Too Fast? Too Slow? Just Right?
Hey, in response to comments that May's CCM ride was too fast and split up, I tried really hard to keep the pace slow on last Friday's ride and Mass Up frequently; did it make any difference?
The tall peace sign sticking up from my bike did help establish me as the pace bike. I also made more effort to work the crowd at the front of the ride and explain why we needed to keep it slow and stop frequently, especially in the beginning.
Just as we approached the halfway point, the fixter fucks filtered to the front of the ride and complained we were going too slow and stopping too much. "Why are we stopping for cars!?!" was screamed at me continuously. I would reply with, "We're not stopping for the cars. We are stopping for us. There are families with kids on this ride. We need to slow down and Mass Up!"
That kinda worked for a while, the fixter kids enjoyed mocking me with sarcastic Mass Up calls "slow down people, think of the children!” but after a while they just couldn't deal with the idea of Critical Mass stopping at red lights, and the leader of the drunken asshole contingency even rode up to me with a look of utter pain and confusion and whined, "you're ruining it", which was the second time some kid rode up to me and said I was ruining Critical Mass. The first time was last Halloween when I helped thwart three attempts to take the Mass on LSD (that same ride kids started a rumor that I was a cop).
A few people in the front did help keep the ride together, and we just let the fixter kids ride ahead and make wrong turns. Problem with that was is we would ride up to intersections that had been corked already for 5 minutes. The most pathetic example was this kid that refused to uncork a car stuck in the middle of the intersection during a Mass Up, even though most of us were chanting to let the car go.
It would be nice if you could just lose these kids, but they always double back when you do shake them. The most screwed up part of it all is they think they somehow embody the Critical Mass spirit, and they give you so much crap for trying to control the ride. I'd be alright with picking up the pace of the ride, but there never is enough corking going on to make sure a thinned out ride doesn't get split.
I lost my cool a few times and was absolutely vicious in my verbal volleys with the fixter kids, which is something I'm good at. However, I'm wondering if it's worth the stress; maybe the ride was too slow? Maybe I should just let it go? Anyone got any thoughts?
~steven
The tall peace sign sticking up from my bike did help establish me as the pace bike. I also made more effort to work the crowd at the front of the ride and explain why we needed to keep it slow and stop frequently, especially in the beginning.
Just as we approached the halfway point, the fixter fucks filtered to the front of the ride and complained we were going too slow and stopping too much. "Why are we stopping for cars!?!" was screamed at me continuously. I would reply with, "We're not stopping for the cars. We are stopping for us. There are families with kids on this ride. We need to slow down and Mass Up!"
That kinda worked for a while, the fixter kids enjoyed mocking me with sarcastic Mass Up calls "slow down people, think of the children!” but after a while they just couldn't deal with the idea of Critical Mass stopping at red lights, and the leader of the drunken asshole contingency even rode up to me with a look of utter pain and confusion and whined, "you're ruining it", which was the second time some kid rode up to me and said I was ruining Critical Mass. The first time was last Halloween when I helped thwart three attempts to take the Mass on LSD (that same ride kids started a rumor that I was a cop).
A few people in the front did help keep the ride together, and we just let the fixter kids ride ahead and make wrong turns. Problem with that was is we would ride up to intersections that had been corked already for 5 minutes. The most pathetic example was this kid that refused to uncork a car stuck in the middle of the intersection during a Mass Up, even though most of us were chanting to let the car go.
It would be nice if you could just lose these kids, but they always double back when you do shake them. The most screwed up part of it all is they think they somehow embody the Critical Mass spirit, and they give you so much crap for trying to control the ride. I'd be alright with picking up the pace of the ride, but there never is enough corking going on to make sure a thinned out ride doesn't get split.
I lost my cool a few times and was absolutely vicious in my verbal volleys with the fixter kids, which is something I'm good at. However, I'm wondering if it's worth the stress; maybe the ride was too slow? Maybe I should just let it go? Anyone got any thoughts?
~steven
Views: 5
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Reddog (Cliff) on
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I think that you did an excellent job of keeping the mass at a pace that would keep things intact. I spoke with someone who was up front with you for a good stretch of the ride, and he said you were doing a very good job. I was not at the front of the mass until late in the ride, but I kept your peace symbol in sight (about a block or so ahead) for pretty much the whole ride. Sure, it was slow at first, but it is always slow downtown. Once we were away from the loop things seemed to progress at the normal rate for such a large group. I think you did an excellent job of mid-mass modification of the route, and in directing it to go to the beach at the end, because your original end point was not going to be a good Idea as it turned out.
I kinda saw some of the fixie crowd, but I am so fed up with the CCM hooligans that I just ignored them. Not that there is anything wrong with riding fixed, some of my best friends ride fixed, but they are not the hooligans.
I think that you did a great job under difficult circumstances. I am just beginning to appreciate just how much work you and others put into making the routes, and keeping things on track during the route. I watch closely because I harbor dreams of making a route and perhaps leading it one day. but I am not ready just yet.
I say ignore the hooligans, it is dismaying the way they interact with cars, but you, and folks like you, have your supporters in the mass. -
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Permalink Reply by Davo on
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I thought the pace was nice. With that many riders things should go slow at first but when we were going up sacremento or kedzie the pace picked up to a good speed. As far as those kids go, their stupid, if they want to run the route they should make up a map and they would probibly just loose the mass anyway. Maybe we should tell them if its too slow for them ride to the back and ride to the front untill their tired.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on
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I lost my cool a few times and was absolutely vicious in my verbal volleys with the fixter kids, which is something I'm good at. However, I'm wondering if it's worth the stress; maybe the ride was too slow? Maybe I should just let it go? Anyone got any thoughts?
Not at all, not in the least. You did good. You should do the same on the next ride.
It wasn't necessary to argue. The peace sign was a good idea, and as long as you were leading for some time I don't think a few fixies racing ahead would have done much to take over the ride.
You're right with someone's suggestion: a few more supportive people are needed up front to pad your emphasis.
The ride was a great ride and many have commented on this. -
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or you should tell them to go on a head of you and that we will catch up.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck a Muck on
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Steve, Howard, Andrew, and anyone else who plans a route and leads it, Heather and I would be glad to help y'all with Directional Control at the front of the ride. Send me a P.M. with your phone #'s so we can find each other in the Plaza.
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Permalink Reply by igz on
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There were a few moments where it got really slow...but for obvious reasons. Typically bottlenecking. And the beginning is usually tough, yes, also obvious. i was riding towards the middle most of the ride, which is least subject to speed fluctuations, but can be the beginning of the problem. Constant pace at the front is important. A phenomenon that occurs at lights/bottlenecks/forced stops is the "inchworming effect".
You can see this most typically in traffic...cars stuck...cars start moving...car behind takes a moment to start moving...cars behind starts moving late...etc...then there is a gap...then everyone starts speeding up...then cars catch up...and everyone someone slows down...car behind notices brake light...car behind does the same...then everyone starts slamming on the brakes. Repeat. Same thing is happening at the rides.
Its at the point where just towards the middle that the group will get stretched out, thinned out, that we start to lose the mass, cars see the opportunity to cut in, and the group falls apart. Then the middle is playing catch up, speeding up, the rear is still falling behind getting stretched out, and whats worse, is completely oblivious as to what is going on towards the front.
The opposite happens at bottle necks. The front may be maintaining speed, but the mass behind needs merge in. Again, people behind might not understand what is going on.
There is no true remedy for this unless you can manage 1000+ riders to ride uniformly and there are no route obstacles.
Them hooligans had no place to comment...they should really understand the dynamic of a group ride a bit more before they do...or like stated previously, let them make their own ride, route, race, whatev.
Thanks for leading, Steven. -
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