Club mentality

[starkj73]

Last night I took to the lanes around Morpeth. I passed a group of about 12 racing types with all the gear. One acknowledgement from one bloke. Then after that about five groups passed, some containing possibly up to 20 cyclists, a further two individual acknowledgements. It was actually nice to see that many people out.

I was on a racer, wearing a helmet, track mits and a vintage Systeme U top. Obviously very unfashionable. This has reinforced my experience of clubs from years back. The poser/arsehole content (in my experience) of clubs is just too high.

Boxing is a barbaric sport, but cycling can be just unfriendly.

[rogerzilla]

If you weren't wearing a helmet they may all have ignored you; I get this.

I've never quite worked this one out; they either think you're too reckless to be acknowledged, or they're secretly embarrassed about their martlehats and are avoiding eye contact.

[David Martin]

They weren't riding an APR were they? 5 groups?

If I am out with the club I am usually desperately hanging on the back.. Nothing left to give a wave..

..d

[tiermat]

One thing I have noticed from previous rides, is that with groups you will get one, maybe two people that will actually take their hands off the bars to give you a wave, but the others will either not wave or will wave with their hands still on the bars.  This movement can be hard to see so sometimes you think they are not friendly, when really they are.  Sometimes also you will find that if a group is doing through and off, the off person will be the one that waves on behalf of the group, as he/she is the one doing the least work at that point....

Just a couple of things to be aware of.

[Frenchie]

It varies from club to club. Some clubs (and BTW people) are more sociable than others. As Tiermat said, you may not have understood or read the sign properly either and as David wrote, when working hard, some riders, including I, may be focussed on other more vital aspects than waving at every single other rider on the roads (?). I usually try to acknowledge other riders but I can't always do it.

[pdm]

I guess it varies from place to place.
Around here, I frequently pass club runs on my commute home (through a bit of the Peak District) and usually get a greeting from most of the riders (except, sometimes, from the ones trying their best not to fall off the back of their peleton....  )

[border-rider]

Round here I always get a  wave, but not always from everyone in a group - sometimes, as others have said, they're working hard, or concentrating, or chatting and barely notice you.  Sometimes I think that if the lead riders have waved , the followers take that as a greeting from the group.

[Paul D]

I'm afraid our club is more like the OP.  I'm invariably the only one without a helmet on, and usually the only one who says hello to other passing cyclists when out on a club run. However, I think it's a bit catch 22. Our club is very time trial focused, and in order to do well in this disipline I think you need to be quite singleminded. Hence I don't get much conversation out of many of them, and I'm riding next to them for 2-3 hours!

I would certainly agree about snobishness - I get chuckled at (I like to think in a good natured way) for my steel bikes. No explaination about character, or that my Merckx was a top end bike 20 years ago makes any difference.

I'm rambling now! I guess I'd sum it up by saying club riders are not usually bad people, but can be a bit singleminded and insular.

[Seineseeker]

It's no big deal really. Almost no-one says hello over here, so whenever I go back to Blighty I can't cope with all these hellos, how dos and noddings going one every five minutes.

[Jakob]

I never understood why I should have to greet other people just because they're on a bike.

[border-rider]

Solidarity.  In a country where we're seen by some road users as an enemy.

[Wendy]

I never understood why I should have to greet other people just because they're on a bike.

Unsociable git!!!   

[Tom B]

Almost no-one says hello over here

I've had any number of cheery greetings from roadies in France; occasionally blokes even slowed down to chat. Maybe being on a hefty tourer loaded with panniers helped 

[Palinurus]

If i'm riding in a group and I see someone in front of me raising a hand at an oncoming cyclist I tend to think that counts for the whole group. Sometimes I might add my own greeting, sometimes not.

[Cyclops]

In my experience the better a rider is the friendlier they tend to be. You quite often pass some riders in replica kit who barely acknowledge your existence. On the other hand I passed the GB squad (the following team cars were a bit of a give away) this winter and not only did every one of them wave they all shouted "Good morning" as well, despite the fact I had mudguards and a saddlebag.

[drossall]

...I passed the GB squad ... this winter...

I hope they immediately sacked all their riders and took you on instead 

[spen666]

Last night I took to the lanes around Morpeth. I passed a group of about 12 racing types with all the gear. One acknowledgement from one bloke. Then after that about five groups passed, some containing possibly up to 20 cyclists, a further two individual acknowledgements. It was actually nice to see that many people out.

I was on a racer, wearing a helmet, track mits and a vintage Systeme U top. Obviously very unfashionable. This has reinforced my experience of clubs from years back. The poser/arsehole content (in my experience) of clubs is just too high.

Boxing is a barbaric sport, but cycling can be just unfriendly.

They've probably read the sh*te you post on here and are treating you accordingly

[Regulator]

Last night I took to the lanes around Morpeth. I passed a group of about 12 racing types with all the gear. One acknowledgement from one bloke. Then after that about five groups passed, some containing possibly up to 20 cyclists, a further two individual acknowledgements. It was actually nice to see that many people out.

I was on a racer, wearing a helmet, track mits and a vintage Systeme U top. Obviously very unfashionable. This has reinforced my experience of clubs from years back. The poser/arsehole content (in my experience) of clubs is just too high.

Boxing is a barbaric sport, but cycling can be just unfriendly.

They've probably read the sh*te you post on here and are treating you accordingly

 

I still hold out hope that Stark'll make a positive post one day...

[Wendy]

In my experience the better a rider is the friendlier they tend to be. You quite often pass some riders in replica kit who barely acknowledge your existence. On the other hand I passed the GB squad (the following team cars were a bit of a give away) this winter and not only did every one of them wave they all shouted "Good morning" as well, despite the fact I had mudguards and a saddlebag.

Yes, I've noticed that, it's the same sort of inferiority complex we all come across in some drivers.

[Ian H]

One thing I have noticed from previous rides, is that with groups you will get one, maybe two people that will actually take their hands off the bars to give you a wave, but the others will either not wave or will wave with their hands still on the bars.  This movement can be hard to see so sometimes you think they are not friendly, when really they are.  Sometimes also you will find that if a group is doing through and off, the off person will be the one that waves on behalf of the group, as he/she is the one doing the least work at that point....

Just a couple of things to be aware of.

If you're following wheels in a group you may not even notice a rider going the other way.

I usually get acknowledged when I'm on a road bike and dressed for cycling, less frequently on the mtb - particularly if I'm not in lycra, and almost never when riding the Brompton in civvies.

[alan]

I was considering going along to Stone Wheelers tonight for the first time to check out their dominant culture.
A look at their website suggests it's primarily  a place for racing snakes.
I suspect my beard,sandals,steel tourer with Carradice might be noticed amongst all that carbon & Campag

[teethgrinder]

I usually get acknowledged when I'm on a road bike and dressed for cycling, less frequently on the mtb - particularly if I'm not in lycra, and almost never when riding the Brompton in civvies.

They're probably out of breath trying to drop you when you're on your Brompton. It hurts their pride when someone on a Brompton holds pace with them on their Colnago.

I often have to concentrate when riding in a group. You can't always trust the people you're riding with. But I generally nod to people I meet, even old grannies on their shoppers with baskets. They're no different to me, I cycle to the shops too.
I think it has more to do with the modern way of life, where we don't even talk to our neighbours anymore. It's seen as weird to greet a stranger and would genuinely get some people worried. I only do it on my bike, because I used to get other cyclists give me the nod when I was getting into cycling, aged about 12 on a sports bike from Halfords riding the back lanes of Hertfordshire in non cycling clothes.

I like cycling snobs though. They get very upset when a scruffy oik on a dirty steel fixed wheeler, carrying a saddlebag gives them a hard time on a hill.

[Deano]

In my experience the better a rider is the friendlier they tend to be. You quite often pass some riders in replica kit who barely acknowledge your existence. On the other hand I passed the GB squad (the following team cars were a bit of a give away) this winter and not only did every one of them wave they all shouted "Good morning" as well, despite the fact I had mudguards and a saddlebag.

Almost exactly the same thing happened to me last winter - the whole GB track team came flogging down a back lane the other way, and they all gave me a cheery "alright", despite the fact that I was on the most clapped-out winter hack bike you ever saw, and wearing jeans and trainers.

I was grinning all the way up the bank.  Or possibly grimacing...

[Jacomus]

I often find myself waving to utility cyclists and figuratively rolling my eyes at myself for thinking they would wave back.

On my rides today I saw 10 other cyclists - 2 utility cyclists who didn't even acknowlege my exsistence as they were probably too busy trying to stay on their deathtrapsinjurytraps but the other cyclists varying from Cervelo Soloist to steel bike they all gave a cheery wave.

I often wave to bikers, and then remember that I am not going to get a wave back (most of the time)

[Psychler]

Last summer, two days before the prologue of TdF, I was overtaken by the whole of the Discovery Team as I pootled down Fingrith Hall Lane.  I got two acknowledgements, one being "Big George".  Two or three hundred yards later I overtook the lot of them as they had come to a halt in the village centre in Blackmore [I have this pleasant image in my head that they were deciding which pub to go into]. and as I passed I called out "Go Disco" and I got a wave from all of them!

20 yards later I thought "Ah, stop and say hello" but they were off and there was no catching them, but I can still claim I overtook them