I kinda know what the Op is talking about. Different rides have different ethos. The local fast training ride is going to be different than a lot of more casual rides, and the difference won't be just the speed of the ride.

There's a ride close to my house that I used to do occassionally, that sounds a bit like what the OP is describing. They tend to drive me crazy.

And a few of them think I'm dangerous because I do outrageous things like passing someone four feet to their left without calling out " passing on your left" Finally decided that I just don't fit in, so I just don't ride with them.

i would find the inconsistent pace more annoying than the calling out of stuff. actually, i find most large group rides pretty annoying so i just avoid them. i like riding with 4 or 5 other people max.

+1 Many ride so close to the edge of the road nobody can see the gravel and stuff. And many country roads have questionable edges to begin with so why not get more into the lane? Where I live, the cars and trucks have the patience of Job and often won't pass until they've got a mile or two of clear road.

Umm, you sir are the troll.

ya think? The fishing pole tipped you, right? I gotta get me one of them cute little short rods.

Cows are cows, not humans. You don't wave to cows. You have to moo at them when you see them out in the field. Cows understand mooing. I thought everyone knew that.

I've ridden with pros, Cat2's,4's and 5's on group rides and with my team. On all of these, "car back" or "car up" or a pedestrian was always pointed out when it might be close. I dont know where you come from, but this is just considered good ettiquete and keeps everyone safe. Marking potholes or stones seems a little out there however.

Well, yeah! I assumed everyone would know that. I wave and moo at the cows. Now the goats and donkeys and mules understand me perfectly when I talk to them. There's a couple of donkeys in LA (lower Alabama) that I stop and talk to. Which means I scratch their muzzles and give them Clif bars and when I ride off they bray very loudly.

Cows may be cows, but we all know (from reading Far Side) they think like humans. Don't let their stupid looks fool you.

Not keeping a steady pace...I can understand the OP getting aggravated with that. And in our club and almost every group ride I've ever been on the front rider calls out "car up" on secondary roads and the back riders call "car back" to the rest of the group. This is just a safety issue plain and simple. AS for the other things...when I'm at the front on a group ride...I call out a major hazard like a raised manhole cover, a pile of broken glass or a giant hole in the road etc... If it's something more routine like excessive sand I might point to it quickly. But I use common sense when leading a paceline/group. I don;t feel the need to yell out every little road hazard I see. I expect the riders behind me to take some responsibility for their own awareness. To the OP: When you go on a group ride with new people I would think that you'd want them to be too safe rather than oblivious to hazards and their surrondings. Riding with 5 or 6 of your racing buddies, you decide what you feel you need to do to be safe and have a good ride. But when riding with a group or a club, you have to learn to deal with many of the things you posted in your OP. I wouldn't term those folks "Hacks"..... just because they can't ride at your level and your expectations. While you might be just venting...you also display the attitude that makes many people wary of riding with roadies.

He'll get over it and soon realize you did them a favor. If I ever ask you to ride with us, please do me a favor and say no the first time.

Sheesh. Elitist snobs fTL

Seems to me you are a bit pissy because the group wasn't up to your standards. Not everyone is the perfect cyclist you desire to be. You did the right thing by declining the subsequent invitation to ride again. No sense them aggravating you twice.....sheeesh....

That screaming 'CAR UUUPPP!!!!' stuff is friggin maddening. A true Fred Fobia. Ooofaaaa. It really kills me when you're on a sleepy country road that runs straight forever and everyone can SEE the friggin car coming for a mile. Right. Shut up and ride.

I gave up on riding with people that can't after a Fred almost killed me about a year ago. It was just staggeringly stupid, a sudden, unannounced hard hook right hand turn @ 25mph that had me locking up my rear wheel for dear life. And this group was mad at me for dropping the F bomb on him (cursing). I was livid, and I can't recall the last time I even had words with another rider over the past decade. I know places where they would have pulled this idiot off his bike and beaten him to death with it for a move like the one he pulled (that could have taken out the entire paceline behind him, he very nearly took me out).

It's not about how fast you are at all. It's about common sense and knowing how to deal with pacelines, traffic and riding bicycles in the real world. It's not for everyone. Apparently. Fortunately there are plenty of people around who can ride safely and smoothly. Stick with them. If that's elitism, I'm a roadie snob. WhatEVER. I'm just trying to get home without getting friggin killed. The cars and the road are dangerous enough. I don't need fellow cyclists ADDING to the perils out there. F that action.

Oh yes, why did that moron make that spooky move mentioned above? Did a woodchuck unexpectedly dart in front of his wheel? A maneuver to avoid a jagged pieced of road debris? Nope. 'I almost missed the turn on the cue sheet' was his reason. Are these people just brain damaged?

That's why when I ride past cows here in California, they start calling out, "Yakkity yack yack."

I'd find another group with more experience. Pointing out of any obstacles and an occasional "Car Back" is nice, but thats really all you need if everyone knows what they hell they are doing. In fact, the group should be riding as if there is always a car back. Tight to the right, and and no moving left with out a look behind you. We've got a saturday AM ride here that we almost never go on, for many of the same reasons you have listed.

If there are people in the group that need to hear "slowing" or "braking" to realize this phenomenon is happening you might want to get out of there. That and the guy falling over before the ride started, lol

and yes.. I know we were all newbs at one point, but there's nothing wrong with knowing you've graduated, and riding with others like you.

it's always a bit strange getting used to riding with people who aren't serious riders.

i went riding with my friend and his wife. i tried to teach them about drafting (neither felt comfortable riding so close), keeping the pace steady (both surged and slowed for no reason), and keeping a line (both weaved all over the place). they thought i was being nitpicky.

so, we reached an agreement where i would ride my own pace up any hills and wait for them, then we'd regroup for a while and i'd go ahead again.

I was tired of people yelling "car up!" every 2 mins on my group ride as well. I've only done one group ride in my 3 years of cycling.

Why can't we all just get along - oh well...

Double paceline, anybody?

There are Freds and there are Phreds. The Phreds are guys with mirrors on their helmets who KNOW how to ride. They're Phine. They're my Phriends. On the other hand the Freds can be just plain scary. And some of them do eventually learn how to ride.

How many of us they take down on that journey is the ugly part.

***** me.

Problem correctly identified. You have to switch mental gears when you switch riding mode, or even riding partners. The calling everythng out though, it's common when someone new joins a group, nobody wants to be the one that didn't let the group know that there was a potential danger, they don't want to be blamed for a crash. As a group of any level rides together, they get to know each other and have a better feel for what does and does not require calling out. Part of it is trust, and just like any situation, trust has to be built up. The group will learn, and if you don't grow as part of the group, you'll probably see the exact same thing if you ride with them 2 years from now, even though they are all more experienced and don't call things out as often on their regular rides.

It was so cold out today, with a ton of snow I decided to have macaroni and cheese for lunch. Not that boxed crap either.

White cheddar...man it was good.

I love it when people conjure up 'rules' out of nowhere with no basis in reality.

We always ride two-up on group rides.

(And we normally pass on the right )

Just curious, how did you conjure up those rules?

Thanks for pointing out what I consider a good dividing line, pointing!

Yelling "Glass" doesn't help me much, in fact it can hinder as everyone tries to adjust without knowing what to do. "Glass" with pointing at the glass allows me and everyone else to drift away from it.

But the worst of all is a call of "DUCK". I never know if there is a duck crossing the road, a duck on a nearby pond worth looking at or a low branch that I had better duck to keep from getting in the face