Is our “no-drop” ride false advertising?

Question: My local shop hosts a Saturday morning ride that’s advertised as no-drop. The only place it actually says that is a flyer taped up by the register, and I think the flyer is older than some of the bikes in the shop. Nobody announces anything at the start. Over the last couple of years, the pace has crept up, and the last three weeks in a row somebody has been quietly shelled off the back. Two weeks ago, I dropped back to help a newer rider who’d been dropped, and not only did we never catch back on, I’m not sure anyone noticed we were gone. Is it still a no-drop ride if the only thing “no-drop” about it is a flyer from years ago? And whose job is it to fix this, the shop or the riders? —Ray S.

RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: (For the benefit of readers who may not be familiar with the term, a no-drop is a ride where no one is left behind no matter how slow a rider they are. Such rides prioritize the group experience over the pace of the ride. I’ve written in more detail about such rides here.)

Clearly, this Saturday morning ride is not — or no longer — a no-drop if nobody has arranged to have a “sweeper” bring up the rear of the ride or have a rider or two ready to drop back with slower riders, as you recently did voluntarily to help the newer rider. What’s more, it sounds as if there are no checkpoints where the ride leaders have the whole body of riders pause to let slower riders catch up.

Whose job it is to fix this— or at minimum, remove the no-drop promise from the flyer — depends on who is the ride sponsor. That may be the shop, especially if someone from the shop staff leads the ride, but it’s quite possible that the flyer was posted as a favor to a local club or even to a group of shop patrons, who asked the shop to display it. But whatever the case, if you are comfortable doing so, it may be worth your effort to mention to the shop owner that the ride is really not a no-drop. If the ride is not shop sponsored, the staff may be able to tell you who to call.

It’s easy for rides envisioned as no-drops to become a peloton for pace pounders. A Saturday ride may be the only opportunity that people who work all week have to get out on the road and put in some fast miles. Thus, they are not eager to cater to beginners or people out for a less demanding experience.

In my experience, no-drop rides remain so when there is some arrangement to accommodate both slower riders and faster ones. This can be where two or more rides are offered with one being a no-drop and the other not. Or it can be one ride where it’s understood and agreed upon that the riders will break into three or more pace groups, but where there are experienced riders who know the route and are ready to stay with those in the slowest group.

In my early days of cycling, I did moderate-paced solo rides or rides with a friend or two who also liked a modest pace. Thus, my first experience with a group ride, which had a faster pace than I was used to, did not start well. Within minutes, I found myself at the back, struggling to keep up, and gradually becoming unhitched from the other riders. But then, one rider dropped back to ride with me, and though the rest of the group continued to pull away, my new companion knew the route and stayed with me, which encouraged me to keep pedaling.

He and I eventually came to where the whole group had paused for a rest break, but as soon as the two of us caught up, and before I could even take a slug of water from my bottle, the ride leader said, “Okay, we’re all here. Let’s go!” and he took off — a practice that I now know as a no-no on a true no-drop ride, because slower riders get no rest that way. But again, my new friend told me to relax, and after a moment or two, we continued the route. Thanks to him, I completed the whole ride, and was less reluctant to try subsequent group rides.

Perhaps a solution for your area would be for you and a few friends to offer a true no-drop ride. There are likely to be several budding riders who will thank you.

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Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.