Fixitman

First the things I like.

Food, water, porta potties and the occasional conversation to pass the time.

Now my pet peeves

If you are going to stop get the hell over to the side as far as possible and please make sure your 3 buddies that stopped with you don’t block the shoulder and force riders to go out into traffic.

If you are going to pass someone who is coming up on someone whom they are obviously going to need to pass. Get over far enough when you pass to allow them to pass their rider as well. In other words don’t cut people off.

Don’t pass someone just to pass them then slow down right in front of them causing them to have to brake. If you are going to pass make sure you can keep up the pace. If not move out of the way.

Don’t put other people at risk by not paying attention to conditions. Example : Wind is gusting 40 plus and moving riders around. No brainer if you are going to pass leave lots of room between you and the other riders.

Feel free to add your thoughts to this .. like I could stop you.

dstrong 

Fixed.

JoelS

Those things apply about everywhere.

If you're going to pass, please let me know as you close in. Then I can make sure to stay out of the way.

NYJayhawk

Crappy/ill-equipped rest areas. If a rest area runs out of water before the end of the ride, the ride was poorly organized. Also, if you can't provide a least a minimum supply of food choices (banannas, pbj's, etc.), let riders know ahead of time so they can plan appropriately.

dgasmd

Things I like:

-Large groups of good people to ride with.
-Great choices of pace and still able to ride with a fairly good size group.
-Hot hot hot women in nice shape
-Did I mention the women part?
-Large groups of experienced riders.
-Large displays of nice equipment and bikes
-Someone else is organizing and supplying the rest stops.
-SAG vehicles in case there is a mechanical malfunction = no need to carry some things on me.
-They usually tend to benefit a good cause.
-Typically good distances (centuries and more).

Dislikes:

-The pack of ******* that come ready to ride like it is the last stage in the Giro!
-Massively large number of inexperienced riders = dangerous people.
-Very dangerous riders that don't pay attention to what they are doing and those around them.
-There will be several crashes around you. The question is will they happen in front or behind you?
-The YO-YO riders. They pass you hauling ass only to be passed 1/2 mile later. Repeat several times until they are dropped completely.
-The older guys riding their $10,000 bikes with equally expensive kits that are riding 15 mph and think the rest of us need to clear the road for them as if they were some royal elite pack!!
-The A-holes that come with the $200 bike that can actually ride fast and well. They come solely to brag as often and loud as they can on how they are going to drop those rich a-holes with the expensive bikes.
-The group of people above combined that think it is a race or pissing contest!!
-The elitist pricks that think "their pack" is too exclusive for anyone they don't know/approve or that did not receive a written invitation 6 months ago. That is despite them sitting on your wheel half the day and complaining of how you are trying to drive their pace too high or too low.
-The gratuitous, gargantuos, and purely nauseating/unavoidable big fat girls riding on cycling shorts 6 sizes too small with a jog-a-bra that manage to park themselves in the front of the starting line in their hybrid bike. You will pass them soon, but not without getting your retina scared for life.
-The idiot in the pack you are riding with that once they get to the first rest stop yells within 30 sec of being there: WE ARE LEAVING GO GO GO GO!!!!!!!!!
-Having to drive far from where I live for any decent size ones.

Those are a few quick ones right off the top of my head. Next............

MrCrassic 

I like:
- The fun of riding with large groups of people,
- The rest stops (made better with the groups of people),
- Fast mini group rides inside of the group ride,
- Nice conversations about bikes and life,
- The SAG-o-van (i.e. push me up the hill---PLEASE!)

I dislike:
- The lack of route signs ("Is it a left or a right? Screw it; let's go straight.")
- THE FOOD (i.e. chocolate chip cookies, oreos and cake when there's at least 100 more miles to go = EPIC FAIL),
- The safety police,
- The blinged-out riders (though I guess it's a nice time to let the sexy loose, right?),
- The lack of organized rides in New York, and
- The terrible street conditions that justify the above.

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rizz

Likes: Racing at charity rides just so I can make lists like this. On my $200 bike.

Dislikes: Pcad's tube socks.

NYJayhawk

To the hot blondie with the sweet Cervelo TT bike a couple weeks ago in at a ride: Is it bad for me to be fantasizing about a 3-some that includes you AND your bike??

Let's just say I took my time drafting before I passed.

Glad Mrs. NYJayhawk doesn't frequent this forum.

MrCrassic 

WHUT

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Suzie Green

Likes:

-- Riding with new people who actually don't mind a casual pace once in a while so we can chat and find out where you're from, etc.
-- People who signal the REAL BAD road obstacles, i.e. broken beer bottle, 8" deep pothole, etc.
-- Rides with a minimum number of turns or an obvious route so that I'm not map reading every 15 seconds.
-- People who show up on different bikes, like recumbents, tandems, etc. Something new to talk about.
-- At least 1 ice cream stop.
-- Riders who don't take themselves too seriously...it's not the last stage of the Giro, I'm glad you're having as much fun as I am!


Dislikes:

-- People who say "Please ride with me and my buddy, we'll go your pace" and then they leave me and Lance in the dust.
-- People who signal every single pebble, macadam crack, cigarette butt in the road. Cry wolf often enough and I won't pay attention when it's a broken beer bottle.
-- Listening to "car back" for every single car on a 75 mile ride. My freakin ears! If you can hear it, so can I...ease off a bit.
-- Stop sign/traffic light cheaters. Don't piss off the cage drivers any more than they already are.

Well the good stuff outweighs the bad, that's the way it should be!

maddyfish

Umm? Ride on the road, not on the emergency lane, and this won't be a problem?

Retro Grouch 

My favorite variation are the people who stop to wait for their buds to catch up at every corner. For some reason they always stop crosswise on the only part of the road that isn't covered with loose gravel.

aham23

some of my best rides have been fueled with cookies!! to each his own. later.

re-cycler

wow...and I thought I was a misanthrope.

This thread is making me not want to join in my first group ride. I thought it would be a good way to make sure I ride, meet some people, have safety of numbers, and learn some improved riding.

Now I'm thinking I need to learn more before I go. Or go with my own posse, if I had a posse.

Psimet2001 

+1 - I've seen him do this....amazing really.

That and pop tarts. Seriously. He's a freak o nature - hunting the awesome.

Organized rides are organized rides. You get what you get.

Use the nature of the event to help weed out those you wish not to ride with.

-Choose events that have completely separate routes for all distances....then pick the double metric or longer.
-Select only rides that have over 10,000 ft of climbing every 50 miles or so....you won't have much company.

...you get the idea.

If you decide to keep riding lazy flat centuries that advertize ice cream and a pasta dinner included in your fee then expect some bumper pool out on the road. Whining about it is like going to a ball game and complaining about people drinking.

MrCrassic 

Exactly. Last time I ate one of those, my stomach almost died while trying to keep up with a group. Then there's Air, who comes to centuries loaded only with two cheeseburgers. He's the awesome, for sure.

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Psimet2001 

Funny shiz. Reminds me of a local crew....that a fellow BF'er sometimes rides with....OK he broke his collarbone on a ride with them.....because they had to chase down that final break.

....it was either that or not podium.

Landgolier

Just to be clear, we're talking about organized weekend events with $20-$50 entry fees, rest stops, T-shirts, etc..., not regular old group rides that leave from the corner of Ash and Maple at 6 on Wednesday. Anybody who can hack the distance will be fine on these organized things, people just like to complain about those they see as below them on the cycling totem pole. They're fine learning environments, skill levels will vary but you can ride with different groups at different paces and not feel like the local road snobs will be talking smack about any minor errors you make behind your back (which they will the first time you go on a regular group training ride).

My pet peeve on these things is people who find a way to make it not fun, whether it's by treating it as a race, constantly complaining about other riders, or whining about the course/food/portapotties/weather/roads/lack of women to ogle. My favorite part is the people you meet who are riding way farther than they thought they ever could.

My other favorite part is the gatorade russian roulette at the rest stops. 2 packets of powder per 5 gallons of water would seem like a pretty simple equation but there's always that one cooler that somebody messes up or doesn't stir. You fill your bottle out of that rig and don't really notice how sticky it is, and then a couple miles later you reach for a drink and you get 400 calories, 3 normal days' worth of electrolytes, 10,000 IUs of vitamin C, and enough red #40 to give your grandchildren cancer packed into 4 ounces of liquid. It's like getting punched in the face by God.

Mr. Beanz

Dislikes- Sucky organizers! Did a century where there were only about 15 century riders and hundred 25 and 50 milers. Everything promised in the postride meal was gone when we returned. All except a few plain M&M's!

aham23

brown sugar poptarts is real gooooood.

later.

RT

There's no need for the bragging. A silent drop is worth so much more.

Psimet2001 

On the gigantic make-believe scoreboard of life I guess make-believe races count.

MKahrl

I just finished a week long organized ride that included nearly all of your likes and none of your dislikes. The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure seems to attract a pretty laid back crowd with lots of families, kids and grandparents but they are experienced riders with skills and etiquette that a few faster paced club rides could learn from. And as far as organization goes, the route was well planned, mapped, marked, and often breathtakingly scenic; and the snack stops were well stocked with a wide variety of food and hot and cold drinks. For anyone wanting to get their kids into cycling, this is a great place to start.

veloGeezer

it sounds like cyclists basically can't stand to be around one another.

...which is the one nice thing about time trialing, really
it gives me time to ride with somebody I like: ME!

Metaluna

Okay here are some of my dislikes:

Road hogs: It's totally cool if you choose to ride at 12MPH while chatting with old friends. Just don't do it while riding 4 abreast, oblivious to auto traffic and passing riders. I fully expect to have to pull out into the lane to pass someone. What I don't expect is to have to pull out into the oncoming lane to pass.

Bad apples: Ride organizers often get pushback from local authorities when riders behave badly, including ignoring traffic signals and unnecessarily obstructing traffic (see above). I know of several rides in my area where they have had to change the route in places because certain towns complained about various antics. You are also creating an environment where people (especially the inexperienced) have to make the choice at every intersection between doing something illegal and unsafe vs. getting dropped on an unfamiliar route (which is why I generally don't do group rides with unknown riders unless it's a well documented/marked route).

Other than that I really haven't had too many bad experiences on organized rides. They're usually something I look forward to every year.