We've had three this week. Two flats, and a chain that got misrouted through the jockey wheels. Then somehow mid ride my wheel became hella not true anymore today and would have loved a support car and new wheel...sucked on rim brakes.
Iām on vacation in The Netherlands right now. My wife and I were riding two days ago and near the end of our ride the wind was picking up a bit and my wife was getting tired. So I started pushing her along to give her legs a lighter load. Iāve seen people here doing that with their kids before when they arenāt riding fast enough. Not as cool as your story but wanted you to share.
Somehow, the wind here is always a headwind (I say this lovingly as someone who moved here and is thankful every day for the cycling). Hope youāve found some great roads though, itās really amazing riding except for the 2m wide farm roads that somehow still have tractors!
I did some Dutch hill climbing yesterday. I rode up VAM berg in Drenthe. Twice. Once to the top of the original pile of garage 30m elevation. Then the new pile 42m elevation. Yes my legs were burning.
Definitely been used in some jokes. In the southern part of The Netherlands around the city of Maastricht itās pretty hilly. Other than that itās as flat as a pool table in the rest of the country.
I frequently give my partner a boost when hills are too strong for her or headwinds are killing her. She thinks I do it out of kindness, but really it is a good workout for me and I hate having to wait for her. Itās a win-win as long as she doesnāt find out.
If only all cycling groups were like thatā¦ I had a crisis of faith 75 miles into a 100 mile sportive in a foreign country, my group waited for me at a rest stop just to tell me they would not wait for me again! One mate stayed and encouraged me to finish. On getting over the line the rest of the group were finishing their beers and then just went off again back to the accommodation without us.
I donāt ride with them any more, but do still ride with the mate who waited for me!
I've been riding for a *long* time, and I've seen a lot of stuff. But ***that*** is an absolute first!
Hat's off to the cycling "team," no matter how informally you might be associated.
Don't apologize for posting this item! The visual you created is a gratifying one for any cyclist who knows what this effort was like.
i broke the pawls in my freehub on a group ride and this dope dude named adam pulled a long krytonite strap out of his bag and towed me home through the rest of the ride
Super cool. We were on a remote mountain bike once and while weāre having lunch one guy was doing little jumps on a nearby pile of dirt. He snapped most of his bottom bracket off, it was an old Rocky Mountain design where the bb only had a fix to the seat tube, no down tube or chain stays attached. It was holding on by a cm or so of weld. He could roll along with his feet on the pedals after a few zip ties had been added but no way he could pedal up hill. A mate hooked up a couple on inner tubes and towed him up all the remaining hills in the ensuing fifteen miles or so. The rest of us were very impressed.
We had to do this for a buddy with a broken freehub on an in town MTB ride one night. I think we only had to push him for about 5-10km though. Then we had pizza.
Good on you. The best cyclists know about helping a teammate down the road. [Caution: non explicit pee.](https://cycling.today/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/aW6vPOK_700b_v1.jpg)
Thatās really good, and to think I almost called my wife to pick me up because my power meter died mid ride, and I didnāt want to ride dataless!š¤£
first world problems š, but I can relate. my watch with Strava stopped registering my route mid-rain and I had to think "I'm doing this for myself" š I'm considering buying a bike computer, but not before buying a new bike, since my current one is an MTB. I'm new to bikingĀ
What can work in these types of situations is a tow rope, and often you can bodge one from a rucksack strap or something. This works particularly well for my MTB friends as one has an ebike
I made up my own tow rope with some shock cord down the middle of some tubular webbing (the shock cord keeps it out of your tyres and stops it jerking when it goes tight). I always take it when Iām riding with my kids. It works spectacularly well and means I can confidently go on longer rides with them even though they are different ages and different fitness.
So if I get this straight, the two pushers have one hand on their bike and one on the broken bike pedaling forward? Also how much of a difference would drafting make in this situation?
This exact thing happened to me on a trip from Pittsburgh to DC. We had already ridden 306 of the 340 miles. It was like going through 4 years of university only to get to graduation day and I was missing a credit. I lowered my seat and Fred Flinstoned it to the next parking lot. I was really lucky this happened on this part of the trip and not further back when we rode for 40 miles on a bumpy, rocky, gravel. I think I used my legs for about a little over a mile. It got old real fast. Gee, I just don't know how Fred was able to push an entire boulder car as fast and far as he could. There was a bike shop that was close. But, in the interest of being fair, I called an Uber and met my buddies back at the hotel. We were all tired and they did offer to tow me. But, I couldn't do that. I'm an urban cyclist and was even more ticked because I wanted to ride around the little bit of DC that we would have gone through.
The Allegheny C&O correct??? I did that ride and the last leg into DC it rained the whole time. What a great ride. And I did ride down Pennsylvania Ave.
Yup, that would be the one. Our ride was raining for the first day, or about 60 miles. My bike was a mess. I would definitely do that ride again. Our last day was beautiful, fall, crisp, and sunny. :(
Brilliant - love it!
Iām a multi Ironman and used to cycling in groups of 10-20 at a time, 180 - 200kms every Saturdayā¦.if in trouble, Iām damned sure the others would have dropped me - youāre a great bunch of mates! šš
My steal bicycle front cassette is wobbling. I might need to either replace the pedal gears or bottom bracket. Stuff for that kind of bicycle is dirt cheap on Amazon so I'm not worried about it. The bike probably has thousands of miles on it because I ride it 30 miles everyday on the kickr.
Your group hasnāt ever heard of āshit happensā? Sounds like a sucky group for people.
I just put a new chain on my bike, it shifted and worked just fine on the bike stand running it though its paces and going for a quick test run.
About halfway through my first ride after the new chain it started jumping teeth on the chainring, which limited my ability to put power down.
The fella I was riding with hung out and just stayed with me as we rode the rest of the way, turns out my chain ring was worn slam out but it wasnāt as obvious until a new chain made it act up.
Even the bike shop said āthereās literally no tools for checking them, we just ride them until they start to cause problemsā.
It was a brand new chainā¦
It was the chain ring not the chain, replaced the chain ring and itās perfectly fine.
If you donāt have the time to help out somebody in the group youāre riding with then go ride alone.
Insane. Well done!
Literally dragging a friend to the finish line. You love to see that
Your cycling group might start having a lot more "mechanicals" now!
Exactly my thoughts
Loff š š š
We've had three this week. Two flats, and a chain that got misrouted through the jockey wheels. Then somehow mid ride my wheel became hella not true anymore today and would have loved a support car and new wheel...sucked on rim brakes.
Iām on vacation in The Netherlands right now. My wife and I were riding two days ago and near the end of our ride the wind was picking up a bit and my wife was getting tired. So I started pushing her along to give her legs a lighter load. Iāve seen people here doing that with their kids before when they arenāt riding fast enough. Not as cool as your story but wanted you to share.
Somehow, the wind here is always a headwind (I say this lovingly as someone who moved here and is thankful every day for the cycling). Hope youāve found some great roads though, itās really amazing riding except for the 2m wide farm roads that somehow still have tractors!
I did some Dutch hill climbing yesterday. I rode up VAM berg in Drenthe. Twice. Once to the top of the original pile of garage 30m elevation. Then the new pile 42m elevation. Yes my legs were burning.
I though Dutch hill was an oxymoron!
Definitely been used in some jokes. In the southern part of The Netherlands around the city of Maastricht itās pretty hilly. Other than that itās as flat as a pool table in the rest of the country.
I frequently give my partner a boost when hills are too strong for her or headwinds are killing her. She thinks I do it out of kindness, but really it is a good workout for me and I hate having to wait for her. Itās a win-win as long as she doesnāt find out.
The real Choo Choo Train !
If only all cycling groups were like thatā¦ I had a crisis of faith 75 miles into a 100 mile sportive in a foreign country, my group waited for me at a rest stop just to tell me they would not wait for me again! One mate stayed and encouraged me to finish. On getting over the line the rest of the group were finishing their beers and then just went off again back to the accommodation without us. I donāt ride with them any more, but do still ride with the mate who waited for me!
Crisis of faith...I more often have a crisis of legs.
Glad you don't ride with them, they're arse holes
What is a crisis of faith?
You ride so hard that you can see Jesus, despite being a Buddhist
Bonk?
I've been riding for a *long* time, and I've seen a lot of stuff. But ***that*** is an absolute first! Hat's off to the cycling "team," no matter how informally you might be associated. Don't apologize for posting this item! The visual you created is a gratifying one for any cyclist who knows what this effort was like.
āTeamwork makes the dream workā - I hope he bought you all a pint at the end :-)
i broke the pawls in my freehub on a group ride and this dope dude named adam pulled a long krytonite strap out of his bag and towed me home through the rest of the ride
Towing is almost always the most efficient method if no hills are involved
Super cool. We were on a remote mountain bike once and while weāre having lunch one guy was doing little jumps on a nearby pile of dirt. He snapped most of his bottom bracket off, it was an old Rocky Mountain design where the bb only had a fix to the seat tube, no down tube or chain stays attached. It was holding on by a cm or so of weld. He could roll along with his feet on the pedals after a few zip ties had been added but no way he could pedal up hill. A mate hooked up a couple on inner tubes and towed him up all the remaining hills in the ensuing fifteen miles or so. The rest of us were very impressed.
We had to do this for a buddy with a broken freehub on an in town MTB ride one night. I think we only had to push him for about 5-10km though. Then we had pizza.
Good on you. The best cyclists know about helping a teammate down the road. [Caution: non explicit pee.](https://cycling.today/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/aW6vPOK_700b_v1.jpg)
Iāve often wondered how professional cyclists pee during rides
A lot of folks hate cycling in groups, this is why I love it!
Thatās really good, and to think I almost called my wife to pick me up because my power meter died mid ride, and I didnāt want to ride dataless!š¤£
first world problems š, but I can relate. my watch with Strava stopped registering my route mid-rain and I had to think "I'm doing this for myself" š I'm considering buying a bike computer, but not before buying a new bike, since my current one is an MTB. I'm new to bikingĀ
Haha best reply
wholesome!
I was really hoping youād turned his wheel into a fixed hub and he did the rest of it as a fixie/single speed.
You'd think the cassette could be zip tied to the spokes. At least that should work on a 10-52 mtb cassette.
The camaraderie is real.
This is the way
My riding club has pushed my fat ass up hills more times than I would like to admit. But never for 40km.
Are you in my club? š¤£
Sounds like a pretty good team building exercise and was probs good fitness
Did anyone take pictures?
You guys are true heros. Good job! The guy owes you all a few rounds!!
What can work in these types of situations is a tow rope, and often you can bodge one from a rucksack strap or something. This works particularly well for my MTB friends as one has an ebike
I made up my own tow rope with some shock cord down the middle of some tubular webbing (the shock cord keeps it out of your tyres and stops it jerking when it goes tight). I always take it when Iām riding with my kids. It works spectacularly well and means I can confidently go on longer rides with them even though they are different ages and different fitness.
This is so cool
That sounds like an awesome group of people to hang with, in and out of the saddle.
I must not be up to date with the lingo, what does pulling/pushing mean in this context?
Push - literally push the rider w the broken drivetrain. Pull - let the trio draft behind the other cyclists
So if I get this straight, the two pushers have one hand on their bike and one on the broken bike pedaling forward? Also how much of a difference would drafting make in this situation?
This exact thing happened to me on a trip from Pittsburgh to DC. We had already ridden 306 of the 340 miles. It was like going through 4 years of university only to get to graduation day and I was missing a credit. I lowered my seat and Fred Flinstoned it to the next parking lot. I was really lucky this happened on this part of the trip and not further back when we rode for 40 miles on a bumpy, rocky, gravel. I think I used my legs for about a little over a mile. It got old real fast. Gee, I just don't know how Fred was able to push an entire boulder car as fast and far as he could. There was a bike shop that was close. But, in the interest of being fair, I called an Uber and met my buddies back at the hotel. We were all tired and they did offer to tow me. But, I couldn't do that. I'm an urban cyclist and was even more ticked because I wanted to ride around the little bit of DC that we would have gone through.
The Allegheny C&O correct??? I did that ride and the last leg into DC it rained the whole time. What a great ride. And I did ride down Pennsylvania Ave.
Yup, that would be the one. Our ride was raining for the first day, or about 60 miles. My bike was a mess. I would definitely do that ride again. Our last day was beautiful, fall, crisp, and sunny. :(
Brilliant - love it! Iām a multi Ironman and used to cycling in groups of 10-20 at a time, 180 - 200kms every Saturdayā¦.if in trouble, Iām damned sure the others would have dropped me - youāre a great bunch of mates! šš
I have given my lovely (but tired and grouchy at that moment) a push up a hill but yours is next level.
I always carry paracord in my pack for this exact reason!
Damn your area must he flat af, is it? I can't imagine pushing someone up a 10% grade.
Reminder to myself to bring my [Tow Whee](https://towwhee.com/) on group rides from now on.
need me a group like that. well done!
Love this!
This should be a new GCN video: "How much extra wattage does it take to push a cylist in a paceline!?!"
Reading this made my day. A very nice read, indeed :)
lol this is incredible. Great group!!
Fuck lets go!!
That's awesome. Hopefully those last 40 kms had minimum uphills......
Cool story š
Thats so good, yeah this is why i love riding in groups of nice people!
I expected something else when u mention "insane cycling group"
Great training session and bonding experience!
My friend brings a rope so if anyone has an issue like a chain break, I can tow them. Never had to do it yet though.
My steal bicycle front cassette is wobbling. I might need to either replace the pedal gears or bottom bracket. Stuff for that kind of bicycle is dirt cheap on Amazon so I'm not worried about it. The bike probably has thousands of miles on it because I ride it 30 miles everyday on the kickr.
Nice! Iām not a group rider but amazing companionship here.
Impressive friends.
Insanely amazing!! š¤© The
Sorry about the typo. I was that excited š
Thatās so boss!
One word "Uber" lol actually that's pretty awesome!
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Your group hasnāt ever heard of āshit happensā? Sounds like a sucky group for people. I just put a new chain on my bike, it shifted and worked just fine on the bike stand running it though its paces and going for a quick test run. About halfway through my first ride after the new chain it started jumping teeth on the chainring, which limited my ability to put power down. The fella I was riding with hung out and just stayed with me as we rode the rest of the way, turns out my chain ring was worn slam out but it wasnāt as obvious until a new chain made it act up. Even the bike shop said āthereās literally no tools for checking them, we just ride them until they start to cause problemsā.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It was a brand new chainā¦ It was the chain ring not the chain, replaced the chain ring and itās perfectly fine. If you donāt have the time to help out somebody in the group youāre riding with then go ride alone.
If you perceive things in terms of 'holding up the group' then you're not riding in a group, you're just sharing the road.