Topic Title

I'll be otherwise engaged this Saturday so would someone like to take charge and decide on the route, splitting the groups on Saturday morning and ensuring there's a recognised boss in both groups? Thanks folks!

Happy to lead one the groups, assuming we split it into two like last week. Seeing as we should at least have an ice free morning lets take advantage of this and have a crack at the hillier option and do the East route:

York - Malton via the Buttercrambe road, Coneysthorpe, Terrington, then a loop of the Flat Ten circuit, then back to York.

Lets keep it seady on the rises. I think these rides work best if we are fairly disciplined about alternating the turns. That is: no more than a couple of minutes then swing to the left. No heroics needed . Personally, I don't think we need to worry too much about which direction the wind is blowing re: which side we come thru on, etc. Lets keep it simple at this time of year and worry about the "dark arts" of pace-line riding when the season approaches.

We will aim to set off at 9.00 am from the Square. See you then

There's no dark arts involved Cam, everyone can tell which way the wind is blowing.

I can Darren, its always from ahead

Sunny but cold day - 12 or 13 of us in the square. Set off as one group, malton route.

The first half of this ride was great - a good pace, steady on the hills, a bit of regrouping and backing off to keep together. Pretty well organised and I enjoyed myself.
Unfortunately I can't comment on the second half, because someone called a wee stop and then everyone rode off without me.

Will came back for me (and I shouted at him a bit, poor guy) we set off in pursuit and picked up a few stragglers, but didn't get back on. Frustrating for me and a shame for Will too as he was riding strongly.

I have been doing these rides for 3 years now and I should learn really. I choose not to wee in the street, so apologies if it does take me a fraction longer. Short of a sex change (or a she wee! ) this will probably happen again.

Less coffee before I leave the house next time.
Hope everyone else had a good ride anyway.

Sounds like a poor show Jess. Inconsiderate men!

Sounds like a poor show Jess. Inconsiderate men!

I tend to agree... How on earth can the group

a) Set off without everyone
b) Not notice the only girl out on the ride has vanished

Seems that there is a bit of a reputation for this sort of thing out there, I have heard various rumblings that "unless you are a strong man then you are not welcome", kinda defeats the object of the rules does it not.

Either way last weeks fast group was how I see it being, all together controlled and smooth, backing it off on the hills, not surging and strung out all over North Yorkshire - On that note I accept that if someone is struggling on the flat the rule is that they need to make their own way home, but its not about just smashing up the hills and hoping there is someone left to ride with at the top, ridden properly there should be no reason to stop, just ease back the pace.

Just my twopennth,

Just feels like we need to nip this sort of stuff in the bud so it can enhance the club.

Cheers

Sharpy

Well I reckoned with a group of 13 setting off it was only a matter of "when", not "if" that it would be a lonely ride home for me and was pleased to be still with the bunch in Malton, as even then not everybody had been taking a turn and the long descent into Norton certainly helped.

After that im not sure what happened but the climbs saw me dropped, but with efforts down the other side i managed to bridge the gap back, that was until the final climb into Sheriff Hutton, there was some talk of "The 10 Flat Circuit" and as it was the first time I had done that training circuit I didnt have a clue which way the group had gone so simply rolled over the X roads and headed back.

I stopped on the way to Strensall to put on the water proofs, and was passed by RichT and then a small group dashed past but by the time I was ready to ride they were too far gone for me to catch and rode the rest of the way to York with Ian (I think) arrived back home with 50 miles on cold, wet and thinking how much more I enjoyed the ride from the week before

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/401942228

Sounds like a poor show Jess. Inconsiderate men!

a) Set off without everyone
b) Not notice the only girl out on the ride has vanished

Sharpy

Well worded note Rich -Also, I didn't vanish - I told a couple of riders around me what I was doing, and I think both Will and RichT
tried to get them to wait.

I can't help but get the feeling that some of the group take the attitude tha 'girls shouldn't be on this ride'. Frustrating as I don't think I am the weakest rider there.

Overall, I am not really surprised that Fi & I are the only ladies who do this ride (despite my trying to recruit more). And the club should note really that this reputation is spreading.

A very real shame as lots of guys on this ride have really helped me get stronger as a rider. Some weeks it is brilliant training. Others, not so much.

"And the club should note really that this reputation is spreading"...
"I have heard various rumblings that "unless you are a strong man then you are not welcome"...

<---sad face. Next week there will be two groups, and we'll try to ensure that no-one is abandoned - especially not while having a pee. These rides are for everyone who's planning on racing next season and who is vaguely up to the general base level of fitness required.

It's a tough job Phil, to organise, & you can't tell who will turn up & with what attitude. People who are road racers will always have a competitive nature & always try and push on - that's why they race, and why they are successful, so I suppose, fair dos. (if you can't take the heat....)
But you'll go mad trying to please everyone. And this thread will get to 3 pages

This training ride is a bit of a curse of its own success in trying to be inclusive. If you lay down the gauntlet & say it will be an aggressive, no waiting ride then it's up to the individual ' if you don't like it, don't go' (a bit like it is in April/May when everyone is racing).
But then newbies are put off & people like me don't get the advantage over the winter training, which is a shame.
I feel like I complain a lot about this ride, but it does work - and to be honest, there is no better alternative.

I still remember my first training ride with Clifton (in trainers, no less, and in May!) and I struggled massively - but noone actively tried to ride me off the pack & I wasn't left alone anywhere. I also remember young Toby's first few rides with the group that were similar. Hopefully we can get some of that back over the winter. Can only be good for the club in a year when cycling is bound to get more popular in the city.

Jess, really sorry to hear what happened on Saturday. The problem seemed to stem from some poor communication within the group. 1 of us stopped just before Malton (for a p** stop I think) but it wasn't widely circulated. As it was just at the bottom of a rise I thought I'd ride on to the top and the stop. I stopped at the top with Rich and took a comfort break. The rest of the group rode on. When I came back to the road I waited with Rich until Cam and the back markers went past and then chased. I wasn't aware you had stopped. Caught Cam, Andy and Damian but we were still chasing the main group. With a group up the road I thought everyone was there. Chased hard and caught everyone at Malton.

Cam and Rich got caught at the railway crossing in Malton but we weren't aware of this until it all regrouped out of Malton. Soft pedalled up the climb and waited at the top when Rich and Cam joined us.

The root cause was some of the group stopping and some riding on. Meant we never actually all set-off again together and with 3 groups on the road at this point it was dead easy to lose someone. Sharpy, to address your concerns I wasn't aware of anyone smashing it up the hills.

But it was poor form and I for 1 will be more careful in future!

For me 2 reminders:

1) We should run 2 groups where possible. 12 riders on Sat was borderline, and as one of the riders who said we should be fine with 1, I was partly responsible. However as well as being less manageable than a smaller group it didn't cater for a wider ability range.

2) If we are stopping lets do it as a group. If people want to keep moving ride up the road a little and then turn back round. Would have avoided the situation on Saturday where we had 3 groups all chasing to get back together.

So again, apologies Jess.

Hope to see you out again next week. And Melly don't be put off. I've had years of getting dropped on these rides .

Anyway that's probably enough of a post-mortem. Phil's back next week so discipline will be restored.

See you all next week

John

thanks John - But it was well after Malton - somewhere near Easthorpe/Coneysthorpe on the way to Terrington, and it was a full group stop.

Anyhoo - you are right - communication needs to get better.
I'll be back out in a few weeks (promise not to complain too much )

J

Oh well then...just shows I didn't have a clue what was going on!

John, dont worry ill be there next week and am certainly not put off, in that company I expected to end up on my own, Im more annoyed with my self for not knowing the route 100%, my fault, no one else's, as had I known, I probably had enough left for one more effort which might have seen me back to York with the group. Apologies to all for the break up of the groups, with the effort I was putting in I wasn't really aware that it had become so fragmented and thought I was last on the road with RichT and Cam until the group came past me between Sheriff Hutton and Strensal