Originally Posted by umd

Launching off the ramp of a curb will easily give you more air....

Originally Posted by electrik

That isn't a bunny-hop though...

Originally Posted by Nerull

Originally Posted by umd

Semantics. He said "where the sidewalk dipped down a little he used it to jump/bunny hop"

Originally Posted by umd

Launching off the ramp of a curb will easily give you more air....

Originally Posted by macadamia nut

then flip it horizontal.... table top!

Originally Posted by umd

wut

Originally Posted by valygrl

cdr, thank you for putting so much time and thought into your responses.

Originally Posted by carpediemracing

OP, seems like you're thinking pretty well about the situation. Basically if someone is doing something a bit aggressive, it's okay to respond with the same.

Well, within reason - once it escalates too much then it's just plain ugly. Personally I think contact is never warranted unless it's necessary to stay upright, i.e. guy to your right leans on you because the guy to his right is falling onto him.

I also think you're doing the wrong thing with slowing using wind. I "discovered" this technique. First time I used it in a race I almost got shot off the back of the single file field. A newly-made friend let a gap go and yelled at me to get in. Eventually I got dropped anyway and afterward he told me to do that stuff on training rides only.

https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...l-ruhlman.html

Sliding a bit sideways is smart, it's efficient, and it totally opens the door for others. Even if you only move over a bit, unless you were less than, say, a foot from the rider next to you, it may be enough to fully open the door. In other words, unless you're rubbing elbows the whole ride (or, like one ex-pro did to me, casually, without thinking, while he was talking about breakfast and traffic and stuff, have his elbow almost touching my belly button), you may be relatively far away. You may not think so, but other riders will.

I consider 3 feet to be an opening for sure. 2 feet is tight - I wouldn't take it except when desperate. On the side of the road it's closer - I'll take gaps where I have to surge and then coast through the gap because if I pedal I'll hit the curb with the pedal. So maybe a foot to the curb from the other rider (which means half my bike fits in that foot, or, if it were in the middle of the road, it's a 2 foot gap).

But it's a group ride. So I'd just back off unless something interesting was coming up (sprint etc).

One situation that would prompt me to move up is if I don't feel comfortable following a particular rider in front of me. So, if you're a Cat 5, and you ride like a normal Cat 4-5, there may be more experienced riders that don't feel comfortable following you or someone around you.

Things that really motivate me to move up past a rider:
- they swerve to avoid potholes and such. Swervers are extremely dangerous. Riders should go through potholes that they don't see but in general should see them because they should be looking up the road a bit, even if they're sitting right on a wheel.
- people who ride with a stiff upper body, especially arms. If I notice a rider steering with his arms, I am around them ASAP. Someone not fluent enough to steer with their hips (leaving their arms relaxed) spells trouble to me. Get them in a tricky situation and I have very little confidence in them maintaining composure.
- people who can't hold a straight line.
- people who can't corner well, i.e. at the same speed as the rider in front, following the line of the rider in front

In fact, although it's not necessarily nice, I've intentionally shot certain riders off the back of the Tues Night Worlds crit because they let gaps go in the turns. Since the fields are small and I tail gun if I'm not at the front, inevitably they'll let a gap go when I'm behind them. So what I do is gap them off so they get dropped. This way I can tailgun with a bit more confidence. I actually gapped the same riders off week after week after week. It's like I line up, see them, let them gap me off maybe 2x, and then work them over until they're gone. If they get back in (you can at Tues Nights) I gap them off again. They're probably wondering why they get dropped, but since they're not anyone I know, and they have no idea who I am, I'll let someone they know tell them what they're doing wrong. It's not unsafe, it's just bad racing.

For race situations, people who corner on the hoods, or spend all day on the hoods.

For now I'd avoid the "sliding out to the side" move to ease up. Just feather the brakes instead.

Also, if you're not doing it already, ride in the drops in those situations. You are much less inviting to pass when on the drops and you can also stay upright better if things go pear shaped.

hope this helps
cdr

Originally Posted by StopDiegoStop

W Cole,

Which ride are you talking about? Is this Food Park or Como?
I heard the Food Park ride can get pretty agressive.

Originally Posted by Hermes

It is normal behavior and the operative word is to be assertive not aggressive. In races and large pelotons, there is an ebb and flow of riders with riders trying to improve their position and get on a better wheel. You must know from crits that one wants to be on a good wheel near the front. If you are on a good wheel and leave an opening someone will try to ride you off that wheel.

IMO, the best strategy is to stay near the front on the leaders' wheels and assert your position and be a great wheel to follow. I define aggressive riding as bone head moves that put everyone at risk such as shooting gaps with no possible gain with 50 miles to go. Holding wheels and stealing wheels is a big part of bike racing and pack riding. In skills clinics, one learns how to ride someone off a wheel and hold a wheel.

Also, if this ride has sections where there are known accelerations, be prepared for more assertive behavior as the riders get ready for the effort and look to improve their position and to get on the best wheel so they are not gapped.