OBB-WHEELERS SATURDAY RIDE REPORT

[mikeshea]

This is my first post on the wheelers site and I am sorry I came to gripe. Today I joined the second of 2 groups from the shop I understood Dave S was leading. the ride was a little fast but not beyond my limited ability so fine I am keeping up. At Mattick's Farm Dave announced he was splitting the group a call It seems he was not happy about and this is why I was seen speaking to him in an angry tone at Tulista.

Dave opened a very small gap for the newly formed 3rd group and set out at a slow pace but he gets to the traffic light which turns red 1/2 way across for the front so creates a split 4 and 7. He had time and opportunity to stop. next 1 of them decides he really wants to be in group 2 so off he goes and a few pedal strokes Our Group 3 leader is off and chasing. The guy who split us has abandoned his responsibility I think a group leader has. If there was really no reason to split the group then he failed us twice.

OK so there is a split but does anyone come to a group ride with a no drop philosophy, from the store to Sydney, only to get split off and then dropped by the person who is our leader? I am thinking that 1 new guy is really encouraged to come back? the pace after Tulista is open and the groups become performance oriented for those that are here for training.

What is my point? Leaders whether by designation or just because they are at the front for a pull are responsible to ensure the caboose makes it across too.
For the group leader they have some responsibility to see the Philosophy of the sponsored ride is respected. The stated objective is around 30 kph in the easy places, 40 on the hiway and while not everyone comes able to keep up, it is what they are expecting and certainly what has been advertised Why am I angry with Dave when he was with 2 other riders? he split the group and then dropped it. If the second group was big enough to split then it had no room for him either. The left behinds chased their guts out to try to get back to their group since that is why we came in the first place.
Dave I hope you get it. This is the sort of experience that 1 of those people will evaluate our group on and as enthusiastic as he seemed to be there he might not come back. Hey of you want a hard ride spend more time towing the stragglers back on or sit at the front for 10 k or come to Tullista park another route as fast as you like. there will be someone who is looking for the fast ride home and some of us that will struggle to keep up and lots that will ride in 2s and 3s but that is what we signed up for.
OK Rant over. I got home without getting wet but I was way too fried trying to help get back on that I dropped myself

Mike Shea
P.S. Dave, You have pushed me up Mt Doug more than once so I know you understand what I am talking about. That is a good example of a person leading by example. today I think you forgot, at least I hope that is all.

[jumelage]

Mike, I think I understand your rant (partly), but there really was no need at all to shout at Dave. Not necessary at all.

Enjoyed the ride today!

Joost

[JagD]

Mike. The display at the rest stop was inexcusable. It does not matter what happened you were out of line! Verbally chastising someone on a group ride is wrong and has no place in cycling! YOU OWE DAVE AN APOLOGY!

Jag Dhaul

[JonB]

Guys: this thread is supposed to be focused on three topics: trash talking, how good looking I am, and the Saturday ride. Let's try not to get off topic here.

[mikeshea]

Mike. The display at the rest stop was inexcusable. It does not matter what happened you were out of line! Verbally chastising someone on a group ride is wrong and has no place in cycling! YOU OWE DAVE AN APOLOGY!

Jag Dhaul

Jag I respectfully disagree.
There is little room in cycling to let BS slide. Trust is critical to group riding and good judgement is what we expect from those that take on a leader roll. leaving OBB Dave was taking out the second group. he is the called out leader. at Matticks farm he made a decision to split the group I assume was because he thought the group too large? I respected his call and was cooperating with him. He obviously was not very committed to that as he certainly did not stop for a red light then after only 200 meters went to the group he cut us off from. He needed to hear that and he need to hear it publicly.

Dave broke my trust today and I think acted in a way that damages the reputation of the ride and completely disrespected the 7 of us that got cut off and dropped by him. I certainly could have gone back to the second group but I chose to wait and help them chase. Several of them dropped from our hard chasing, a terrific experience for a new guy to try the NO Drop part of the ride.
As you can tell I have a strong passion and today I let it out. You can focus your attention to my behaviour if you like, just don't miss the reason for it. BTW I suppose you understand that the most powerful tool in making my point was making it public. Social pressure is a powerful tool and I can see I earned a black star today. I posted my side here for public scrutiny and to accept my knocks from guys like you for my bad. Dave won't be getting my apology today. You deserve it and I apologize to everyone that was made uncomfortable for my rant. Maybe if Dave understands my point and tells me so I might have an apology then.

[mikeshea]

Guys: this thread is supposed to be focused on three topics: trash talking, how good looking I am, and the Saturday ride. Let's try not to get off topic here.

Sorry Jon to post a rant about todays ride. I think I might be eating a crow sandwich this week

[trevor]

Sounds like an exciting Saturday.
I always find a good side chat to my friends who forget to be considerate of the group dynamic works most of the time. Reminders to the group at the start of the ride and our potty break are nicely received.
I save my ridiculing for unsafe riders or law breakers. If someone is a repeat offender I could understand the frustration.
Dave is not just a good ambassador but he's a good guy and definitely not someone I see taking this matter lightly.
And let's also remember that any of these folks, including myself, who lead a portion of the ride, are merely volunteers doing it because they love cycling.
And no one has to chase back on. If the group was split then just maintain your comfy speed and commence your weekly ride without the riders who pedalled away. They'll figure out what they did when they shoulder check and see they're all alone.
Just my 2 cents.
Trevor

[trevor]

6/21/2014

Well that was aggressive.
A good size group left Sidney and kept a nice tempo along Lands End with a few accelerations and attacks. Nothing got too exciting until Panorama. Oh my.
Steve Grandy attacked 100m BEFORE the roundabout. Yes. That's right. Before the roundabout. Before the climb even begins. Wow. Well, I've never seen someone go so early.
Geoff Homer got all excited seeing an opportunity to put some space and pace in to the big fellas (including myself). The 2 of them opened the slightest of gaps with a few if us doing the chasing. At each stop sign they'd get a bit of a roll through as we'd hold up for traffic. By the time we were ramping up towards the summit there were only 5 of us left as we caught the leaders. We shed one more rider before the descent and kept the pace high until Wallace dashing any hope of the peloton getting back on. At this point I was pretty shattered and missing the odd pull. Homer put a dig in past the Red Barn putting HDB off the back. Andrew McCartney attacked and took Grandy with him over the Observatory with me giving chase and getting the group together again on Interurban. Andrew continued to go go go until him and Homer stayed off the front with Grandy, me, and Mike Dawson spaced out like road kill, each working alone trying to get back on.
From my view it looked like Grandy got nipped by Andrew near the line followed by Homer, me, and Mike.
A great way to officially begin summer...in the Pain Cave.
My reward?
#recoverysalad

[stephane]

June 28, 2104

This morning there were about 20-25 riders at the shop, with Trevor, Eugene, Chopper Dan, Tom Skinner, Mark Doucette and myself as the OBB ride ambassadors for the day. Turns out some of us are better at being responsible ambassadors than others, but more on that later.
It was the usual drill to Sidney, with a brisk but manageable pace in the first group. There was one kind of boneheaded move by yours truly where I and another rider who shall remain nameless (cough..Eugene…cough) led through wide on a blind corner on Hunt Rd. to avoid some recreational cyclists and didn’t see a car coming round the corner at speed. The recreational cyclists were not impressed, and Trevor (aka the responsible one), rightly called us on our recklessness. I apologize for that moment of boneheadedness. In retrospect, the right thing to do would have been to slow down completely, and ride behind the other cyclists ‘til we were through the corner. Lesson learnt.
Anyway, we all made it to Sidney in one piece and a decent 1st group of about 12 riders headed out of the Tulsita parking lot with all the above-named Wheelers present. Tom and Geordie(?) made a gap right off the bat at Land’s End, but Trevor did a manly pull to bring them back. After that the pace was fast but not crazy-fast and we hit some epic headwinds round the airport which kept everyone together. Everything was peachy once we went through the roundabout and we were all together heading up Panorama Hill. That’s when things got interesting. I was feeling good and decided to go hard up the hill like a boss. I cruised through the stop-sign, took a look back, saw a substantial gap and thought “hey look at me, I’m killing it!” My self-congratulating was rudely interrupted by a loud “whoop-whoop” and a flash of red and blue. When I looked over my shoulder again I saw why I had such a gap. Everyone else had seen the cop car and, as conscientious law-abiding cyclists, stopped at the stop sign. The cop was friendly enough, but let’s just say I got more than a telling-off. #embarrassing. Apparently, some in the 2nd group got busted too, not that that makes me feel any better.
Luckily for me, the gentlemen of the “A” group had waited at the top of the hill and we resumed the ride. The group stayed together through to Brentwood, and Eugene busted out a massive pull along Wallace that had some of us (I’d like to think it wasn’t just me) barely hanging on. Things got interesting again (in a good way) at Camosun Interurban where Geordie and Kevin Ford jumped. I was well placed to grab Kev’s wheel and hung on as best I could ‘til the sprint. At that point everything was a blur as riders went flying by on the last kicker. I am not sure, but I think Tom S. or Trevor took the honours.
In conclusion, in a previous post in this thread (May 10th), Trevor stated “I save my ridiculing for unsafe riders or law breakers.” In that case, I guess I deserve a double-dose of ridicule for today’s ride.

[Eugenehahn]

Thanks Stephane...I will do some Observatory repeats listenig to "eye of the tiger".