Communication is important. As we know, we must communicate during a ride when we are turning, stopping, pointing out road debris etc. That is yet another article.
For now, I want to talk about communication regarding the type of ride we are on. There is a loose system which clubs use to help individuals know which ride is best for them. It generally is listed as A ride, B ride, C ride. Maybe it is listed as a training ride. We sometimes call rides No Drop Rides and yet others which we clearly state is a DROP ride or is NOT a NO Drop ride. Hmm, those double negatives. I already make an English major squirm. I need to avoid using that phrase. We talk about the local weekly World Championships. We talk about Fast Recreational Riders. All have definitions but not all locations define them equally. Most do not have anything in writing to help. Do an internet search and you will find some well and not so well written descriptions; but at least they are written.
One that I like is www.majortaylorclub.com , but there are many others.
In my younger/racing years we had an entirely different system to categorizing rides. There were only 2 types. LCD stood for Lowest Common Denominator. You probably already get it. It is related to the No Drop ride except his one was curated. Yeah, I hate the new, overused, stuffy term. Better said, we invited who we wanted. Thus, if you were invited we would not leave you because we know you and know how you ride. We already know your strengths and weaknesses and are OK with it.
TNP stood for Take No Prisoners. Again, you probably already understand what this ride means. That’s why we used those terms. No lengthy conversation necessary. Just to make sure all are following though, this ride was fast. No one was waiting on you (taking prisoners). We were going to do our best to kill each other and be done. Just like before, our rides were small and the invitations were specific. We knew who we were inviting and they knew us; overall we were all near the same level anyway.
Why is this important? Can we not just go ride? Sure you can. Please do.
But anytime we gather a few people together there is the opportunity for a misunderstanding. The reality is that people that have been riding a long time generally understand the dynamics and language or maybe have a common misunderstanding of them. These people also have been riding and are probably
less unsure, uncomfortable or impacted by what happens on one particular ride.
Our sport is wonderful, but you already know that. You ride. I want to be sure that we think about those that are new to our sport. Sometimes communication or miscommunication or no communication can have more impact than we know. Think of the young mother that finally got some time on her own. She
finds a ride to attend. Probably on the internet or maybe she saw the group last week in the parking lot, got excited and showed up this week. Regardless, she comes to the ride on her older bike. She is not in great shape and she shows up for a ride that is a level above her and it is a ride where they will drop you in the parking lot. That first experience is now a poor one. She might quit trying to ride with that group or that club. She might not ride with others and ride alone. She might not ride again because she needed that external motivator to get her there.
She lost and we lost and cycling lost. Bad outcome. If not her it could be anyone.
It is not your fault that she does not know. Then again, if we care about each other and the cycling community we are not trying to place blame, we are trying to help others. A conversation with her before the ride when you introduced yourself would go a long way in making her comfortable and understanding what her expectations and the group expectations were/are. You did that – right? You welcomed her and spoke with her – right? If you meet her and speak with her you can find out that she is at the wrong ride, maybe recommend a more appropriate one. Maybe you can help/encourage in some way. Surely there was a pre-ride meeting. It can be 5 minutes, you know the type: we are going to ride the hilly loop 4, we will stop at the fire station on Parker for rest and water, we will/will not stop at Jefferson intersection to wait. The pace will average 16mph. If you turn around early, please tell someone.
I do not know what you say, but I believe it should include something about safety, something about route, something about pace and maybe something about ride etiquette. I do not know about your community or your life. I know that my life is busy, so when I have time to ride, I have to take it. I also know in my community the riding age is skewed older. I get it, riding takes time and young parents do not have that time. They must be more time efficient with their exercise/leisure. It is important to welcome/communicate/guide/encourage those that are joining us for the first (or first few) times. We want them to join this wonderful sport. Positive communication and developing relationships have dramatic impacts. I know some people that are great at it … and some that are not.
What do you do to welcome individuals new to your group ride? What can we do better?
I have gotten away from group rides and really haven’t participated in any group road rides in at least six years. When I did those rides, there was always a brief pre-ride discussion of route, pace and basically one would know if they are the right place or not. More recently I’ve been on a few “gravel” rides where similar to the road rides a discussion was had in advance to parse things out. I do not know if either situation seemed more welcoming, but I think a better option for a new rider is to seek out someone to ride with, buddy up so to speak to learn the etiquette and whatever else. My off road rides which accounts for 95% of my saddle time are either alone or with small groups of people I already know. If I meet somebody new who wants to come along I ride at their pace, call out the features and talk about endless nonsense.
Thanks for being such a great representative of our cycling community. I too seem to end up riding alone or in small groups. It is my current situation. I also tend to gravitate toward the dirt more than the pavement, but still enjoy a good road ride. I suspect that talk on your rides is not really nonsense though, you seem to be a thinker. Those conversations on the bike can be great – regardless of topic.