And there you go, again making it about you being faster than them. What, did some lycra-clad cyclist run over your favorite puppy?

All of the things you've been advised to do would make you faster. And don't tell me again that the bike isn't holding you back, because that's BS. Put out the same watts on a more aerodynamic bike, and you'll be faster. You know that or you wouldn't have cobbled together your 'aero bars'. I can tell you from personal experience, little things can make a huge difference. I had a bike fitting, probably about the same year you were born, which adjusted three things - saddle height, saddle setback, and bar height - all by about a centimeter, and my pedal stroke became much more efficient and the bike became much more stable on descents. So, you may think the bike isn't holding you back, but you don't know.

You don't know how fast the group leader is... and it is not all about speed. Enjoy the ride. And the leader certainly would be working to ride at the pace of the group.

Our local riding group lists: 10-12 MPH, 13-15 MPH, 16+ MPH. And, some rides are flatish, while others head for the hills.

I presume all the ride leaders are volunteers, and they like to offer a variety to the public and group members.

I don't see Drop vs No-Drop listed, but that is also a distinction that many groups make.

If you have a No-Drop ride, it doesn't really matter if a person falls behind a bit. The group will stop at the next major intersection and regroup.

So, if you joined the slowest ride, then don't complain about speed.

If you were riding your Hybrid following 30 feet behind a 25MPH paceline up and down hills and along valleys, then kudos to you!!!

BTW I don't mean to disparage the group lead even though I probably did in this thread at some point. I think its super rad that he is out here leading a social climbing ride, and think he handled the situation with me in a good way. I joke about him asking me to wear a jersey, but he was welcoming and said I could totally ride with them if I came back next week with a helmet. The egan ride is cool and Alto Velo is a nice organization that I totally approve of, and have had good experiences with alto velo riders. Just saying this so people know im not badmouthing alto velo or the egan ride because i think both are great gateways for new cyclists to join the community.

I have nothing against lycras, ill eventually join them. The thing is is that im a fat alcoholic, once i fix the elephant in the room ill get a nice bike. Might avoid technical descents until then (stop doing kings mountain)

yeah, Kings gets kinda technical for big guys like us. We gain speed really fast on some of those steep drops, especially above Huddart Park. That's why I do 84 mostly anymore. Hey, ever done West OLH? It's got great views ad very little traffic.

ive heard good things about it, should check it out. I’ve mostly been doing 92 to get to the ocean, don’t really mind the cars.

Better you than me.

I never used to mind the cars, but there's way more of em now for one, and the thing that's really starting to bug me is how talkback ******bags et al have made cyclists into a scapegoat token in the right's demented culture wars.

92 from Skyline to Half Moon Bay sucks. I've ridden it several times but never liked it. Tunitas Creek is much better for a bike, but more technical (i.e. you have to use your brakes).

Last August, I got rear-ended in my car on 92. By a cyclist person on a bike. He thought he could pass me on the right. He was mistaken.

He and his mangled bike got a free ride to medical care in a police truck.

Repairs to my car (he was a pretty big guy):


Rear end damage repair, Toyota Highlander

If you take 84, you don't have to use your brakes. But you do have to use your pedals, because the last few miles are pretty flat.
EDIT: That's 84 to the ocean. 84 from Skyline to Woodside, you need to use your brakes.

Flat it is, and usually with a headwind. A good place to find a paceline containing big and tall rouleurs.

What if you ARE big and tall?

Then I would ask, "Hello, big and tall guy. Mind if I sit in?"

One time, years back, I was riding with a woman who couldn't have weighed more than 110. We were riding The Loop, and as we turned left off of Portola onto Alpine, she decided to do a pull. It was comical. She was working like mad to get up over 20 mph, and there I was, behind her, braking almost continuously to avoid rolling over her. After about 1/4 mile, I said, "Here. Let me", and took over. I can usually do high 20s down Alpine with very little work.

Man I love pulling smaller people down alpine. Last time I rode with the noon ride (on a Tuesday so they weren't sandbagging) I ended up getting dropped on alpine because I decided to follow an attack and got up near the front lol, couldn't manage to grab a wheel though. Was sad. Tried drafting cars to catch back up but couldn't catch a wheel. Its amazing how much free energy is on the roads, I drafted a dump truck down Alameda the other day and it was glorious, felt like i was walking while spinning in my highest gear. Bikes are nutty efficient and when you add motor drafting into the picture it gets crazy.

also 92 is OKAY except for the canada to skyline climb, that segment is a little bit annoying. Have to look behind and wave cars past while having enough juice in the tank to take the hill fast.

I agree. No helmet???!! What's up with that?

It reminds me of a (tragic) incident that happened several years ago in Yosemite. A group of BASE jumpers wanted to protest the ban on BASE jumping in Yosemite, so they planned a group jump where everyone would get arrested upon landing in Tuolumne Meadows. They wanted to get some publicity and demonstrate how safe the sport was, but the death of one of the jumpers made a pretty good case for a continued ban.

It is ASTONISHING how hard it is to catch a fast group when you're solo. Back when I was riding with PenVelo in the early 2000s, a couple times I got to Canada and 92 just bit late, and they hadn't even gotten to the first turn (you know, the left hander that goes downhill?), and they weren't even going that fast, but try as I might (and I was faster then) I never saw them again.

Yeah its basically impossible, you would have super strong, I wonder if fastest riders in this group would be able to. They must be pacelining and rotating leaders up there on the fast days but IDK how long of pulls they do. https://penvelo.org/

do you know if these rides are up to date? Apparently there is a 22-24 mph race going down Canada tonight.... might have to hit that up. Didn’t bring my helmet to work, would they require one? Hard to imagine the racers would turn me away. I have one with me I can use but it’s way too small and restricts my breathing. Nothing on their website in the riding etiquette section says I need one.

Should be okay. It is better to ride sans helmet than with one that gives you brain pressure AND oxygen deficit. Plus, 22-24 on flats is not that hard for you. If there are hills and mountains, you better just join them for the downhill portions.

No idea if PV's site is up to date. I stopped riding with them around 2002 - I jut burned out on group riding, and cycling generally, for a couple years, and when I got back into cycling I realized I prefer to ride on my own.

I imagine, if it's their Tuesday and Thursday 'No Wait' rides, since it's an official, announced club ride that they'd require a helmet. It's pretty standard anymore.

Thanks, ill turn on canada and try to sprint up to the back, I imagine that if they don't want me there they will just try to drop me.

downhill both ways boi!! Real talk looking at the route there are 2 or 3 short punchy hills that I would be surprised if they don't drop me on.

I don't know why you keep underestimating yourself. There is at least a 10% probability that you will drop one of them.

Didn't have a chance to find out, for some reason I couldn't find the ride, ran into a few of their guys on a slow ride but no heavy hitters. Salty.