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Another pre-teen/teen tandem team ride



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 6th 05, 11:21 PM
Claire Petersky
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Default Another pre-teen/teen tandem team ride

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
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky


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  #2  
Old March 7th 05, 12:00 AM
Rich
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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.
  #3  
Old March 7th 05, 12:30 AM
jj
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On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 14:21:47 -0800, "Claire Petersky"
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

  #4  
Old March 7th 05, 01:52 AM
Neil Cherry
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Default

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
http://home.comcast.net/~ncherry/ (Text only)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)
http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog
  #5  
Old March 7th 05, 01:57 AM
Neil Brooks
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"Claire Petersky" 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....
  #6  
Old March 7th 05, 02:26 AM
Mike Kruger
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"Claire Petersky" wrote in message
...
.... 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.


  #7  
Old March 7th 05, 07:24 PM
mark
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Default


"Claire Petersky" 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.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky


Is this a fun ride or a training ride? What's the advertised pace, if any?

Giving the slower group a head start as another poster suggested is an
excellent idea. The faster group should be able to function on their own for
at least part of the ride, being a ride leader does not (IMO) require
hovering over each and every group member like a mother hen, and a group
ride doesn't not necessarily have to ride in close formation for the entire
ride.

If they show up next week, a few kind words about the benefits of bike
maintenance and bicycle specific clothing from the ride leader might be in
order, if they haven't already taken care of these issues. Did you talk to
them about this when they expressed an interest in coming back?

With a little encouragement and helpful feedback, this family might turn out
to be a fun bunch to have around on your group rides. They did, after all,
finish the ride in spite of equipment problems and a lack of cycling
experience, and they did show an interest in spending more time on their
bicycles. If they don't address the bike maintenance issues, and if they
don't maintain a pace that is at least closer to the group's pace, you might
be justified in discouraging them from riding with you.
--
mark



  #8  
Old March 13th 05, 04:08 PM
Claire Petersky
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"Claire Petersky" wrote in message
...

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 thought I'd post a follow-up. As it turns out, they did come to the ride
again, yesterday. This time Mom and Dad were wearing bike shorts :-), and
Daughter did not wear bell bottoms.

My husband and younger daughter came. The idea was, we'd ride together until
the first major rest stop, which is about a mile 10. My husband would ride
sweep with my older daughter, and I'd ride in front with the younger. Then,
the plan was, we'd switch kids and split into a slower and faster group. As
it turned out, a few miles before that rest stop, the tandem my husband was
on suffered a major blow-out on the tire sidewall. I was with the faster
riders already at the rest stop, and we had been hanging there for a while
when this happened. So the slower family joined us at the rest stop, my
husband booted the tire, and rather than risk the rest of the ride on the
bad tire, he turned back.

Until the second major rest stop, I rode with my younger daughter. This was
her first ride of the season, and I knew it was a bit of a struggle for her
as I pushed on at the advertised pace of 15 mph. The slower family wasn't as
slow as last week, and we waited a few times for them to regroup with us.

When we got to the rest stop, I let the faster riders go. The route from
there back to the start point is pretty obvious, and one of the riding teams
knew it very well. My younger daughter and I then paced with the slower
family, which suited Emma just fine. My husband, who had fetched lunch and
was hanging out at the park where the cars were, said that they really
weren't that far ahead of us. It was nice for Emma and I to arrive and have
a lunch all ready for us. We then ate while David put the bike on top of the
car and packed all the stuff away.

So, it worked out OK. The family is now very excited about participating in
other club rides. Since they live in Tacoma, I suggested they try out the
Tacoma Wheelmen's Daffodil ride, which is coming up next month -- they'd
have no problem completing the shorter loop, based on what I could see of
their rides with us.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky


  #9  
Old March 13th 05, 07:28 PM
Rich
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Claire Petersky wrote:

I thought I'd post a follow-up. As it turns out, they did come to the ride
again, yesterday. This time Mom and Dad were wearing bike shorts :-), and
Daughter did not wear bell bottoms.

....snip...
So, it worked out OK. The family is now very excited about participating in
other club rides.


Great job finding a way to include them. The more people are on bikes
the better things are.

Rich
  #10  
Old March 15th 05, 10:38 PM
Dane Jackson
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Neil Cherry wrote:
On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 14:21:47 -0800, Claire Petersky wrote:

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'm sorry Neil, you seem like a nice guy and all. But if you have
*stranglers* on your club rides, I won't be showing up anytime soon.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"Felix navidad:The cat has a boat."
 




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