Hound Doggin' - What is your Ride Order Philosophy?

Loved the article! High rating on the Stoke Scale.

Natural Order seems to work for me. In the group of people I ride with, I'm often near the front now. I used to take up the back every time, but as I got better, (which really means more confident), I found I had more fun up front. Still can't climb that well, but my descents are getting better.

Great article!

Order doesn't really matter to me, I just hate being held up. I'll wait long periods of time before going, to make sure I have room in front.

That being said, I love it when someone is riding my rear (insert joke here). As long as they don't mind of course.

Ha…..too funny.

EB

Sadly true/ I'm not fast but am entertaining

I am a first or second position rider in our group, like to also ride close especially on lift service days. Like chasing the fast guy for the challenge and to learn.

We used to have a crew called the 'liar's club'. Everyone would show up for the ride with excuses of why they were feeling slow/tired/mechanicals/etc. Then came hammer time. No one was slow…..stupid liar's club. James W, wife Amber, Cristine P, Plattie, Jeep and more. Natural order ended up being the highest lactic threshold. One of the members had more 'methane gas' than the others. Sometime dictated the ride order. But…we always waited for mechanical problems. It's always good to keep the person behind you within view. No one likes to concuss with vacant help.

Love the article Cam.

My ride group regulary consists of 8 to 12 XC/AM riders. I would say we have a Racer Boy / Natural Order ROP. There is a 2 back rule. On the open climbs, the strongest lungs punishes everyone. Enough said about determining that order. But on single track climbs, if you can rub the tire of the guy infront of you, he's gotta drop back 2 positions. Techinical single track, if you dab and hold anyone up.. 2 back. On the downhill.. if you are holding anyone up, your viciously heckled with "out of the way FAT BOY" and again.. 2 back.

i like riding caboose, i can take my time getting down and it's kind of like riding alone but in a group :P. sometimes i end up being either a) in front (frustrated with everyone fussing about getting their gear on) or b) in the middle. i end up riding faster with someone on my ass - which is good - but scary! ha. maybe someday i'll be decent enough to hold my own in the front.

awesome article cam.

My ride group regulary consists of 8 to 12 XC/AM riders. I would say we have a Racer Boy / Natural Order ROP. There is a 2 back rule. On the open climbs, the strongest lungs punishes everyone. Enough said about determining that order. But on single track climbs, if you can rub the tire of the guy infront of you, he's gotta drop back 2 positions. Techinical single track, if you dab and hold anyone up.. 2 back. On the downhill.. if you are holding anyone up, your viciously heckled with "out of the way FAT BOY" and again.. 2 back.

I love the 2 back rule! Sweet.

Thanks everyone for the props!

awesome article, Cam…

I'm pretty much at the back of the train when I'm riding….. by choice. I dont want to slow down any faster riders and having someone riding ahead of me gives me a marker to try and catch up to….one of these days I'll catch up!! The odd occasion when I drop in first I make to a ridiculously easy corner and end up crashing off into the weeds trying too hard.

That's right, so take the lumpy line on purpose a few times and the tail gater backs off. I remember tailing Ralph a while back on our way from downtown to the Capilano Pacific trail for our night time commute home to Lynn Valley. Ralph hops a curb and I do likewise only to discover…mid air… that we just hoped a short retaining wall. Maybe 2 feet high and I landed fine but I think poop shooted out the legs of my lycra shorts when I landed.

Gnarly!

I used to deliberately hit a pothole - or just miss it - when someone was tailing me on my road bike if I was about to put an attack in. It's dirty pool but really effective. The guy on your wheel gets treated to a chundery piece of road at speed and then has to respond as you scream away.

aw man awesome read, brought back the great feel from yesterday.
Riding in the pouring rain two feet behind my bro on the crikem crankem route down fromme for the first time.
Just watching as his wheels slid sideways through turns not knowing the trail so every corner held a wet slippery surprise.

I love the chase…

great article :)

If I'm in a larger group and the vibe is getting competitive, I'll hang back, otherwise we mix it up.
I personally have a few rules though:
1) never make the new guy/girl feel crap. First, I've been a new guy in countless groups in a lot of countries and it usually sucks. Second, it's bad karma and they won't want to come back
2) never leave anyone behind, ever. I've had it done to me a couple of times by a club in NZ, once led to me riding 10 miles of unlit highway back home without lights, the other I had to find my way out of a state forest on my own at night.
3) if there's someone new on the ride I take turns tailgunning, just in case they fall off the mountain somewhere.

I actually find riding slow a challenge, especially in technical rocky singletrack, so I view it as self-improvement if I get stuck behind someone slower.