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Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette
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I have signed up for my first Fondo, a 160km ride in July. This will be my first group ride with bunch of other roadies. Other then the usual safety stuff, what do I need to know? Is it OK to team up with other riders and draft? It is draft legal but is it OK to ask or do you need to be in a team? What about peeing on the bike? This is not a race but I would like to do about 5:15 or so. What do other "serious" riders do?
Thanks for the input...
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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softrun wrote:
I have signed up for my first Fondo, a 160km ride in July. This will be my first group ride with bunch of other roadies. Other then the usual safety stuff, what do I need to know? Is it OK to team up with other riders and draft? It is draft legal but is it OK to ask or do you need to be in a team? What about peeing on the bike? This is not a race but I would like to do about 5:15 or so. What do other "serious" riders do?
Thanks for the input...

working from the last question to the first.
If you pee whilst riding in a group in a Grand Fondo, I will come through the interweb and personally kick you out of the event... . If you crap your knicks, that's your problem, but peeing yourself... that is the biggest YUCK that I can imagine
Drafting is fine, but let the people that you're drafting off know your there at the back but take your turn occasionally and don't expect others to do all of the work.
As I'm assuming you have little experience in groups, don't ride to close to others, allow a margin or error and if you get a chance in the next couple of months, ride some group rides, maybe your lbs can point you in the right direction
Well done and have great time.
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [Avago] [ In reply to ]
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Avago wrote:
softrun wrote:
I have signed up for my first Fondo, a 160km ride in July. This will be my first group ride with bunch of other roadies. Other then the usual safety stuff, what do I need to know? Is it OK to team up with other riders and draft? It is draft legal but is it OK to ask or do you need to be in a team? What about peeing on the bike? This is not a race but I would like to do about 5:15 or so. What do other "serious" riders do?

Thanks for the input...


working from the last question to the first.
If you pee whilst riding in a group in a Grand Fondo, I will come through the interweb and personally kick you out of the event... . If you crap your knicks, that's your problem, but peeing yourself... that is the biggest YUCK that I can imagine
Drafting is fine, but let the people that you're drafting off know your there at the back but take your turn occasionally and don't expect others to do all of the work.
As I'm assuming you have little experience in groups, don't ride to close to others, allow a margin or error and if you get a chance in the next couple of months, ride some group rides, maybe your lbs can point you in the right direction
Well done and have great time.

First year of the MSU Gran Fondo was a joke. We had douche wagons in the middle of the pack with head phones on. Never mind the endless announcement saying no head phones. Rules of the road? Yeah right. Not a single road was closed for this 80 mile ride. Not a single fuck was given by any riders either. Cycling in West Michigan got a bad name that year.

The 2nd year (last year) was much much better. One guy with head phones was criticized until he started crying. Not really, but it was that bad. He was spit out the back. The pack was your standard draft, each person taking turns. I was in the lead group and was actually leading at the half-way point. Nice brag right? No. I shouldn't have been in the lead group. I had nothing left for the 2nd half. I rode it almost all alone. Find a group you can comfortable hang with. The riders will start out fast. If you hit the 10 mile mark and it's still pushing a fast tempo, look for the pack further back. Get in there and have a great ride.

_________________________________
The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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Wear your best trisuit so everyone knows you can marginally swim and run too. You need to ride your tribike, it's faster and you cant give the roadies any advantages.

Don't forget to talk about your long run on the following day, I suggest something like... "You take a pull, I'm trying to save my legs for tomorrow's 18 mile run"
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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softrun wrote:
I have signed up for my first Fondo, a 160km ride in July. This will be my first group ride with bunch of other roadies. Other then the usual safety stuff, what do I need to know? Is it OK to team up with other riders and draft? It is draft legal but is it OK to ask or do you need to be in a team? What about peeing on the bike? This is not a race but I would like to do about 5:15 or so. What do other "serious" riders do?
Thanks for the input...

Roadies never pee in their shorts. Only tri geeks do that.

Please, go ride with some roadies to teach you pack riding skills before the fondo.
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [owen.] [ In reply to ]
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Make sure to ride your tri bike in the aero position mid pack. Also your disc wheel in the rear will really help. Definately ride your tri bike.
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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It's fine to team up with other riders and draft, but ride considerately. Do your turn at the front when you can, don't let big gaps form, don't overlap wheels, be aware of who is around you, ride as smoothly and predictably as you can. Also, while you don't need to explicitly ask permission of anybody before joining a group, do be aware that some people will be riding in groups with friends or club-mates and may not want outsiders.

Absolutely don't pee on the bike. Stop and get off like a civilized human being.

If you're not used to riding in groups, you may well find that if you can get in a good pack that you'll be significantly faster than you expect, especially on flat courses.
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [NordicSkier] [ In reply to ]
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NordicSkier wrote:
softrun wrote:
I have signed up for my first Fondo, a 160km ride in July. This will be my first group ride with bunch of other roadies. Other then the usual safety stuff, what do I need to know? Is it OK to team up with other riders and draft? It is draft legal but is it OK to ask or do you need to be in a team? What about peeing on the bike? This is not a race but I would like to do about 5:15 or so. What do other "serious" riders do?
Thanks for the input...


Roadies never pee in their shorts. Only tri geeks do that.

Please, go ride with some roadies to teach you pack riding skills before the fondo.

You don't that on group rides but I have seen my fair share of people peeing on the bike on road races.

The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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Economist wrote:
First year of the MSU Gran Fondo was a joke. We had douche wagons in the middle of the pack with head phones on. Never mind the endless announcement saying no head phones. Rules of the road? Yeah right. Not a single road was closed for this 80 mile ride. Not a single fuck was given by any riders either. Cycling in West Michigan got a bad name that year.
.

That's why I didn't do it the second year. I may be back this year. On my Tri bike in my Tri club kit of course.
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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Economist wrote:

First year of the MSU Gran Fondo was a joke. We had douche wagons in the middle of the pack with head phones on. Never mind the endless announcement saying no head phones. Rules of the road? Yeah right. Not a single road was closed for this 80 mile ride. Not a single fuck was given by any riders either. Cycling in West Michigan got a bad name that year.

I had a much different experience than you did in the first MSU Gran Fondo. Rode with the lead group (at least the first large group) on the way out. I was pleasantly surprised when the entire group stop and waited at a red light. Got dropped just after the turnaround and ended up in a second large group. We had police motorcycle escorts all the way back that would ride ahead and control intersections. No recollection of anyone wearing headphones either.
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [Thom] [ In reply to ]
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Thom wrote:
Economist wrote:




First year of the MSU Gran Fondo was a joke. We had douche wagons in the middle of the pack with head phones on. Never mind the endless announcement saying no head phones. Rules of the road? Yeah right. Not a single road was closed for this 80 mile ride. Not a single fuck was given by any riders either. Cycling in West Michigan got a bad name that year.


I had a much different experience than you did in the first MSU Gran Fondo. Rode with the lead group (at least the first large group) on the way out. I was pleasantly surprised when the entire group stop and waited at a red light. Got dropped just after the turnaround and ended up in a second large group. We had police motorcycle escorts all the way back that would ride ahead and control intersections. No recollection of anyone wearing headphones either.


We must have been in same group heading back because we had police escort the whole way back. The police weren't suppose to do that but they did anyways. That sure was nice.

I was in the lead group year 1 as well. We did stop at red lights with the exception of a few intersections that police were at. The things I'm referring to are riding over the yellow line, riding 5-6 wide in the lane, not yielding right of way (stops signs), etc.

I can't believe you missed the people with head phones. There were for sure five that I saw but others said the count was much higher (they could also be counting back groups). I remember contacting Founders Brewery asking them to put a note out to their team about wearing headphones even though it could have just been somebody who bought their jersey. There were a few other kits that were called out on this as well. I came so very close to elbowing the guy in the Founders kit into a mailbox. This dick wad couldn't hold a straight line to save his life. He zig-zagged all over the place pissing everyone off.

I think the problem is that the Fondo's bring out riders with no group riding experience. They don't understand the dynamics of how a group works together.

For this year, I'm thinking of riding my tri bike and just doing a non-draft ride. I have my first IM (IMLOU) so I'm thinking this would be a nice ride to use as training. I'll just feel sorta odd about it even though I saw half dozen tri bikes out there.

_________________________________
The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.
Last edited by: Economist: Apr 28, 15 7:43
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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I agree that a few group rides are important. I just started riding with a group earlier this month and was surprised at how much communication takes place between riders, hand signals in particular. It shouldn't take long to learn the basic rules of the road and makes people (roadies) less likely to get pissed at you, which is always a good thing! We triathletes have a bad enough rep as it is!
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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I've found most people in GFs are more tolerant of newbie errors (not dangerous ones, just ignorant didn't know better ones) than you'd see in a road race. If tri bikes are allowed and you are on one do not be on your extensions unless you are on the front, or on your own. In the draft don't overlap the wheel of the rider ahead - if you touch wheels the rider ahead will feel a bit of a bump, but you will go down and take down everyone behind you. At the same time don't allow a big gap to develop in front of you that you are constantly having to close up - the people behind you will not appreciate you yo-yoing the paceline behind you. No peeing on the go, just pull over - even better go when you see someone else pull off to have a pee so that you have someone to work with to try and catch up. Lean down and use your arm/hand to block spit/snot rockets from hitting the rider behind. To answer the last question - I would guess serious riders that are viewing it as a race will go well under 4hr - probably 42 km/h or faster if it is flat.
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [LuisDF] [ In reply to ]
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LuisDF wrote:
NordicSkier wrote:
softrun wrote:
I have signed up for my first Fondo, a 160km ride in July. This will be my first group ride with bunch of other roadies. Other then the usual safety stuff, what do I need to know? Is it OK to team up with other riders and draft? It is draft legal but is it OK to ask or do you need to be in a team? What about peeing on the bike? This is not a race but I would like to do about 5:15 or so. What do other "serious" riders do?
Thanks for the input...


Roadies never pee in their shorts. Only tri geeks do that.

Please, go ride with some roadies to teach you pack riding skills before the fondo.


You don't that on group rides but I have seen my fair share of people peeing on the bike on road races.

Shhh!! Roadies never pee in their shorts. ;-)
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [LuisDF] [ In reply to ]
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You don't that on group rides but I have seen my fair share of people peeing on the bike on road races.

They whip it out and pee off to the side while riding. Triathletes actually just piss in their shorts. Or so I've heard.

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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [softrun] [ In reply to ]
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If you're trying to average just under 20 mph one choice is to just ride solo without drafting, maybe not hit ALL of the SAG stops etc. Not sure of your bike fitness but that could take a lot of work depending on wind, terrain etc. The other thing you can do is get there early, scope things out and maybe look around for a group that looks like they might be riding that fast (can't always tell a book by its cover though). I'd kindly ask if you could join their group. Just be honest, say that you'd like a good challenging ride, go at a good pace and that you'll need a little help (i.e. draft a little) but that you're willing to pull your share). When you show up that morning, don't wear anything or have any equipment that would give an indication you're a triathlete, it might prevent you from 'getting your foot the door" so to speak.

This is why I do at least one group ride a week, I get to know people, riders abilities etc. then when I show up for a charity ride, Fondo etc. I sometimes even get invited to ride with a group :)
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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Economist wrote:
I can't believe you missed the people with head phones. There were for sure five that I saw but others said the count was much higher (they could also be counting back groups)...

For this year, I'm thinking of riding my tri bike and just doing a non-draft ride. I have my first IM (IMLOU) so I'm thinking this would be a nice ride to use as training. I'll just feel sorta odd about it even though I saw half dozen tri bikes out there.

I may have noticed the headphones and just forgotten about it since then, it isn't something that bothers me much. I friend of mine road a tri bike in that same big group the first year. As long as you stay out of the bars and look like you know what you're doing, I don't think it bothers most people very much. One thing to remember about the MSU Gran Fondo, a lot of the guys that would normally be blowing up the field are doing the Brickyard Criterium.
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Re: Talk to me about Gran Fondo etiquette [Thom] [ In reply to ]
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Thom wrote:
Economist wrote:


I can't believe you missed the people with head phones. There were for sure five that I saw but others said the count was much higher (they could also be counting back groups)...

For this year, I'm thinking of riding my tri bike and just doing a non-draft ride. I have my first IM (IMLOU) so I'm thinking this would be a nice ride to use as training. I'll just feel sorta odd about it even though I saw half dozen tri bikes out there.


I may have noticed the headphones and just forgotten about it since then, it isn't something that bothers me much. I friend of mine road a tri bike in that same big group the first year. As long as you stay out of the bars and look like you know what you're doing, I don't think it bothers most people very much. One thing to remember about the MSU Gran Fondo, a lot of the guys that would normally be blowing up the field are doing the Brickyard Criterium.

Last year there was a guy on a 29er mountain bike in the lead group. Hung with the group the entire way. Godzilla legs.

_________________________________
The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.
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