Cycling clubs shouting stuff at other cyclists?
Discussion
Commuted in to work this morning by bike (rude not to with the weather so nice).
A couple of miles in and I see about 20 lycra ninjas coming towards me at a fair rate. As they pass, the lead cyclist bellows what sounded like "POLE!" and then one by one, each cyclist following him shouted the same.
I'm not upset about it and it was obvious at the time to be something quite lighthearted but I'm now wondering what on earth it was they were shouting.
Pole makes no sense to me but I imagine I either misheard or it's an "in" joke that I'm not supposed to get. I'm curious to know what I was doing, or not doing that warranted the shouting.
Any guesses?
A couple of miles in and I see about 20 lycra ninjas coming towards me at a fair rate. As they pass, the lead cyclist bellows what sounded like "POLE!" and then one by one, each cyclist following him shouted the same.
I'm not upset about it and it was obvious at the time to be something quite lighthearted but I'm now wondering what on earth it was they were shouting.
Pole makes no sense to me but I imagine I either misheard or it's an "in" joke that I'm not supposed to get. I'm curious to know what I was doing, or not doing that warranted the shouting.
Any guesses?
Disastrous said:
Could it have been "Hole!"?
I believe it's customary in a big group to somehow warn riders behind you of potholes and so on that they can't see coming up.
Maybe. Makes more sense than pole anyway.I believe it's customary in a big group to somehow warn riders behind you of potholes and so on that they can't see coming up.
Could just be coincidence they spotted a pothole just as they passed me and decided to have a good old shout about it
Edited by MysteryLemon on Sunday 26th April 14:19
Op,
In a group, you can't see much other than the 2 blokes in front of you. Most clubs use hand signals, but late calls etc will be a yell. I have no doubt that it was a road defect / other risk they were shouting for - my club uses "below".
As always in a club, some are far too vigorous with shouting. Since they would be approacing you with a far lower closing speed, the signal would be the left arm wafted around the back. This is either "move out" or "his arse reeks", depending on your hygiene and paranoia =)
In a group, you can't see much other than the 2 blokes in front of you. Most clubs use hand signals, but late calls etc will be a yell. I have no doubt that it was a road defect / other risk they were shouting for - my club uses "below".
As always in a club, some are far too vigorous with shouting. Since they would be approacing you with a far lower closing speed, the signal would be the left arm wafted around the back. This is either "move out" or "his arse reeks", depending on your hygiene and paranoia =)
All this shouting most riders in groups seem to do now really puts me off going out in groups. There is absolutely no reason to shout about any obstacles instead of just using hand signals. Just shouting 'hole' is of absolutely no use to anyone. 'car' is another good one. Like you can't see or hear the fking thing yourself. Certainly does little for the image of cyclists from a bystanders perspective too.
SixPotBelly said:
Sure it wasn't the UKIP CC? I hear they're like that if they think you're Polish, and if they think you're Romanian they're even ruder.
That was my exact thought upon readng the OP. Farage and chums warning each other of oncoming Polomanogarians.Edited by SixPotBelly on Sunday 26th April 15:51
thiscocks said:
All this shouting most riders in groups seem to do now really puts me off going out in groups. There is absolutely no reason to shout about any obstacles instead of just using hand signals. Just shouting 'hole' is of absolutely no use to anyone. 'car' is another good one. Like you can't see or hear the fking thing yourself. Certainly does little for the image of cyclists from a bystanders perspective too.
Really? I only ride in a group on the trails but often the lead rider will shout something if there's an obstacle that could catch someone out. Each rider then passes the information on. Better to have people slow and look for an obstacle than ending up with a broken collar bone. ecsrobin said:
thiscocks said:
All this shouting most riders in groups seem to do now really puts me off going out in groups. There is absolutely no reason to shout about any obstacles instead of just using hand signals. Just shouting 'hole' is of absolutely no use to anyone. 'car' is another good one. Like you can't see or hear the fking thing yourself. Certainly does little for the image of cyclists from a bystanders perspective too.
Really? I only ride in a group on the trails but often the lead rider will shout something if there's an obstacle that could catch someone out. Each rider then passes the information on. Better to have people slow and look for an obstacle than ending up with a broken collar bone. thiscocks said:
All this shouting most riders in groups seem to do now really puts me off going out in groups. There is absolutely no reason to shout about any obstacles instead of just using hand signals. Just shouting 'hole' is of absolutely no use to anyone. 'car' is another good one. Like you can't see or hear the fking thing yourself. Certainly does little for the image of cyclists from a bystanders perspective too.
dheads at the front not shouting warnings, or wkers in the middle not passing shouts on, are what put me off going out in groups. thiscocks said:
All this shouting most riders in groups seem to do now really puts me off going out in groups. There is absolutely no reason to shout about any obstacles instead of just using hand signals. Just shouting 'hole' is of absolutely no use to anyone. 'car' is another good one. Like you can't see or hear the fking thing yourself. Certainly does little for the image of cyclists from a bystanders perspective too.
Oh de dums, did the bigger boys shout at you? What an absolute crock, you really have very little knowledge or experience of group riding. If you're in a group, with the noise of your own breathing and wind noise you need as much noise above this to warn of cars/potholes/road furniture. When you're riding 6 inches from another rider, who is in turn 6 inches off another rider ... its virtually impossible to what is ahead. Also hand signals alone do not translate from the front to the back of the group as effectively as a shout.
I'm not bothered about 'image' but breaking my neck when I pile into the back of another rider does bother me.
JEA1K said:
thiscocks said:
All this shouting most riders in groups seem to do now really puts me off going out in groups. There is absolutely no reason to shout about any obstacles instead of just using hand signals. Just shouting 'hole' is of absolutely no use to anyone. 'car' is another good one. Like you can't see or hear the fking thing yourself. Certainly does little for the image of cyclists from a bystanders perspective too.
Oh de dums, did the bigger boys shout at you? What an absolute crock, you really have very little knowledge or experience of group riding. If you're in a group, with the noise of your own breathing and wind noise you need as much noise above this to warn of cars/potholes/road furniture. thiscocks said:
All this shouting most riders in groups seem to do now really puts me off going out in groups. There is absolutely no reason to shout about any obstacles instead of just using hand signals. Just shouting 'hole' is of absolutely no use to anyone. 'car' is another good one. Like you can't see or hear the fking thing yourself. Certainly does little for the image of cyclists from a bystanders perspective too.
Pointing down and left means there is a hole to the left.Pointing down and right means there is a hole to the right.
Shouting "HOLE" means there is a hole directly in front of me that I'm about to go bouncing through.
All of these are useful to the rider directly behind me, who probably can't see them for himself because he's 6 inches off my back wheel.
Same in reverse with shouting "Car Back" - the guys at the back of the group know there is a car that would like to pass but the guys at the front probably don't. Passing the shout along quickly shares the information and lets the group take appropriate action to let the car past promptly and safely.
whatleytom said:
ecsrobin said:
thiscocks said:
All this shouting most riders in groups seem to do now really puts me off going out in groups. There is absolutely no reason to shout about any obstacles instead of just using hand signals. Just shouting 'hole' is of absolutely no use to anyone. 'car' is another good one. Like you can't see or hear the fking thing yourself. Certainly does little for the image of cyclists from a bystanders perspective too.
Really? I only ride in a group on the trails but often the lead rider will shout something if there's an obstacle that could catch someone out. Each rider then passes the information on. Better to have people slow and look for an obstacle than ending up with a broken collar bone. Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff