General Cycling Discussion - Proper etiquette for cycling singles?

Having been single for a while now, I'm sort of starting to look around again--this time, keeping my focus only on guys who cycle. (See how discriminating I am?) However, it's been really hard--how does one start something when most of the cyclists one encounters are going in the opposite direction from you? Should you immediately whip around and follow them (which seems weird), or what? Somebody should try to come up with some sort of Single Cyclists dating deal, or some such, for people like us who are "trolling" for fellow cyclists.;)

Shari

how about a picture?

Originally posted by RacerX
how about a picture?

Damn you beat me to it.:D

what about joining a local cycling club or group ride? seems like you could meet some nice people there.

Definitely seek out some clubs. Also look into singles sports leagues. May not find a cyclist per-se but, could find someone who is interested and then "train them". ;)

Originally posted by arianrhod63
Somebody should try to come up with some sort of Single Cyclists dating deal, or some such, for people like us who are "trolling" for fellow cyclists.;)

Shari

Did someone say trolling?

Join a bike club. Sign up for some organized rides, centuries and stuff. Men outnumber women by a considerable factor. Even a 5 inch tall fuschia haired doll such as myself can find lots of guys to ride with.

Of course, riding nekkid helps.

I don't know about road riding but I met my husband on a local mountain bike trail by asking him to show me the "route' since it was my first time on the trail. It's just smart to ride on a mtb trail with a partner of sorts should one of you get hurt so it did not seem to forward. (I don't think he noticed the flecks of drool while I was riding staring at his backside...hee hee hee.)

Check out the local weekend or weeknight rides and find one or two that fit your riding level and interests with regard to the group's composition. Give it about 2 months or so and you'll figure out who's available, who's interested, who to avoid like a bad heat rash and you'll be a stronger rider regardless. Group riding is one of the best ways to increase your cycling abilities and social circle of friends. Chances are, even if "Mr. or Ms. Right" isn't in your local group you'll find yourself participating in larger cycling events or perhaps even competing that opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

If you're not a strong rider just yet you may actually have a better chance of finding the "nice folks" as they'll be the ones who'll drop back and ride with you and/or pull you back up to the group.

Club and group rides are a great idea! You might wanna try RAGBRAI...( http://www.ragbrai.org ) Usually about 10,000 riders, 2 to 1 males versus females, so might be a "target" rich environment! Good luck to you.

Shari,

Some have suggested cycling clubs and other similar group rides. If they are not your cup of tea -- they are not mine -- or if you feel that the clubs around you are not your style (too fast, too slow, too...), try to find where they pause or stop, and meet them "by chance" at one of these locations.

If you eventually ride with one group, you have the advantage of looking at people in a semi-natural environment, and to know how they are behind the mask. Basically, I think that as long as you expect some to be taken and some NOT to be interested, you are ok.

But quite frankly, knowing the male to female ratio of the typical cycling club, I would be more worried about some men (s.o.b. in my humble view) who don't show acceptable behaviour. Alas...

Good luck,

Shari,
Hang out at bike shops in your area.

Crash!!!

Hey Shari, I just sent you some info on a club that you might like to check out.

I am not single but I have ridden with them and they are good people. Also, I have some friends I could hook you up with in the S.F.Valley:D

Also, you could go to the local races (email me if you do not know where they are) and meet other riders there.


:beer:

OK, not that I'm looking or anything. Try this link http://www.cyclingsingles.com/index.jsp

Just be patient. If your in a rush, do what A.Troll suggested, ride nekkid.

Originally posted by SamDaBikinMan
Just be patient. If your in a rush, do what A.Troll suggested, ride nekkid.

Trollie always knows best. ;)

Hey, Sam....wanna be my boyfriend?

:love:

Having been single for a while now, I'm sort of starting to look around again--this time, keeping my focus only on guys who cycle. (See how discriminating I am?)

hey Shari!

well, first i can say that i can relate! i am again single after having not been for quite some time and have decided my next significant other (mabye forever?) will be a major cycling enthusiast (maybe love cycling as much as me? is that possible?)... and i've currently got about 4 good female cycling prospects... but i must say that you have the advantage as sadly there are far more male cyclists than female...

but anyway, as a few have suggested, try cycling clubs. in your case it should be even better as most cycling groups tend to be about 70-80% guys - good for you, bad for me!

i personally lead a MTB group ride every Wednesday night here in Munich. we make multiple groups so there is something for everyone from the intermediate rider to the racers. last night for example we had 40 people and made 3 groups (i led the racers and we rode HARD). anyway, one of the potentials i was talking about i met about 4 weeks ago when she joined my ride (hmm. the fast ride too - cool! she's the only woman who currently rides with the fast guys)

otherwise if you're just out riding solo it can be difficult. i mean if i'm riding and i see a very cute girl on a bike i don't want to annoy here by overtly hitting on her, so it can be difficult - sometimes if i'm passing i'll make a short comment, but for the most part you can only really get to know someone at the trailhead or at a break point (in the past i have met cycling girls at the trailhead or parking lot or on the train on the way to ride)

anyway, if you were in Munich i would invite you to join us next Wednesday, but it might be a little far to get here from California. (oh, i should also add i met a Swiss girl last weekend DURING my bike MTB race - we were riding the same pace for a good 20 minutes and in the end i beat her but only by a little (cool!) - and i will probably be making a trip to Switzerland soon for some mountain biking with her)

I just learned that there is a cycling club that is relatively local (22 miles away), but when I stopped by to check them out I found them to be rather intimidating. Having been single for a few years I thought this would be a safe way to meet people, not just potential "dates". Nobody seemed to be able to smile (this is supposed to be fun, right?) and the few I tried to talk to didn't seem very friendly...very clickish. Maybe I just hit an off night. So I will try again. If it works, great! If it doesn't, oh well. I'll go back to solo riding, and continue looking for other clubs that are reasonably close.

What a difference when I signed up for a charity ride. Most everyone involved was so friendly...I enjoyed myself so much that I found another to join next week.

well, naturllay every club is different. but most of the clubs i have ridden with have been pretty friendly... obviously some more than others.

and some people aren't there to socialize much but to just ride and train as hard as possible. usually the higher the level of the riders, the less "friendly" it will be --- that's why beginers groups are important b/c people are more concentrated on fun than cranking out the miles or the fastest pace. (note: i usually DO crank out the miles and the fast pace b/c i love it - i generally lead our "fast" race-training group - we have 3-4 groups for different levels)

i try to be particularly friendly to new-comers (it's spring so we have MANY new faces every week) and make an attempt to learn everyone's name plus tell them a little about our group and what we ride. plus we go to the beer garden after the rides for some socializing (about half the riders usually go - the others don't have time or don't have an interest)


Having been single for a few years I thought this would be a safe way to meet people, not just potential "dates".

i would agree that you should go looking to meet people and friends that share your interest in biking. and if you in the process meet someone you'd like to date then all the better, but as a goal you're setting out to lose and be disappointed (especially if you're male)

Pretend to have a mechanical problem on the side of the road.

Good luck,
Dave

Pretend to have a mechanical problem on the side of the road.

Oooohh!!! You are so devious, Dave!

I'm not so good at that game...besides, at the side of my roads I'm more likely to see a moose than a person.

compliment the guy on his bike, that would make a good start on a conversation.

My, my--such a wealth of information as you all are . . . Thanks! For those of you who requested a picture, though, I have two problems . . . first, I'm hopelessly ignorant when it comes to the mechanics of posting one . . . second, I really don't have any recent pictures . . . ironically, because I spend more time cycling, so I've never made the time to pose for any . . . the only ones I have are ones from when I was a 200-lb. blimp 3-4 years ago. So . . . all I can say is now I'm 135 lbs, and . . . (how to describe myself adequatly . . .hmmm. . . .let's just say ( for those of you who remember, that is) . . I look like a lighter-haired and longer-haired version of Joan Jett. In other words, pretty damn good, if I do say so myself . . .both on the bike and off!
"Get on your bikes and ride"--Freddy Mercury/Queen

Shari

Sorry seem there is misunderstanding. To see pix of alot cyclist going over that bridge like you were stating... That would be cool.

As for the ignorance part on the mechanix of posting pix... Everyone has their learning curves.

Laters

Originally posted by arianrhod63
. I look like a lighter-haired and longer-haired version of Joan Jett.

So a little like this?

http://www.armentertainment.com/joan%20jett.jpg

Sounds like you are marketing youself pretty well on here----I, for one, would be interested-----except there is that distance thing going on.

Are singles charity rides any good? It seems to me most of the clubs around here have members that are old enough to be my parents. I am having a hard time meeting cyclists that are my age, that I can keep up with. I guess I just have to get faster.

Are singles charity rides any good? It seems to me most of the clubs around here have members that are old enough to be my parents.

Ouch!!!

I'm old enough to be your mother , but I have to agree, there are a lot of people who show up for club rides that look old enough to be my parents. And good for them. I hope I'm still riding when I reach their age.

As far as the charity rides...I don't know of any that are specifically for singles. I've just had a good time with the people I've met on them, regardless of their marital status...as a matter of fact, we never discussed that.

Originally posted by WhiteMtnWench
I just learned that there is a cycling club that is relatively local (22 miles away), but when I stopped by to check them out I found them to be rather intimidating. Having been single for a few years I thought this would be a safe way to meet people, not just potential "dates". Nobody seemed to be able to smile (this is supposed to be fun, right?) and the few I tried to talk to didn't seem very friendly...very clickish. Maybe I just hit an off night. So I will try again. If it works, great! If it doesn't, oh well. I'll go back to solo riding, and continue looking for other clubs that are reasonably close.

What a difference when I signed up for a charity ride. Most everyone involved was so friendly...I enjoyed myself so much that I found another to join next week.

I think what you ran into there was your typical bike snob guy... I see them all the time in my 'hood... they typically ride a USPS Trek bike, in the full kit, and won;t even say hi to you if you are 3 feet away at a stop sign... a lot of more competitive groups are like that... the group I have ridden with a couple times is pretty cool.. very laid back... more like a social club with bikes... Still haven;t found a group like that with people my age.. i'm 28.. and I thnk the avg. age of this club is probably in the mid 40's somewhere... So if my wife ever leaves me, and I decide I wanna hook up with an older rich woman.. i know where to go.. jsut look for the girl riding the most expensive bike and talk her up :D

Jeff

Thanks a lot to Bentbaggerlen for the cyclingsingles website. I just registered and everything, so . . . we'll see what happens next! (BTW, I look like Joan Jett in her first one or two CDs--not the recent spike-haired one that was shown--not that it's really that important.) I realize it can be hard to tell on a bike, whether a woman is really hot or not, but let's just say I've been told to stay away from, for example, track racers, because my presence in the stands has evidently caused one or two near crashes amongst the guys racing. So draw your own conclusions . . . ;)

Hahahaha.......is that the reason why cyclists riding the opposite direction????

Still haven;t found a group like that with people my age.. i'm 28.. and I thnk the avg. age of this club is probably in the mid 40's somewhere...

yeah, club ages vary a lot...

in GENERAL i think the MTB clubs tend to be a little younger...

my MTB group in Portland was like 22-32 with a few up to 40.

my current MTB group in Munich is average age about 30 with quite a few riders in both the 20s (few less than 22 years old although one still in high school) and the 40s -- plus a few fit guys in their 50s.

from my experience most of the fast MTB groups (racers) are late 20s to mid 30s...

more recreational groups vary all over the spectrum.

and for whatever reason most road clubs i have seen tend to average more like mid-30s to late 40s (except for my university club i used to ride with but that's pretty clear)

Sheri

I would think a smile would be enough to get him to slow up, then if you slow up maybe stop and talk finially going off in the same direction.

Good
Luck
Joe
:beer:

I have to agree that riding naked is the way to get the most attention.
Hey Sheri, if you wanna cycle on the wild side come visit Seattle during the Fremont Parade.
A sampling of the typical nekkid cyclist:

Originally posted by montlake_mtbkr

A sampling of the typical nekkid cyclist:

I'm tempted to show up at the Fremont parade on my MTB wearing nothing but a full-faced helmet and sandles. Errr... nevermind... the inclination has just passed. :D

There was a post on another thread about riding a 2 seat bicycle with a sign "seat avaliable" if you like the direct approach, well not as direct a A. Troll.

Joe

Originally posted by montlake_mtbkr
I have to agree that riding naked is the way to get the most attention.
Hey Sheri, if you wanna cycle on the wild side come visit Seattle during the Fremont Parade.
A sampling of the typical nekkid cyclist:


Oh! My kind of crowd!! :love:

Arianrhod63, if you are not going to ride nekkid, you need to try the direct approach, just like I do. See someone you like, go up to him and say "Wanna be my boyfriend?"

Works like a charm!


;)

I hear ya, girlfriend. We think a lot alike--so many men, so little time. How true. Riding nekkid--hmmm, not a bad idea--but wouldn't that cause crashes??? Not only that, I can see how women would do it, but guys? (Ouch!) Speaking of which, I had this nicely naughty thought a while back, during the Paris-Roubaix. You know, all those cobblestones--again, I can see where that would be really painful for the guys riding it. But now to us goils--oohh, a built-in vibrator! Whoa! In any case, the most I've been able to do so far is wink at any cute guys as they blow by me--it's damn frustrating. I hate to pull the "damsel-in-distress" routine, because I know how to change flats and fix slipped gears, and all that--but at the moment, I don't see any alternative. Oh well--if the ends justifies the means . . .

"It's not only fat-bottomed girls that make the rockin' world go 'round." Shari Whelan:)

Originally posted by arianrhod63
I hear ya, girlfriend. We think a lot alike--so many men, so little time. How true. Riding nekkid--hmmm, not a bad idea--but wouldn't that cause crashes??? Not only that, I can see how women would do it, but guys? (Ouch!) Speaking of which, I had this nicely naughty thought a while back, during the Paris-Roubaix. You know, all those cobblestones--again, I can see where that would be really painful for the guys riding it. But now to us goils--oohh, a built-in vibrator! Whoa! In any case, the most I've been able to do so far is wink at any cute guys as they blow by me--it's damn frustrating. I hate to pull the "damsel-in-distress" routine, because I know how to change flats and fix slipped gears, and all that--but at the moment, I don't see any alternative. Oh well--if the ends justifies the means . . .

"It's not only fat-bottomed girls that make the rockin' world go 'round." Shari Whelan:)

Maybe you would fare better on a #Cycling_sexchat channel on dalnet or undernet. Seems like a much more appropriate place to talk about that stuff than Bikeforums.

Just a suggestion.

:D