There's more to leading a ride than leading the ride

I get the feeling some think that leading a ride means going faster than everyone on the team. If anything, the ride leader should be sweeping or otherwise keeping his flock together, not leaving stragglers behind.

I think this would be common sense, but it isn't IME. FWIW. WTF. TFR.

 

Great post. In the past when I was asked to lead a ride I would politely decline as I was the slowest climber in the group. Turns out I was always riding with a great group of guys. I led a ride and everyone had fun. Of course this was before Strava.

 

And now...you go the extra mile to shun the influence of social media and look after your peeplez like a boss, right?!?!? GOOD WORK, ED

 

I believe if you show up to a ride I post without explicitly saying I will take care of you, you should take care of yourself. Remember @mike when we and @rossage scared off the warpig with our night ride in the walk-in freezer?

I won't abandon anyone unless he or she is an ass, but please don't ruin my opportunities to ride.

My last SART ride was a mission failed because Booges bonked, so @burt had to ride solo the entire day. I didn't abandon Booges, but I abandoned Burt. If the ride is not advertised as a community ride or no-rider-left-behind ride, it's not the ride leader's fault; it's the guy who shows up unprepared.

Also, the Bomb Squad is not a babysitting service.

All I'm saying is there are rides for the community and then there are rides to get the demons out of our souls.

 

That's why I choose to not ride with any of you guys, ya'll are asses!



Except @mike I'd ride with Mike.

 

I have to agree with @mike on this one. I think if you post a ride invite on a public forum, you should accept some responsibility for the riders that show up. You almost have to expect that the ride may be over one of the riders heads or someone will have an issue. The alternative is to ride with your usual group of guys where you understand everyone's capabilities and readiness. I guess you could explicitly state that it's not a no drop ride and each rider is on their own once you pull away from the trailhead, but then why post the ride at all? I don't post a lot of group rides on here, but I did when I used to dirt bike a lot. The rule was always that you were responsible to make sure the rider behind you made all trail splits and the group as a whole went as fast as the slowest rider.

 

The ride invite is a good tool to let others know what is expected. The one inviting should hold to what they say though. I once went on a ride that stated there were several bail out options, but when I asked for a bail out option during the ride, the ride leader was lost for words?!?!? Times I've put out a ride invite as far as the route, I'm usually very open to suggestions and/or changes/options as the ride progresses.

 

I've done "drop rides" where it was advertised that if you can't keep up, be prepared to take care of yourself. But those are rare, and advertised as such.

Most group rides I do we regroup after climbs and descents. And if there are multiple line options, guide the less skilled riders to the easier lines.

Group rides where you try to stay in front is called a "race". I'm all for racing, but don't call a "race" a group ride and vice versa.

 

I completely agree with @mike and @pperrelle! I've been the slowest rider on nearly every group ride I've joined. I can tell you it's no fun when I ride for several miles without seeing anyone from the "group". I'm not unprepared or incapable of finishing the ride, I'm just slower than most. I believe group rides should be only as fast as the slowest rider unless advertised as a hammer-fest. Wait at the top of climbs, trail splits and the bottom of descents just to be courteous, decent and check for problems. If you don't like long waits, don't ride so fast! For safety, nobody should ever be dropped or abandoned even if they are a !
On those rare occasions when I'm not the slowest and I find someone riding behind me, I always pause to check on them regularly. To me that's being civil to another rider and is something I do whether I was the ride leader or not. People on this site do many rides for faster riders in small groups which is completely appropriate. But when a cattle call goes out for an open ride invite, the ride should always be no drop, frequent stops to reassemble, and considerate for even the least among us regardless of who's the leader.

 

Maybe that is why no one ever shows up for my rides

To a point, the ride leader has a certain amount of responsibility to the group/ride. That usually starts with making sure that all the attendees understand what is expected.

I know my rides are clear....you are responsible for you. Come prepared. Know your limits.....don't show up for an Advanced ride if you are a Beginner. Don't show up for a 60 mile mtn bike ride if all you ever ride is 1 loop of the Fullerton Loop once a week. I don't believe in holding your hand through the ride. If you show up, put your big boy pants on take responsibility for yourself.

The ride leader is usually responsible for setting the route, the time, the pace, they set the terms of the ride. Do they have to lead from up front....nope, but it is usually how it works out. I have swept rides that I have led. I have also ridden out front on someone else's rides. Everyone pedals at different speeds.....I believe in the regroups along the way, but I also like to keep moving....so I prefer to keep the regroups short. I'll also slow the pace down so that the wait time is shorter from the front of the pack to the back of the pack.

I also don't like to interfere with someone else's ride. If I am having a bad day, legs are bonking, feel like crap, in a bad mood....I keep it to myself. Don't expect the whole ride to turn around because you are having a bad day. Our 4th of July ride on Holy Jim, I decided to turn back early.....tried to talk the others into continuing on....I didn't want their ride to be affected by mine. In the end it was up to them....but I felt bad.

Most of the time someone will offer to sweep....that is their choice....nothing wrong with it.

Putting a group ride together then going out and blowing up the group from the front, kinda defeats the purpose of the group ride. Then again, riding from the back and pushing the pace is kinda fun.

I know.....kind of all over the place with this one. Maybe it's why I don't put beginner social rides together.

Lots of good opinions from everyone above.

 

Glad those "drop rides" are rare! What if you can't keep up because you crashed into some rocks and your leg is pointing 4 different directions! Guess you're on your own!

 

+1

 

If I want to talk to myself or ride fast (for me...), I don't put it out on the forum. Easy enough. If I do put something out for the group, I try to be clear about bailouts, time expectations, and any other requirements. If we go past time, though, it doesn't bother me. Things happen... Anyone want to hit Motorway for the first time? Ask... I'm fine if it takes 4+ hours. We'll talk and have fun.

As a rider, though, I do my own research, and I think most others do as well. If someone puts out a new ride (like Cannell...), I watch videos, read ride reports over and over, study the elevation charts, and use Google Earth to identify landmarks. I do not want to be the guy who's causing trouble at mile 10 of a 30 mile ride.

 

I think I got you on this one. At least @Faust29 shows to some of your rides. My rides are always a one man band.

 

I can't hang, so I ride solo most of the time at my own pace. Though, I'm missing some great opportunities to hit new dirt with a group.

 

I prefer solo or small squad tactics, less the 5 riders. But once, I had 6 people confirm for a ride and 17 showed up. When the group gets large, I tend to migrate to the rear, delegating someone else to stop at trail crossings and feed stops while I run sweep. You can only go as fast as the slowest rider so just put it om cruise control and take lots of safety breaks.

 

I am wondering what you guys think if everyone in the group taking a turn at leading on any given ride, or on every group ride?

You may say- what is some of the riders are unfamiliar with the ride they are participating in?

My reply would be- good, maybe they will get us all lost, if only for a little while, to add to the adventure.

 

Safety first!

[inhale]

 

Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians...

 

Taking turns leading the ride is usually how group rides occur, at least with the Bomb Squad. Don't get me wrong, I'll wait for the last guy; hell, usually I'm being waited for (recalling those of you who rode the Cannel #2 kamikaze ride, plunging in the smoke). All I'm saying is don't show up unprepared, like that Barney with the 1.75"-wide tires on Palm Canyon. I was the guy guiding him to circumvent Indian Potrero to Rock Creek Wash and back to Dunn Road; where was the rest of the group, you ask? They were already at the Hahn Buena Vista trailhead. It's all good.

 

Good thread.
I feel responsible for being true to the ride description. I also understand that it's pretty inevitable, someone will show up who either didn't understand/read the description, who overestimated themselves or just wanted to push themselves. When that happens, I need to facilitate a happy medium, between the ride description and the riders. That happens in many different ways, I just need to be flexible and considerate. I think the number one thing to me is that once a group of people assembles, there will be an organic outcome that may not have been parallel to the plan.
Group rides are just like life? It's not my ride, it's ours.
deep thoughts...

 

Yea man! Pass the dutchie!

 

I have yet to lose a rider on any of my rides.


I think

 

Lol...I've been in pretty much all situations! I got dropped to to holy heck on my very first road group ride back in 2008. The guys at the shop kept telling me to go and that the pace is "not that bad". Well...it was that bad. I ended up getting dropped, lost and arrived back at the shop 30 mins after everyone else. After that I went full roadie and it took me about a year before I was able to keep up with the back of the pack.

I've also led beginner road rides from my shop days. For that you really need patience to keep yourself from riding off the front and losing the people behind you. The constant stopping was the hardest part.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to try and know what you are about to get yourself into...and beware when people tell you it's not that bad.

 

I remember a pissed off dude admonishing some of us after he asked us to wait before the last turn/DH section after a long climb on new dirt .
We got over eager and no one waited.
"Do any of you feel the least bit ashamed of yourselves?!" or something to that extent. We had finally stopped to wait about halfway down.
I noticed I had lost my camera on the trail. Guess who found it? Yep....he didnt tell me until he got done with the tongue lashing tho.
I think H^B waited every quarter mile after that!

 

Worthy input here as expected.

Agree, riders joining rides also have a responsibility. Safety in numbers is essentially a misconception. In some ways it's the opposite. Nobody can make you pedal when you can't, but if you have a PLB you can do something about a life-threatening situation wherever you are.

 

Hopefully, the group members learned something after that experience! This example shows that you gotta make sure everyone makes the crucial last turn; and then you can bomb down the trail!

 

ah, the joy of riding solo...

 

Right!? I'm always on time for those rides!

 

I luv you Maddog!