WTF is up with Cycling Groups??

[Boneman]

You know them, you've seen them...the large packs of Tour de France cycling wannabes, all decked out in their professional looking unitards and $6,000 10 speeds all riding 3, 4, 5 and 6 abreast and basically taking over a whole traffic lane!!!

This is seriously becoming one of my biggest pet peeves these days. "Hey the Tour de France is on the TV, lets all go out and pretend we are all in it!!!"

If you clowns are supposed to be "professionals" then why can't you "professionals" understand the BASIC rules of the road! Waht part of SINGLE F*CKING FILE do you guys not comprehend??!!!

Roads are meant for MOTORvehicles, not bicycles! I don't mind sharing, but holly hell when you guys spill out taking up half a car lane, it's a touch much and really putting your stupid asses in a really dangerous situation! But OMG, if you happen to hit one, all hell would break loose I'm sure!

We past a huge pack of them last weekend on our Traffic Course. they bob and weave back and forth, don't shoulder check at all before pulling around their buddy to pass them. It's like they think they are in the bloody Tour...only problem is the roads aren't shut down to vehicles for you jackholes!! The lead instructor did a quick honk of his horn to basically let them know he was there and coming up behind them.....well if looks could kill. these tards turn around and are staring daggers at us. For what? Warning you that there is actual traffic behind all you wads breaking the laws and going slower than the posted speed limit!

It was great, we got into the middle of the pack at a light and the instructor positioned himself right lane dominant , except he put himself a bit closer to the curb in his Goldwing so none of them could shoot by everyone at the light as they are going straight and we all were turning right. Could have been messy as these guys are more focused on their iTunes and showing off their spandex asses to everyone than on what they should be focused on; they own safety!

- end rant

 

[Moses195]

I pretty much agree. We've got 'em here too year round!!

 

[Soap]

Personally my opinion is 1 vehicle, one lane, so if there is a pack I don't have a problem with them taking up an amount of room as cars here skim past them already and half of the time nearly drive them into the kerb. I mean, would you ride along side the kerb and have cars skimming past you? I wouldn't.

 

[Erci]

I'm kind of surprised to see such a post from you, Boneman.
Yes.. cyclists could be annoying and yes they often dress like clowns and yes, if they are riding more than 2 abreast, they are riding against the rules.
However, in most states (I don't know if any of this applies to Canada), cyclists are allowed to ride 2 abreast with first rider being up to 3 feet from the shoulder and 2nd rider being up to 3 feet away from first rider. They ARE considered to be vehicles and therefore must obey same laws (though it's highly unlikely a cyclist would get pulled over for blowing red light).
Cyclists DO get pulled over for speeding (easy to go over limit on downhills).

Anyway.. I know I'll be in minority here, but as an avid cyclist I must admit this upsets me
Of course some cycling groups act like superior a-holes, but I hope you all don't have the same attitude towards every cyclist you encounter on the road (I, for one, do not wear clown outfits when I ride and I only ride 2 abreast on roads where you usually won't see cars pretty much ever).

 

[wildman]

Really depends on where they are....

In town, driving the same speed as cars = Ok with me

On a Highway = They should be in the bike lane, on the shoulder and not in the road.

On an interstate = dear god, get off the road!

My wife and I ride bicycles all the time, but its a single file and we are always riding in the bike lane / shoulder of the road and never on the actual road, unless we are in the city and can go the speed of traffic.

 

[craig007]

I'm a bicycle rider too. Some riders give the rest of us a bad name. I don't like riding with cars, so I stick to low traffic roads and always on the shoulder or to the far right of the road. Whenever I see a bicyclist riding on the wrong side of the road or in high traffic, I cring...

 

[djneall]

I have had people comment when I ride (both bicycle and motorcycle) wearing full gear calling it a clown suit or ask me where the race is etc. I try not to fault anyone for wearing gear specific to the activity they are doing. Of course if they are blatantly trying to disrupt or impede the flow of traffic then they get called names for other reasons :spank:

 

[The Toecutter]

I have had people comment when I ride (both bicycle and motorcycle) wearing full gear calling it a clown suit or ask me where the race is etc. I try not to fault anyone for wearing gear specific to the activity they are doing. Of course if they are blatantly trying to disrupt or impede the flow of traffic then they get called names for other reasons :spank:

If I ever took up cycling I would have to be the John Cena of the sport,because there is NO WAY i'm wearing spandex..... :rof:

 

[lonesoldier84]

i have mistaken the male cyclists for women wayyyy too many times. they should be banned. i agree.

 

[blchandl2]

Around here they take up both lanes causing oncoming traffic to stop and let them pass. They also carry squirt bottles with acid to spray on other vehicles they feel get too close. In their mind, they have full right-of-way and other vehicles must yield to them.

They certainly give respectable cyclists a bad name. I had tried to talk to their ride captains with no luck. F@cking PR!CKS.

 

[OZXJR]

I agree,over here they dont even obey traffic lights and scream abuse at you for going through a green light !

 

[mbramlett]

The way I see it is when your on your bike in heavy traffic your suppose to dominate your lane so nonone can push you out of it. Cyclists are just trying to do the same. I do realize there are some a-hole cyclists out there that give us a bad name so you shoulden't be bashed by cyclists for your rant. This is specifically why I don't go on group rides because I don't wanna be around when some a-hole plows through a group ride out of anger. I mean we wear full face helmets, jackets, pants, and boots. And even with all that gear we worry about getting in a wreck at 25 or 30 MPH. Now imagine that same wreck wearing what those guys are wearing. Woulden't you wanna take charge of your lane too.

 

[The Toecutter]

These guy's look like they are takin charge of their lane...... :rof: I'M SORRY BUT I BELEIVE THIER SHOULD BE A LAW BANNING MEN FROM WEARING SPANDEX..........:rof:

 

[chuckfz6ryder]

OK, I love to ride a bicycle with my family, it's not unusual for us to go out for a 40-50 mile ride. I love my Cannondale touring bike, wife and son ride Bianchi's. We own no matching jerseys/riding gear, and we ride single file. Now as a bicyclist and a motorcyclist, I feel I should have patience with these A-Holes, but I don't, I want to open the car door and take em out. We have the same A-Holes around here without bikes too, they are dog walkers, and some of the biggest A-Holes don't even have dogs, they just want to walk next to each other in the middle of the road!!! :spank::spank::spank:

Thanks Boneman, now you got me going. :Flip:

 

[DefyInertia]

Yeah, they sometimes do stupid stuff and yes it's annoying.

To diss their gear is kinda silly...it's not like you can exactly pose when it comes to riding a hundred miles a day in the mountains.

I rather they weren't there, but I commit to sharing the road. I wish everyone who used the roads was safe about it, not just the lance armstrongs, and not just the cars.

Thread moved to the bar.

I'm kind of surprised to see such a post from you, Boneman.

Are you kidding me? Boneman brings "pet peeve" to a whole new level on a regular basis.

 

[pooty]

yep we got em out in the country too. come over a hill doing the speed limit--60 mph two lane highway and there are 2 or 3 5 or 6 right in the middle of the road. and wonder why they get run over. lol --been 2 or 3 killed out here. you would think they would learn--but they dont. they run red lights-stop signs and think nothing of it. single file. stop at stop signs. stop at red lights. stay out of the road. you wont get killed. plain and simple.

 

[MarinaFazer]

I'm gonna go ahead and play devil's advocate. My older brother rides for Helen's. They sometimes ride the same roads that we do because they are away from cars and they expect us to realize they are there.

On narrow roads, I've NEVER experienced a mean cyclist...although some are insane and have passed me going DOWNhill....psycho. Anyways, they're good guys just trying to get away from the same cars that we head out to the mountains to get away from.

How often are they mean? Leave them be and they'll leave us be. Just PAY ATTENTION...besides, you shouldn't be going that fast on a canyon road anyways!

 

[Hellgate]

You know them, you've seen them...the large packs of Tour de France cycling wannabes, all decked out in their professional looking unitards and $6,000 10 speeds all riding 3, 4, 5 and 6 abreast and basically taking over a whole traffic lane!!!

This is seriously becoming one of my biggest pet peeves these days. "Hey the Tour de France is on the TV, lets all go out and pretend we are all in it!!!"

If you clowns are supposed to be "professionals" then why can't you "professionals" understand the BASIC rules of the road! Waht part of SINGLE F*CKING FILE do you guys not comprehend??!!!

Roads are meant for MOTORvehicles, not bicycles! I don't mind sharing, but holly hell when you guys spill out taking up half a car lane, it's a touch much and really putting your stupid asses in a really dangerous situation! But OMG, if you happen to hit one, all hell would break loose I'm sure!

We past a huge pack of them last weekend on our Traffic Course. they bob and weave back and forth, don't shoulder check at all before pulling around their buddy to pass them. It's like they think they are in the bloody Tour...only problem is the roads aren't shut down to vehicles for you jackholes!! The lead instructor did a quick honk of his horn to basically let them know he was there and coming up behind them.....well if looks could kill. these tards turn around and are staring daggers at us. For what? Warning you that there is actual traffic behind all you wads breaking the laws and going slower than the posted speed limit!

It was great, we got into the middle of the pack at a light and the instructor positioned himself right lane dominant , except he put himself a bit closer to the curb in his Goldwing so none of them could shoot by everyone at the light as they are going straight and we all were turning right. Could have been messy as these guys are more focused on their iTunes and showing off their spandex asses to everyone than on what they should be focused on; they own safety!

- end rant

Two abreast is legal in Texas. :Flip:

Oh, I've got more miles on a bicycle than the motor type, yup there are dorks but I've seen far more assholes in cars than cyclists.

Your unitard wearing friend, Hellgate.

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[crowdaoc]

In my experience with my college cycling club... we used to ride in packs to emphasize our right to the lanes. You don't know how many times we'd be run off the side of the roads when in single file or riding solo on the side. We are entitled to the same rights as other vehicles but are hardley ever seen. Its mostly a matter of safety that they do ride in packs. IDK, and its always more fun to ride with friends, who would disagree with that? Oh and watch this video, its for a bike awareness but could apply to us on motorcycles too... it will blow your mind:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4]YouTube - Test Your Awareness: Do The Test[/ame]

 

[mstewar1]

Another cyclist here. I know that there are cyclists who ride like fools. But that doesn't mean we all do nor that we all should all be lumped into one group.

As a coach, I've taught new riders how to ride on the public roads. And I strive to teach awareness and respect. I know that there are lots of riders who're so full of themselves that they think they've got some sort of special right to the road. But even though they're acting like a tool, I still don't think that they deserve to be harmed. Maybe that's just me...

Riding two abreast is often done so that the group can rotate taking turns at the front. When the group is working together and everyone does a turn leading, the entire group goes faster with less effort. When a paceline is done well, by a talented group of riders, it's a really cool thing to experience.

As for the clothing. It's really just like the ATGATT thing on the moto. Wearing the right gear makes a huge difference on a bicycle, too. We don't all go for the rolling billboard look, but what-evs, it's all good. Just don't be a d*ck and enjoy the ride.

Spare me the lumpy hating...I thought that we were above that here.