Step One: You need to let go of your expectations.

Do NOT do number 3. Don't be a d!ck about this.

I would suggest you chalk this up to a one time experience and then just LET IT GO. You took a chance and it did not pan out. Big friggin' deal. LET IT GO.

And if the guy is close enough to the PRP ride, let him know about it. You know there is a slower group that goes out on Tuesday nights. All are welcome.

i have to agree with cylowe. i know it was last minute, but maybe you should have ridden with him before the race to gauge his speed.

i would have volunteered, but i knew right away that i wouldn't be able to keep up with you. and you know this from riding with me. you'd have learned the same if you rode with him even the day before...

Tell him about the group. Mention that he should bring a map if he has an "off" night. People get the point after a ride or two. If they don't and they keep coming back for more then we call them psimet.

Btw - take a chill pill with him. This is supposed to be fun. There is no way to know how fast you can ride with someone until you ride with them. Give him the benefit of doubt.

It is.

Wait..... it is? Is it?


Oh yeah.... it is! I almost forgot about the post ride beer.

the worst day riding a bike is better than the best day riding a desk chair.

I know of a couple of different time-trial events around the D-FW area. While they may have first-class riders competing in them, they are open to anyone, and the result is, you have some very fast people and some not-so-fast people as well. Looking at the results from your race, I see that they had age categories up to the 75+ ages, had a couple of people that took 2+ hours for the course, etc. Which is all fine and good, but tells me not everyone is as competitive as you might imagine. I understand this is very common in the triathlon world as well.

I'd say, reply to the email, say in a nice way that your speeds don't match, so you won't be trying that again. If you invite him to any rides, give him a good idea of the average speeds that you ride at, as opposed to just letting him show up and get dropped.

I agree with Cylowe. And do invite him along on the PRP ride.

You could always get even by telling him last one in buys . . . :innocent:

Psi, it's a 40k tt, you sure do know how fast you can ride. If you're 10 minutes or more slower than your partner, you have a big problem.

I plan to combine Stephan and Cy's advice, tell him nicely I'm out in the future and warn him of the pace and drop policies of the rides. I take no responsibility for his group riding skills as he was never able to demonstrate them to me ... lol

The outcome definitely sucked, but you can't be mad at the guy. He did say upfront that he was slower, maybe you should have asked how much slower. It's a team TT, I think you should have stuck together. I'm with Cylowe, chalk it up as a learning experience.

this was posted on the results sheet:

This was a TEAM race, you work TOGETHER, to ride a fast time. I know it feels good to drop another rider, but in a team time trial the stronger rider HELPS the TEAMMATE. This could be taking longer pulls, leading into the wind, sitting up to give more suction for your teammate or screaming loud enough in the last 200 meters that your teammate cannot hear the pain of lungs bursting and muscles tearing down.

So, I tell him my individual time trial time, he does not share his, only says vaguely "you're faster", and my obligation to follow up and ask "Well what is your fastest time?" is higher than his obligation to say "I am a lot slower and not sure we will work as a team?" That's some interesting logic IMO?

I was so upfront on my specific time, and added further details that it is was on a road bike with clip-ons in a deluge, but that I was not in as good of shape but now had a P3C with a disc. I was so specific so that I wouldn't be causing a severe mismatch. I assumed his lack of response meant he was within a minute or two of my time. That I could have lived with. I pull maybe 2/3 of the time, no problem. Even 3/4's of the time ... OK. But when he can't even hold my wheel while I'm sitting up and only at 75% heart rate ... this is a ridiculous problem and a complete waste of my time.

In fact, I don't believe he has been within 10 minutes of a 1 hour pace. This is a severe mismatch and it was HIS responsibility to step up and say ... "Houston, I think we have a problem." Instead, he wasted my time and had me become his partner under false pretenses, IMO. So, he got me there under a false pretense, and it's now my job to continue to suffer all the way to the end? Why?

Is it the end of the world ... no. Was it wrong on his part ... yes. Was he too inexperienced to know any better ... maybe. Do I care ... no, not really. I was deceived (knowingly or not) into becoming his partner and when I became aware of the problem that should have been disclosed at our first discussion, our "contract" was broken, and I dropped him.

In the future, will I ask for specific times? ... yes.


Let me add this ... Had I been the one who couldn't hold my partner's wheel ... I would have immediately said ... "Sorry, man, I can't hang with you. Take off and at least get some exercise." P.S. - I've done it before.

I wouldn't say you were in the wrong for dropping him. He probably could have got a faster time if you were blocking the wind for him, but that would have been worse than your solo time. At which point the purpose of a team time trial has already been defeated.

I would have done the same thing. The lead rider in a team time trial should never have to slow down to accommodate riders behind.

Might as well throw in the towel on the race and at least get a workout. Just watch out for the turns.

Burst out laughing at that part ... LOL

Buyer beware, I guess. :o

You could research his results online, and if you can't find any, then that's your opening: "I tried finding some of your times, but ... "

I'd offer more 'comps' next time. :innocent:

This thread has been.... illuminating.

You've got to let this go, CC. You had a bad experience. You searched and searched for a TT partner and took one on sight unseen. Stop feeling deceived and wronged.

Grow a pair and move on. Yapping about it like a yenta, talking down about a person who stepped up to your request, and assuming you were cornered into this undertaking ain't going to change the experience.

If your results and charts are all that matter when you're on two wheels, then you might be riding for the wrong reasons. It might have been a rewarding experience had you just said to yourself that the TT could be a perfect chance to help this other guy along no matter what your HR Monitor said you should be doing. I think you might have missed an opportunity of sorts.

I don't know that I know my 40 k tt time. that monsoon garden prairie one last yet wasn't 40k. It is quite a bit shorter.

That said I would have been a perfect tt partner for you. Sorry.

Master Cylowe has the wisdom of the sages.

Isn't the time you both record dictated by the second man to cross?

No.

In other words, the time recorded is determined by the second rider to cross the line. CC (as I understand it) just realized that the official time was going to be crap anyway, and see what he could do solo.

If you think it's cool to slow someone else down so badly that you will be 15 or 20 minutes slower together than the other guy will be alone, when you both have the stated expectation to be faster than an hour ... then that's you ... it certainly isn't me. :(


Hey Psi, that is the time I based my estimate on, and according to ABR, it was 39.8K.

http://www.ambikerace.com/2008/resul...008results.pdf

According to your time last year you could have said ... I did such and such time then, but I'm in much better shape now, have a dedicated tt bike, and should be able to hang with you ... and I'm sure you would have ... that's why I wanted you!:love:

Bingo!

I wasn't even able to work on my position etc. going turd slow and sitting up... it was pointless IMO!

How slow is turd slow and might I reccomend some laxative?

This is turning into a "KEEP MY WHEEL OR I'LL YELL AT YOU" thread :rolleyes:

Maybe I'm insensitive or something, but I think yelling would have been totally warranted in this situation. I mean, it's a race. I can't remember the last race I saw without yelling.

Word!