John wonders about our duty of care to other riders when we ride with them and how our perception of what etiquette calls for changes based on the tires we ride. Patrick rode with his local NICA team and can’t figure why all the kids were smiling even though it was cold and raining. Could it be stoke?
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I was a cub scout/boy scout leader for about 5 years. The sexual harassment training was an eyy-opener for me too. And the boys get training as well!
I’ve been an L1 coach for the past two seasons with Roswell Nitro a team that is part of the Georgia Cycling League and offshoot of NICA* I plan to become an L2 coach next year. Good on you for getting into it. I always find myself reflecting on the contrasts b/t it and my experiences playing football as a kid. My coaches were tough and practices and even games were not always fun. The best lesson I received from those days was the ability to work with others that you may not necessarily like off the field. In contrast, our team finds something fun for all the riders and in fact of our tenets is seeing to our riders having a good time. This does not mean making it easy as our home base trails are some of the roughest of any places any of the regional teams practice. Certainly tougher than any of the race courses. However, our kids seem to relish it and we’ve produced a number of state champs and top 20 state riders. Another pleasing contrast to me is seeing team riders outside of practice and in the off season riding on their own, having a blast and pushing themselves ain addition to entering the many regional non-league-based XC, enduro and even DH races. I can promise you outside of weight training I never played any football in the off season. Ride on!
*GCL split off of NICA as the amount of teams and interest in Georgia outgrew what NICA was able to provide in terms of assistance. Suffice it to say there is a lot of mountain biking going on in Georgia.
Wait, what? You drive in Boston and use your blinker? Or, as the electronic signs say on the Mass Pike, use ya blinkah.
I lead very few rides, but when I do, it’s usually for less experienced riders. I actually take this quite seriously, putting a good amount of research and thought into it, always keeping in mind the riders joining. I also try to plan alternatives, bail-outs, and decision points – just in case. My #1 priority is I don’t want anybody getting hurt. #2 is I want people to have fun. These aren’t death rides. People just want to have an enjoyable hour or two, then hit up a brewery. At the end, I get a kick out of people enjoying the ride.