Unsafe rider encounter. 01-24-2018

Today on my Whiting Ranch ride, a very unsafer rider wearing a "Linked Cycling" Jersey and riding a Specy epic made and/or attempted some ridiculous passes on me and 3 of my buddies. I was pretty unnerved to see a wheel up under my inside in a tight single track section. I would never ever attempt a pass, even with my buddies or any rider under any circumstance in this section. He gave zero sound or bell or call out of any kind. Just boom, a green jersey inside my space and he backed off with no way to get past my bars int he tight section. If I threw an elbow he would have been in the brush off trail.

I was not going slow, I was holding my line, I gave zero indication or stopping or pulling out. I was pedaling. I did not know he was there. I glared at him, then pulled over at the next clearing. he raced by and said "sorry".

My group of 4 was spread out and he made similar or worse passes on them, including fireroad passes where there was no need to be close, but instead he nearly clipped the bars of a buddy. again with no notice, sound, or call out.

I am no pussy, I can hold my line and don't mind close riding, IF I KNOW ABOUT IT BEFORE HAND.

I am pretty sure I know who the jerk is from these photos http://www.linkedcycling.com/orangecounty
and plan to address this with him personally once I can confirm identity.

 

I'd be packin' brass knuckles in case others of his clan are present when you confront him.

Uncool of him but at least he said "sorry" in stead of STRAVA!!!

 

So the dude is part of a Christian Cycling Ministry. I can’t wait to see how this plays out.

 

That sucks.. but if he is a
Christian.. i would think he would change his ways if someone had a talk w him...
Im hoping that he is clueless and not purposely endangering others just to go fast on a trail...
Love joy peace patience.... and self control are the fruits of the Holy Spirit..

Or is he a moron hypocrite... hope not

 

I've learned his identity. I need to think about this. I am to Hot right now. i'll give it a few days, then send appropriate letters to his club president and his "sponsors".

 

Mountain bikers feel good...we enjoy the suffering.. the joy of speed .. n chunky downhill.. the long climbs.. when u ride its all good..

When u wear lycra... it constricts blood flow .. no joy..... too much roadie mentality..

 

I had a couple of those Linked guys do the same to me coming down from old camp a couple years ago, guess they still haven’t learned any trail etiquette

 

Riders don't realize that they represent the name on their jersey, and one bad apple makes the rest of them look bad.

In the summer I encounter a "Linked" rider in Whiting (might be the same guy). He was faster them me on the decent, and I finally let him go around me (at a time and place of my choice). Later on, he stopped and we chatted. apparently, a few of the guys in my group knew him. I don't remember his name, but remember even "good guys" have bad moments.

Sleep on it before contacting him.

 

@dustyyoungblood I wouldn’t send anything to his sponsors or the Pres. That’s pretty gnarly, confront the guy first. See how that goes then send out the hate mail.

 

@dustyyoungblood
If I may make a suggestion, I tend to agree with @Redman ...
Use Leadership 101.
Work it from the lowest level first.
Don't confront the guy... "approach him as a friend". Sometimes they are just not aware that they are being rude (believe it or not!).
If it was me I would say something along the lines of, "Hey bud! We crossed paths the other day and you were trying to pass me on this singletrack. I think it's awesome that you were hammering the trail brother, I just wanted to make you aware I was a little uncomfortable with your proximity to me when you tried to pass. Let me know next time. Say something like... "On your right!" or "Hey when you get the chance, could you let me pass?" I sure would appreciate it!"

...and then just see how he responds.

If he is falling all over himself apologizing, mission accomplished.
On the other hand if he says, "Dude! You are such a slug, get out of my way next time!"
Then by all means, write the letter! Let him know you are writing the letter.
"Hey Bud!" <-- Diffrent "sounding" bud now) No problem. I know you are a sponsored rider with a Christian Group and I'm pretty confident your organization would NOT appreciate how you are representing. Have a great rest of your day!"

If he don't back peddle like quick? Then definitely write the letter with intelligence and composure. Their organization will straighten his butt out guaranteed!

I hope I'm being helpful!

 

If you use Strava, check the Flyby's on your ride. If he had Strava on as well, you should be able to ID him that way.

 

Diplomacy is paramount if you make it past the initial urge to beat some ass.


"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

 

@Mikie can be quite the diplomat, so heed his advice. This would be my verbiage...

"I was compelled to contact you due to your behavior on the trails. I was stunned and disappointed. Are you aware that you..."

"As a fellow mt biker, I love going fast too, but there's a time to punch it and a time to announce your presence, roll off the throttle and patiently wait for a chance to pass. Either that, or just stop and wait."

"Your trail behavior impacts all of us, and reflects poorly on the organizations on your jersey."

"I have found that an awareness bell really helps people know you are coming before you see them. More often than not, they will make way, and appreciate the gesture. Try one. You'll be amazed. They often give them away free at Whiting and other County parks."

 

Yes, it popped up this afternoon.

I am taking all advice given here on this wonderful forum @Mikie

 

"Hi, Xxxx, It's clear by your riding that you have your own system of etiquette, which is fine when you ride in a locale where you are the only rider. In other words, nowhere in SoCal does your system work. Get with the program, son! Are you new?"

 

I would not really have given much thought about it had it been just me. But after talking to my 3 riding partners it became apparent the behavior was systemic.

 

Ha!

 

Good behavior increases exponentially the higher and farther you get away from the county parks. Ready for that peak assault?

 

Feeling empowered.

 

@dustyyoungblood,
FWIW, I know some of the guys on that team and they're top notch. I think if you follow the advice given and your own conscience, you'll have a good result. Best of luck, and thanks in advance.

 

Probably worried about his Strava time on the section. Dudes on “teams” seem to be some of the worst with that, same types who sandbag their class at Over the Hump. Yeah, I’m generalizing..

 

thank you very much. Hope to run into you at Whiting one of these days.

Oh yes I am sure they are. Bunch of fast accomplished amateurs. No doubt about that. It’s so easy to get carried away on a good run and knowing the trail like the back of your hand. It happens. After all, training for the local cat 3 55+ XC events is intense and requires dedication. Riders will need to utilize those passing skill to win their events. So I get it, sort of, not really.

 

Change your strava username to God and flag his ride. "keep riding like that and i'll be dealing with you soon at the pearly gates, son..."

 

Agree on giving it a couple days for you to cool down.

But, I will offer my services to reach out to the guy as an XC racer. No, I'm not the fastest guy out there, but I'm pretty well known around these parts as holding my own (taking the overall most laps more than once in an 8 and 12 hour race helps). Having another XC guy reach out and say "Hey, not cool" might have a different impact on his mentality.

It is EXTREMELY rare I attempt an unsafe pass. Only, and I mean ONLY when I have called out multiple times in a race, and the slower person refuses to give a safe spot. And trust me, slower people always get the benefit of the doubt, so that is pretty rare. Crashing into someone rarely has benefits.

 

I am 100% sure this individual is training for the Whiting TT race. I remember this happening last year with others around this time also.

 

This is a true example of community. Fantastic. I’ll be in touch soon.

 

I think that's a possibility, too. But then the thing to do is not act like it's race day or a closed course, it's to stop and wait for each section to be clear and then learn it. No stop watch, no course marshals, no glory.. and always the possibility of an equestrian around any corner.

 

That is part of the issue with Whiting and shop sponsored group rides.....LinkedCycling is a guilty party....they don’t try to cmake Byron the group, so the big group of 15-20 riders blocks the trail and then are completely oblivious to other users.

 

Been in the same spot, figuratively, and know the feelings you have had well. Glad nothing really happened. From my experience, other than the jolt from being startled and the judgement of all wrong, it's no harm no foul and at least first time around best to let it go and not hold onto it. I can only control my behavior, I retired from being in charge of others.

 

I love going fast. I love strava. But the measure of control I always try to keep in my mind is “what if a horse is just around that blind corner”.

A couple months ago one day there was an abundance of ultra runners in the park coming up the trail. After passing 3 on single track, I decided it might be a Club, or training group, or some event and just realized to trim down my speed and cruise out at a cautious yielding pace