Tripleshot Cycling

There was some confusion today as to whether the second A2 group to roll out was A2 or B1. It was called out as B1, but from my vantage point (waiting to join a B2 ride) it looked like there were enough people to make two A2 groups.

It seems that the main issue is that we don't know ahead of time how many people want to do each group and people have to make quick decisions based on group content and size.

What if we assemble by group in the parking lot as we arrive? i.e. A group assembles at the east end of the parking lot, then A2 just west of them, then B1, etc. This way, when it's time to roll out, we'll be able to see how many riders want to do each one and we can split the groups in the parking lot if necessary?

Thoughts?

A variation on this could be to have all the people wanting to be in a group roll to the front, then stop. Based on how many are ready and raring to go, either send them off or split up.

nslvr wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 1:05 pm A variation on this could be to have all the people wanting to be in a group roll to the front, then stop. Based on how many are ready and raring to go, either send them off or split up.

This might be better because it requires less coordination at the beginning.

Also, who are you?

A variation on this could be to have all the people wanting to be in a group roll to the front, then stop. Based on how many are ready and raring to go, either send them off or split up.

This is kind of what happens anyway like it did this morning. I called it at 14 people, and more wanted to come through, so I stopped them to avoid having bigger groups.
The next group happened to be a mix of A2 and B1 with a higher proportion being the latter, so that's why I called B1.

My $0.02. I like the idea of meeting up under a ride sign (like swimming lessons at a public pool) but in reality I think it's probably a little too formalized for us. It wouldn't accommodate those fun, impulsive, last-minute ride decisions, and it's also harder to project group announcements over a wider area.

As Neil mentioned, the group-size cutoff plan is there for a reason—and works.

The key is for people to ride with the group they end up with—even if they miss their intended group due to the enforced cutoff. This is particularly important for the sensitive gap between A2 and B1. For example, if you leave the lot with a group designated as B1, then you're B1 riders—not "A2 riders who got left behind". The mindset is essential: group before self. If you still feel the need to change groups, you tell those around you and then drop off the back.

However, group-size management is most effective when done in the parking lot, and group-hopping on the road can create unsafe confusion for other riders, so I think it's still preferable to dance (and head to coffee) with the ones that brung you.

p.s. We're in that sweet spot between the incredible morning light of solstice and school still having another week to run. If you traipse backwards in time on the forum, you'll find that at this point nearly every year the Club goes through various convulsions regarding ride-nomenclature or organization, borne of the impressive numbers that are showing up. Various organizational methods get tossed about, but then attrition usually resolves things on its own.

In another few weeks, summer holidays will play havoc with ride routines and our numbers will start to subside. Another couple of months and the light will start to fade, the weather will turn, rider numbers will continue to fall, and we can all resume getting dirty and GIF-ing (or complaining about JIFs.)

@ann It's Noah!

Group size limits are a good thing. I think there's agreement on that. But if not all of one pace group (e.g. A2) fits into one group of an acceptable size, the logical next step is to send off a second A2 group. It doesn't make sense to bump down excess riders to a slower group as seems to be suggested above.

(Also, with a group of about 20 as we'd have been if all the A2s had left together, the logical split is at 10 riders... but this is where the system is imperfect: It's not always knowable in advance what the total rider count will be in any one group.)

Ah, the fun and challenging task of herding cats!