Road Racing Etiquette

MattShep · Veteran Member

RE: Road Racing Etiquette

hobit_on_a_bike · Senior Member

While your still young Matt as a Top 5 Club rider does this mean your going to stand up?

MattShep · Veteran Member

Sam was kind enough to show me how to ride in a bunch, dicipline is key to group riding effectively. I hope a few more guys step up to the plate and actively become 'patrons'!

hobit_on_a_bike · Senior Member

See thats was what Sam did on Sunday runs. Might not be fast, Might not be exciting but you learned all/most of the tecniques.

Sure I expect most people have pushed the pace a bit or jumped on a climb to wind Sam up.

But then I remember on most rides i wouldn't think about riding in group because i didn't need to you knew what was going on.

hobit_on_a_bike · Senior Member

Specially on the WNTB

vince · Senior Member

Good stuff Mark, If everyone abided by those ideals it would be so much easier!

But you know what it's like you can lead a horse to water...........

mcorbett · Veteran Member

Time to dust off an old thread with something that I thought was really good:

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2011/09/the-lost-art-of-the-group-ride-2/

With related posts:

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/02/throwing-the-bike-backwards-on-climbs/

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/02/rolling-turns-pacelining-echeloning/

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/06/mistakes-when-pulling-turns/

-- Edited by mcorbett on Wednesday 14th of September 2011 12:36:51 PM

hobit_on_a_bike · Senior Member

No Sandbagging by good riders taking easy seasons so they can drop down the Catagories. and make life extra hard for 4th's and 3rd cats.

Birdy · Veteran Member

No parachutes allowed - pin your numbers on properly!! 8 pins per number does the trick

hobit_on_a_bike · Senior Member

NO Sceaming up the inside of a slowing bunch in to a corner slamming the brakes on and hoping no one t-bones you.

People who spend all winter working really hard get great results and then don't reporting them!

Damn the only race wheels i have for the road are a pair of deep sections so looking good for a 4th cat Crit. Although the the frame was a £90 Ebay special. to make up for it.

Rob · Veteran Member

No shouting "up, up, up......" when someone else attacks, just 'cus you can't be ar$ed to attack yourself......! disbelief

No helpers who run up the side of the bunch with your bottle, wiping out all in their path........

Definitely no white shorts in the wet.......

Remember florescent overshoes are for testers.....

Birdy · Veteran Member

Don't ride next to riders in the bunch with cuts, graises, bandages, ripped/stitched up kit, scraped up levers, etc. They obviously fall off alot and could wipe you out too on the next corner!!

Squeeling brakes are not allowed

'4th cat tattoos' are also not allowed

MattShep · Veteran Member

Deep section wheels and £3k frames in 4th cat racing

MattShep · Veteran Member

I believe this is the definitive list biggrin http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/

ASH · Senior Member

damm thats me out on all 3 counts!! what about steel frames? are they passe?

Birdy · Veteran Member

OK I'll start:

No hairy legs
No black socks
No peaks on helmets

ASH · Senior Member

Since the previous thread on the subject there have been quite a few riders who have commented on how interesting the subject was.

Perhaps we can now reopen the discussion but not at any personal level.

I suppose us older guys forget that the new comers don't know the reasons for these unwritten rules or even that they exist let alone when to apply them.

The difference being for a lot of us we went through our "apprenticeship" doing miles of winter club runs, talking to old racers, and then through a couple of years of schoolboy criteriums and junior road racing. Whereas a lot of the new racers are ex triathletes,rowers,runners and all sorts.coming in at a later point in life.

These rules obviously don't apply to time trialists where it is absolutely dog eat dog,but if there are any rules on conduct there that need to be brought up then that's OK as well,but as I said without any finger pointing!

What do you think ?

Does Somebody want to get the ball rolling ?