cow, COW, c-o-w, E-I-E-I-O, Dagnabbit

Boy, did this thread grow some tangential legs or what?


OK, I admit that I did not react in a friendly way, but we 5 had an agenda and no issue with someone joining in as long as they stayed with the program.

I was actually 4th in line and saw what happened with the 2 strong riders in front of me and as the elder statesman in the group I felt it appropriate to take action.

After reading the replies from you-all I probably should have said.....Time to Pull Out in an informative not demeaning way. Thank you for helping me improve.

To those who might not want to join in a pace line group because of what you have read here, some can be fun while others can be anything but. As has been mentioned, if you join in the line, get a feel for how the group works, how alive the line is and go with the flow. When you find yourself up front and things are really moving, take a short pull and move over. Nobody will be upset. If you find yourself having a hard time but would like to stay with the group a bit longer, drop back and let the retreating rider pull in front of you by telling him/her to...go ahead.

That sounds pretty insensitive to me. Austria was occupied and annexed by Nazi Germany.

OTOH, I think the OP was entirely right, although I suppose they could have been a little more polite.

Speaking of religion...

Back to the OP's question, no, not bad to instruct. Ok to yell? Depends, I guess but age has a way of mellowing. At (rare) times when I find myself amongst the strong and another, newb perhaps, not so graced, interferes with what I deem a well deserved "my/our" paceline, I relax my attitude, thanks to my aged years, take a breath (or seven) and let the weaker/newb know that's it's ok to hang on to us at the back until you feel you can pull at the same speed as us as he may not know the error of his ways and then get the hint - then maybe a non-patronizing "keepitup/attaboy" type comment. I find myself riding with guys/gals half, er... a third of my age, (yikes!) and I can't imagine not sucking up and encouraging others. Encouragement happened to me when I was just starting and I'm greatful.

I agree with you 100%

Bill is a great guy. He is simply expressing his faith in Christ. Many of us share his faith.

There are lots of things that are annoying...by simply averting my eyes I save myself a great deal of irritation (and stress).

Replied to offline.

I really enjoy the art and beauty of a well done paceline. And, I always learn something. But, unless I'm with people who know how to ride, I stay out of them. More riders in my club have gotten hurt from abrupt braking and overlapping wheels than all other factors combined. I have found that, as with motorcycling, a lot of cyclists come to the sport in mid-life and don't really know what they are doing.

Good grief. It's a tag line. That's all. Do I have to get rid of my Ducati pic because it's not a Trek or someone hates motorcyclists?

OK, I changed my mind again. The OP did the right thing.

I think we all get to find inspiration wherever we like, and I don't have a problem with people who want to share where they find theirs.

Personally, Bill is my inspiration

(Not kidding either, since he was one of the most helpful people I talked to when I was having health issues a little over a year ago.)

"Achtung" is the normal German expression for "watch out" or "pay attention," so your response was totally out of line and offensive as it had Nazi connotations.

I suspect it would drastically change some threads in a positive manner if more people did this.

Thanks, CH HI. I just found it and made the change to see how it works. It actually makes reading through threads a bit easier/cleaner/quicker.

Replied to offline. Again.

I agree with telling the other riders, and not yelling at them. I was a potential "yellee" this past Saturday on a 41 mile ride. I went with a breakaway group of 4 (at about 15 miles into the ride) from our normal ride with a 18-19 mph pace. I have only worked myself up to staying with the group about 6 weeks ago, having started riding again this past May. (I've been pushing myself to ride between 150-230 miles per week.) The group of 4 was going to go at a 22-23 mph pace. I knew I could stay with the group in the pace line, but was concerned about doing pulls at those speeds, but I thought "there's got to be a first time." My first rotation I went hard and for too long, and then trying to get back in line while sucking air I fell a couple of bike lengths behind and was quickly dropped. The "leader" of the group and a very strong rider, came back and said: "stay on my wheel and I will pull you back up." He did, and then he positioned me in the line at a spot he said would be best for me, and said on my next rotation to skip it and just drop to the back so I could catch my breath. I did as instructed, and was able to do "short pulls" after that and to finish the ride in pretty good fashion. Afterwards I went to the other riders to apologize for slowing them down, but they all complimented me for hanging in there and finishing (an unwarranted, but appreciated compliment). The "leader" made a point of telling me how much I was improving, and that when my new bike with aero wheels came in he said I'd have no problems staying with them. I don't necessarily believe that, but I appreciate him saying it.

I am improving every week, and I will be able to stay with them in a month or so, new bike or not, but had I been yelled at things would have been very different. Everyone is different, but my reaction would have been to hit my brakes, fall back and ride alone. I would never have gone back to the Saturday morning ride, which I have grown to really enjoy. No doubt an overreaction on my part, but there are probably others like me out there. I bike because it is fun and challenging...when the fun leaves so do I.

Great thread, perfect for midwinter and it's not yet December. There's something for everyone here.

1. I've changed my mind three times. Darwin knows, I usually make up my mind once, regardless of the facts, and stick with it forever.

2. The raison d'etre for the post, and let's be honest, is the OP wanted to brag a bit. He's fast and done an Ironman. It ain't bragging if it's fact.

3. The weirdest invocation of Godwin's Law I've ever seen, on page two of a thread about yelling at slow guys.

4. Cranky people apparently haunted by the notion that the next month might have religious significance to someone, somewhere on this planet.

5. Resurgence of born-again Buddhists.

6. I'm offended. I'm not sure over what, but give me time........

Thinking about creating my own tag line....

"A fool couldn't ride the Vincent Black Shadow more than once, but a fool can ride a Ducati 900 many times, and it will always be a bloodcurdling kind of fun. That is the Curse of Speed which has plagued me all my life. I am a slave to it. On my tombstone they will carve, "IT NEVER GOT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME."
(Hunter S. Thompson)

That's how it's supposed to work. And good on you! Too often by the time I pull someone back to the group, they're too destroyed to hang.

Lol Dudelsack I love your sense of humor. I still chuckle whenever I think of the line you used to describe MUPs:

"Women of girth walking three abreast"

so true.

Charlie

I'm sure Bill is a great guy, but I object to what I see as "I'm holier than thou" pronouncements on a biking forum. Now that I know that I can omit tag lines, I'll do that.

This would be mine, if I knew how to do it

https://rlv.zcache.com/fish_n_chips_f..._8byvr_324.jpg

Why are we discussing a signature line and not yelling at slow people?

Bill's not dissing other people's beliefs.

Getting back to the subject you mean when people yell," Good Pull," at me they really mean you're too slow stay at the back?

OK, I think I found my new signature line.

Indecisive and offended!?! What about me?....I'm so crushed at the POSSIBILITY of getting yelled at, I won't show up for the post-thread pie

Looks like I am going to have to include my "signature" as a part of the bottom of each post so that I will be sure to offend someone. This means that some folks will see it twice - but, one of the elements of good learning theory is repetition.

So - here goes!! I hope at least one person is offended - and I think I can predict in advance who that will be!!
















PLEASE DON'T FEED THE RESIDENT TROLLS!! . . . . My current regular routine at age 74+ is about 100 miles per week bicycling, 4 hours swimming, 4 hours walking, 3-4 hours of resistance exercises, balancing and targeted stretching.