Tripleshot Cycling

From the useful info folder

it is easy to get into the habit of “half wheeling.” This is where you’re riding with your front wheel overlapping the rear wheel of the person in front of you. Don’t do this. It’s fine to use it as the group slows suddenly, but generally you should be behind the person. otherwise we get all staggered on the road and people start catching pot holes, touch wheels and fall or cause traffic problems.

I know enough to avoid half-wheeling but I was tired at Beacon Hill on Tuesday and quarter-wheeled the only rider near me which caused me to meet the pavement. Now I have a nice reminder on my hip, plus a scraped knee and torn leg warmers, boot covers and bibs (but I'm okay). Definitely a habit to avoid.

#74

Ouch. Sounds painful and expensive with all that gear torn. Hope you heal well. I know a good cheap seamstress (what's the non-sexist form of that? Sewer? ) if you need clothing mended.

PS
This is definitely picking nits, but half wheeling is when you ride half a wheel ahead of the person your supposed to be beside. So they have to talk to your armpit.

Overlapping is , well overlapping wheels with the person in front.

"occurs when", not "is when"

And you thought you were nit picking

JT

That's nit-picking or nitpicking, not nit picking.

Excellent

You are all hillarious. I am sitting at work (i.e. avoiding work) and laughing out loud - so much so that my assistant just came in to investigate.

Thanks for being such a great group!

Michael

Damn, Mike. I thought you hated hills. Or perhaps that was a fear-expressing, subconscious typo.

And you all missed "your" instead of "you're". Put that nit in your pipe and smoke it. (prizes for most multiple mangled metaphor?)

Now that's cheating. Scoring nit-picking points for highlighting your own errors! While we're on the subject, the hyphen seems optional as far as I can tell. If Lister races in B, is he cherry picking, or cherry-picking? I'd say the former.

JT

Since we've digressed (or perhaps evolved?) from matters of overlapping to questions of grammar, I'll weigh in. If you believe the Chicago Manual of Style (as I tend to), you should consistently hyphenate adjective phrases and consistently leave noun phrases (including gerunds) open. So: while you might say "Lister...stop cherry picking!", you might also turn to the armpit beside you and say, "Hey, half wheeler, look at Lister...he's such a cherry-picking racer!"

I was just about to go nyah nyah to John, when I realized I don't know if he used it correctly or not. What the hell is a gerund? (No google you cheaters.) Isn't "is he cherry picking" a verb? Then what?

A gerund is a verb (typically ending in -ing) that's masquerading as a noun. Think of 'cycling'. It can be a verb ("I was cycling this morning") or a noun ("My favourite pastime is cycling"). (It can also be an adjective..."He's a cycling fanatic.") It all depends on usage.

In "Lister likes cherry picking," "cherry picking" is an activity and therefore a noun (gerund).

In "Lister is cherry picking," the usage is more ambiguous. You could convince me that "is cherry picking" is a verb phrase rather than a linking verb with a noun phrase, but it's a moot point because you still wouldn't hyphenate.

Clear like mud, no?

Clear like mud? No. Clear as ever! You said you wouldn't use a hyphen. So I was right when I wrote nit picking. I am the oldest of four, so being right/correct is what it's all about! Can't you tell?

JT

Then I feel really bad for being a bubble burster.

'Nitpicker' and 'nitpicking' are generally accepted to be compound words. No space, no hyphen, no bragging rights for big brother John.

Steve,

If what you say is true, then I lucked out (or lucked-out) with nitpick.

There is a reason I became a physics teacher: I don't know English two good.

Fun discussion though.

Eric

Now I can do it; nyah nyah nyah John!

(Do I sound like your youngest sibling?)

Boys.

Really.

I"m not planning on being an eejit again, but if it occurs, I'll speak to overlapping without a hyphen.

#74

Calgary Steve Cherry picking and nitpicking - what's up with that? Not very scientific. Next you'll be telling me your frame was handmade (in the USA) and hand painted.

JT

The evolution of language is a lot like the practice of getting up at 10 past five to go cycling in the rain, Professor John. It doesn't have a lot to do with logic.