people understand.

    October 8, 2010 at 6:20 pm #637965
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    paulj

    Has anyone actually talked to
    Has anyone actually talked to him about it? I normally ride alone, and would definitely not know how to manage tight group riding like you explain, but if I had a go and got it wrong I would rather someone just talked to me about it straight.

    October 8, 2010 at 5:24 pm #637963
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    KirinChris

    bikeylikey wrote:Why is he

    bikeylikey wrote:
    Why is he such a problem though? It’s a training ride, not a race. Doing that in a race would be very bad form indeed. Having a go in the sprint is bad manners, he should obviously be sitting up before the sprint. I’ve come across wheel suckers like this in training rides, mainly because they’re not up to it, or not well, or don’t know the form. But on the whole nobody’s that bothered – they’re not depriving anyone of glory, or even of a good workout. Why don’t you just talk to him? ‘Ive noticed you don’t like taking your turn on the front. Do you have some sort of problem with it?’ (in a sympathetic voice, as if he might have a phobia about being exposed up there. Actually, maybe he does, it involves some responsibility for the pace, maybe he’s scared of that).

    The problem is that it breaks up the pace and the rhythm. We ride as a pretty tight group. Everyone comes through and takes their turn.

    Those who can’t or don’t want to take a turn sit on the back and let the other riders go into the line. Nobody would have a problem with that.

    But he sneaks out from his position by leaving gaps so it slows down the line behind, which is potentially dangerous.
    Then the rider behind him has to make up three or four bike lengths to get back to the front wheel.
    Or if the front rider has pulled away and called through before the gap is made up then there is a godawful mess.

    It’s really pissing people off.

    Maybe I’ll say something but today I was next to him and pointing to the empty gap as he dropped back and motioning him to come up and he just ignored me.

    There are slower groups behind BTW, so if he doesn’t feel strong enough he has other options. But it’s not that. And he knows the form – if he didn’t he wouldn’t be able to do what he is doing.

    I like the attacking option best so far.

    October 8, 2010 at 4:32 pm #637961
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    Bikeylikey

    Why is he such a problem
    Why is he such a problem though? It’s a training ride, not a race. Doing that in a race would be very bad form indeed. Having a go in the sprint is bad manners, he should obviously be sitting up before the sprint. I’ve come across wheel suckers like this in training rides, mainly because they’re not up to it, or not well, or don’t know the form. But on the whole nobody’s that bothered – they’re not depriving anyone of glory, or even of a good workout. Why don’t you just talk to him? ‘Ive noticed you don’t like taking your turn on the front. Do you have some sort of problem with it?’ (in a sympathetic voice, as if he might have a phobia about being exposed up there. Actually, maybe he does, it involves some responsibility for the pace, maybe he’s scared of that).

    October 8, 2010 at 4:17 pm #637959
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    KirinChris

    Oh no I’m not the only one to
    Oh no I’m not the only one to notice. Several of us were having a laugh today as we watched him gradually get to second wheel only to find a convenient moment to move out of the line.

    As one of them said, you had to admire the subtlety of the man’s work – he clearly puts a lot of thought into it.

    Attack and drop him might work but only if we did it en masse and that’s hard with 10 riders, some of whom are weaker than him.

    That’s what I find so annoying. We have a 14 year old who comes out with us sometimes (this is a 100-120km ride) and he takes a turn even if it’s only 10 seconds.

    I could get in front of him with one or two of the other strong riders (not hard obviously) and gradually drop back to leave a gap, then jump across and leave him. That would work. 👿

    October 8, 2010 at 2:51 pm #637957
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    Old Cranky

    Attack and drop him.
    Attack and drop him. 😀

    October 8, 2010 at 12:07 pm #637955
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    step.doran

    Are you the only one noticing
    Are you the only one noticing this? could you not just gang up and (subtly) force him up the front?

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