Fidgety riders on a club ride, during a busy event.

[Racing roadkill]

I tend not to have a lot to do with 'club rides' or large events, but I do get a discount at a bike shop attached to a club near me, so I do make the effort to ride with them occasionally. The majority of the regular riders are good guys and gals, and they do know what they are doing. However, one of them is a proper 'fidget', forever moving his hands around to his jersey pockets, to move things or adjust stuff. This is fine, until you find yourself in the middle of a fairly busy, mixed ability event, when you find yourself relying on the correct signals coming from the riders in the group, positioned in front of you, for safety's sake. It was a nightmare "was that a signal, or you moving a bloody gel around your pockets". After the third time of asking this particular rider to be careful about not mis signalling when we reached a busy bit, I was getting a bit vexed, with the near misses of the obstacles, due to the 'wolf crying' effect caused by all the fidgeting. What's the best way of dealing with a fidgeter, other than overtaking said fidgety rider, which only seems to make them want to get back past?

 

[dan_bo]

Superglue?

 

[Vantage]

Keep your distance. Other than drafting when at speed, there's no logical reason in my view to ride 2-3 feet behind the rider in front.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Keep your distance. Other than drafting when at speed, there's no logical reason in my view to ride 2-3 feet behind the rider in front.

You mean 2-3 inches. That's the way a racing peloton works. It's not a place for sissies or fiddlers.

 

[Lee_M]

Ride behind someone else?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Crash into him, no pain no gain and all that

 

[Jimidh]

You mean 2-3 inches. That's the way a racing peloton works. It's not a place for sissies or fiddlers.

Was going to post similarly.

As for the fidgeter someone needs to have a quiet word with him - either that crash into him!!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Don't take part in group rides where folk think they are racing when they aren't?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Was going to post similarly.

As for the fidgeter someone needs to have a quiet word with him - either that crash into him!!

If you crash into him, you also fall. I believe the right procedure is to get ahead of the offender and switch him. OK, there will be some collateral damage down the line, but, it is all for a good cause.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Don't take part in group rides where folk think they are racing when they aren't?

You miss the point of these things. You ride like that even when you are not racing, to practice riding like that for when you are racing. Peloton riding is part of club drill. And as with all groups, there are experienced and not-so-experienced riders. The trick is to have a policy for dealing with this sort of thing and that is discussions and talks, before and after rides. Unfortunately that's apparently too obvious for some people and the problem is never weeded out.

 

[Drago]

The dodgy road craft is enough to keep me well clear of club rides. The average is poor to say the least, and I'm embarrassed to be seen out with them.

 

[Jimidh]

If you crash into him, you also fall. I believe the right procedure is to get ahead of the offender and switch him. OK, there will be some collateral damage down the line, but, it is all for a good cause.

The crash quote was not serious.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

The crash quote was not serious.

I got it. Nor was the facetious retort to switch them. Get it?

 

[I like Skol]

After the third time of asking this particular rider to be careful about not mis signalling when we reached a busy bit,

I bet he thought you were a right barrel of laughs?
Instead of looking like a moaning tit why didn't you simply move away from the danger? Or better still, train a bit harder so you don't have to grimly cling to the wheel in front in an effort to keep up with the pack. If you were a more capable rider then you would be able to lift your head and look ahead for dangers yourself without getting dropped.......

 

[Yellow Saddle]

The dodgy road craft is enough to keep me well clear of club rides. The average is poor to say the least, and I'm embarrassed to be seen out with them.

It is poor because there is no leadership in those clubs. It needn't be like that.