Another pre-teen/teen tandem team ride - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

03-06-2005, 02:21 PM

Gorgeous weather today, June-style weather, sunny, lower sixties, a day you
ride in your shorts and ss jersey. All the plum trees were in bloom.

I had two tandem teams show up -- one team had been on one of these rides in
the training series before. The other set was a family -- mom, dad and kid.
I had some concerns. Dad was riding on a single, a beat-up Schwinn that had
to be at least from the mid-80s if not earlier. Mom and kid were on a
fat-tire tandem, a brand I did not recognize. None of them had bikie gear:
no bike shorts, no gloves, flat pedals -- and the parents' helmets also
looked about 25 years old. They had never been on a club ride before.

So, I made sure they knew the distance. I made sure they knew the pace. They
said they were ready. So we took off.

As it turned out, they really couldn't maintain a 15 mph pace. They were
more like an 11 or 12 mph pace. Since the other team was much more
experienced, and knew this particular loop we were doing very well, I
figured I would pace to the slower set of riders. The other team eventually
let us know that they would ride on without us, which didn't surprise me in
the slightest, since we were so slow. They had problems with shifting the
tandem, which wasn't going into its granny gear unless it was manually
lifted into the small ring. Rose did a constant yakity-yak with me, since we
were indeed going slower. Usually we're silent in our grim determination to
keep the ~15 mph rolling. Since she wasn't gasping for breath, she was
filling my ear about life in the 6th grade.

I was also nervous because when you loop around the lake, there's really no
way to shorten the ride -- the big barrier of the lake means shortcuts are
impossible. But the slower group did complete the entire ride.

They'd like to join us again next week, but I know we'll have some faster
paced riders for sure next week, and I don't know exactly what to do. One
thought is to try to con my husband into ride leading with me -- I just
don't know if he wants the responsibility. We can split into a fast group
and a short group. Sort of silly with so few riders, but it's one way to
tackle it. The other possibility is to discourage them from riding with us.

Do you have thoughts about this?

Also, as a sort of postscript, we ran into (not literally) Dane Jackson
along the way -- met him in the bike tunnel. It's always fun to see someone
you know as you ride along. With this weather, though, *everybody* was out
there on their bikes. It was pretty amazing.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
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03-06-2005, 03:00 PM

Claire Petersky wrote:

> Mom and kid were on a
> fat-tire tandem, a brand I did not recognize. None of them had bikie gear:
> no bike shorts, no gloves, flat pedals --
.....
> They'd like to join us again next week, but I know we'll have some faster
> paced riders for sure next week, and I don't know exactly what to do.
.....
> The other possibility is to discourage them from riding with us.

Interesting. My wife and I showed up at the last club ride the local
bike club had last year on our fat-tire tandem with little biking gear
pulling our kid in a burley trailer behind us. It was a short family
ride, and we were the only non-club people there.

After the ride there was a brief discussion about the 2005 ride schedule
and it was apparent to me they were really not in favor of that,
although they didn't outright say so. Perhaps one of them are awaiting
a response to this as well...

Rich

P.S. I know we can't currently keep up the pace with the trailer fro
20-30 miles, and given the cyclocomputer is on the stoker's handlebars
I'm pretty sure my wife is aware as well. We'll either not show up at
another club ride or do so without the kid & trailer. We're not in
super shape, but I think we can keep up if the road is flat, given we're
on a tandem.

03-06-2005, 03:00 PM

Claire Petersky wrote:

> Mom and kid were on a
> fat-tire tandem, a brand I did not recognize. None of them had bikie gear:
> no bike shorts, no gloves, flat pedals --
.....
> They'd like to join us again next week, but I know we'll have some faster
> paced riders for sure next week, and I don't know exactly what to do.
.....
> The other possibility is to discourage them from riding with us.

Interesting. My wife and I showed up at the last club ride the local
bike club had last year on our fat-tire tandem with little biking gear
pulling our kid in a burley trailer behind us. It was a short family
ride, and we were the only non-club people there.

After the ride there was a brief discussion about the 2005 ride schedule
and it was apparent to me they were really not in favor of that,
although they didn't outright say so. Perhaps one of them are awaiting
a response to this as well...

Rich

P.S. I know we can't currently keep up the pace with the trailer fro
20-30 miles, and given the cyclocomputer is on the stoker's handlebars
I'm pretty sure my wife is aware as well. We'll either not show up at
another club ride or do so without the kid & trailer. We're not in
super shape, but I think we can keep up if the road is flat, given we're
on a tandem.

03-06-2005, 03:30 PM

On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 14:21:47 -0800, "Claire Petersky"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>They'd like to join us again next week, but I know we'll have some faster
>paced riders for sure next week, and I don't know exactly what to do. One
>thought is to try to con my husband into ride leading with me -- I just
>don't know if he wants the responsibility. We can split into a fast group
>and a short group. Sort of silly with so few riders, but it's one way to
>tackle it. The other possibility is to discourage them from riding with us.
>
>Do you have thoughts about this?
>
>Also, as a sort of postscript, we ran into (not literally) Dane Jackson
>along the way -- met him in the bike tunnel. It's always fun to see someone
>you know as you ride along. With this weather, though, *everybody* was out
>there on their bikes. It was pretty amazing.

Have the slow group start out ~10-15min earlier than the fast group, you
leading, then you switch over to the fast group at the meeting point?
Everyone ends up at the finish within a few minutes.

jj

03-06-2005, 03:30 PM

On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 14:21:47 -0800, "Claire Petersky"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>They'd like to join us again next week, but I know we'll have some faster
>paced riders for sure next week, and I don't know exactly what to do. One
>thought is to try to con my husband into ride leading with me -- I just
>don't know if he wants the responsibility. We can split into a fast group
>and a short group. Sort of silly with so few riders, but it's one way to
>tackle it. The other possibility is to discourage them from riding with us.
>
>Do you have thoughts about this?
>
>Also, as a sort of postscript, we ran into (not literally) Dane Jackson
>along the way -- met him in the bike tunnel. It's always fun to see someone
>you know as you ride along. With this weather, though, *everybody* was out
>there on their bikes. It was pretty amazing.

Have the slow group start out ~10-15min earlier than the fast group, you
leading, then you switch over to the fast group at the meeting point?
Everyone ends up at the finish within a few minutes.

jj

03-06-2005, 04:52 PM

On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 14:21:47 -0800, Claire Petersky wrote:
> Gorgeous weather today, June-style weather, sunny, lower sixties, a day you
> ride in your shorts and ss jersey. All the plum trees were in bloom.

Not warm enough for me but I'd be in a sweater, long riding pants and
no long finger gloves.

> I had two tandem teams show up -- one team had been on one of these rides in
> the training series before. The other set was a family -- mom, dad and kid.
> I had some concerns. Dad was riding on a single, a beat-up Schwinn that had
> to be at least from the mid-80s if not earlier. Mom and kid were on a
> fat-tire tandem, a brand I did not recognize. None of them had bikie gear:
> no bike shorts, no gloves, flat pedals -- and the parents' helmets also
> looked about 25 years old. They had never been on a club ride before.

Bad sign.

> As it turned out, they really couldn't maintain a 15 mph pace. They were
> more like an 11 or 12 mph pace.

Right now I'm leading a 16-17 mph avg pace and I have to wait for
straglers. But the club rules also state that come prepared with a fit
bicycle. If the rider or ride is not fit that ride lead can ask they
consider a slower ride until they et things in order. In a few weeks
the pace will pick up and I won't have to wait for stranglers. I
generally do anyway but I warn them.

> I was also nervous because when you loop around the lake, there's really no
> way to shorten the ride -- the big barrier of the lake means shortcuts are
> impossible. But the slower group did complete the entire ride.

At least they're not likely to get lost. One of the things about my
ride is that I have no cue sheet. I make the ride up on the spot
depending on wind, weather and want.

> They'd like to join us again next week, but I know we'll have some faster
> paced riders for sure next week, and I don't know exactly what to do. One
> thought is to try to con my husband into ride leading with me -- I just
> don't know if he wants the responsibility. We can split into a fast group
> and a short group. Sort of silly with so few riders, but it's one way to
> tackle it. The other possibility is to discourage them from riding with us.

I assume you have an advertised ride pace? If they can't keep it let
them know that they are ruining it for everyone else and that they
should consider riding at a pace that more closely fits their current
needs. The needs of the many out weight the needs of the few.

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Text only)
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (HCS II)
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] My HA Blog

03-06-2005, 04:52 PM

On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 14:21:47 -0800, Claire Petersky wrote:
> Gorgeous weather today, June-style weather, sunny, lower sixties, a day you
> ride in your shorts and ss jersey. All the plum trees were in bloom.

Not warm enough for me but I'd be in a sweater, long riding pants and
no long finger gloves.

> I had two tandem teams show up -- one team had been on one of these rides in
> the training series before. The other set was a family -- mom, dad and kid.
> I had some concerns. Dad was riding on a single, a beat-up Schwinn that had
> to be at least from the mid-80s if not earlier. Mom and kid were on a
> fat-tire tandem, a brand I did not recognize. None of them had bikie gear:
> no bike shorts, no gloves, flat pedals -- and the parents' helmets also
> looked about 25 years old. They had never been on a club ride before.

Bad sign.

> As it turned out, they really couldn't maintain a 15 mph pace. They were
> more like an 11 or 12 mph pace.

Right now I'm leading a 16-17 mph avg pace and I have to wait for
straglers. But the club rules also state that come prepared with a fit
bicycle. If the rider or ride is not fit that ride lead can ask they
consider a slower ride until they et things in order. In a few weeks
the pace will pick up and I won't have to wait for stranglers. I
generally do anyway but I warn them.

> I was also nervous because when you loop around the lake, there's really no
> way to shorten the ride -- the big barrier of the lake means shortcuts are
> impossible. But the slower group did complete the entire ride.

At least they're not likely to get lost. One of the things about my
ride is that I have no cue sheet. I make the ride up on the spot
depending on wind, weather and want.

> They'd like to join us again next week, but I know we'll have some faster
> paced riders for sure next week, and I don't know exactly what to do. One
> thought is to try to con my husband into ride leading with me -- I just
> don't know if he wants the responsibility. We can split into a fast group
> and a short group. Sort of silly with so few riders, but it's one way to
> tackle it. The other possibility is to discourage them from riding with us.

I assume you have an advertised ride pace? If they can't keep it let
them know that they are ruining it for everyone else and that they
should consider riding at a pace that more closely fits their current
needs. The needs of the many out weight the needs of the few.

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Text only)
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (HCS II)
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] My HA Blog

03-06-2005, 04:57 PM

"Claire Petersky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

From the bit I've gathered about who /you/ are, Claire, I'm guessing
that--in the end--you'll opt to be INclusive, rather than EXclusive.

Perhaps other riders can be located whose pace more closely matches
theirs? Perhaps they can help in that endeavor??

Splitting into groups, by pace, doesn't sound like a bad idea,
particularly if there's a cool cafe along the way where the whole lot
of you can meet for coffee en route....

03-06-2005, 04:57 PM

"Claire Petersky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

From the bit I've gathered about who /you/ are, Claire, I'm guessing
that--in the end--you'll opt to be INclusive, rather than EXclusive.

Perhaps other riders can be located whose pace more closely matches
theirs? Perhaps they can help in that endeavor??

Splitting into groups, by pace, doesn't sound like a bad idea,
particularly if there's a cool cafe along the way where the whole lot
of you can meet for coffee en route....

03-06-2005, 05:26 PM

"Claire Petersky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> .... Rose did a constant yakity-yak with me, since we
> were indeed going slower. Usually we're silent in our grim
determination to
> keep the ~15 mph rolling. Since she wasn't gasping for
breath, she was
> filling my ear about life in the 6th grade.

I cherish the memory of this type of ride with my daughters on
an old Schwinn Twinn tandem. They'd pretend to pedal, and the
intimacy-yet-privacy of being behind the captain led to lots
of good discussions.

Of course, I wasn't trying to lead a ride at the time.
>
> They'd like to join us again next week, but I know we'll
have some faster
> paced riders for sure next week, and I don't know exactly
what to do. One
> thought is to try to con my husband into ride leading with
me -- I just
> don't know if he wants the responsibility. We can split into
a fast group
> and a short group. Sort of silly with so few riders, but
it's one way to
> tackle it. The other possibility is to discourage them from
riding with us.
>
Fast/slow may be the realistic alternative, with regrouping at
some agreed-on spot. Perhaps there is a way to add a couple
of miles to the loop for faster riders so they can "fall
behind" and catch up again.

If you settle on a slow pace, the fast group will stop showing
up. If you drop the slow riders, they will feel left out. In
a couple of weeks, they may show up in bike shorts, be in
better shape, etc. -- although they probably won't show up
with a new tandem so quickly.

Another alternative is to gently suggest some more appropriate
bicycling club (tandem or not), since there may be several in
the area.