User:Glenenglish/sandbox

FASTBUNCH is the name of a cycling ride in North Canberra, Australia. The ride starts at Dickson Pool at 6am sharp every Wednesday. Cyclists participate by riding in a pacelinepaceline for approx 75 minutes.
 * something about participants riding marginally within their limits
 * something about the attraction of riding fast bunch
 * ettiquite- found in the link paceline
 * The rides- the courses. pecularities of different courses
 * average speeds, relative ability of participants to general population
 * after the ride
 * related rides

Simon Neimeyer was the first with the balls to break up the tightly controlled bilbys bunch and bring about a fast bunch... Its about time a new chapter begins...
 * fast bunch history

I the Hanley/Rolfe era Steve Hanley and Gary Rolfe were fairly fit then, and those guys were the ones who organised everyone and drove the pace. "FB I" was still moderate enough for strong girls like Sue, Michelle and Libby to stay on. Ron was also a regular back then and one of the stronger riders. Alex too.

II the 3Fidi era

A gradual 3Fidi takeover of the FB then occurred, and Gary, Steve, Alex, Michelle, Sue and others could no longer keep up. Thus was medium-fast born. This is the period historians refer to as the Golden Era, when Chris, Bleeksie, Greg, Craig, Glen, Jeff and others drove the pace. Celebrities such as Sean Moran would sometimes join us. The pace was high but there was order and organisation. Turning up outside the pool you would be greeted with a sea of familiar faces. When blowhard punters turned up to have a go Greg would mercilessly burn them off up Macarthur, Ginninderra or Owen Dixon. Ah, the good old days.

Late 3Fidi Period, or the Post-Ryan period: This is the era in which FB got really fast, but also messy. Bruce, Ron, and others were blown out the back door for good. Current speeds are probably comparable to this era. i think we can say the demographic has gotten younger, too.

III the post-3Fidi era

This is the current, post-modern era when 3Fidi dominance has broken down and an anything-goes ideology dominates. Toolish, arrogant behaviour, which was never present before, is now regularly encountered. 3Fidi riders turning up are usually isolated without teammates. The bunch breaks up into a strung out mess with only a few people taking turns early into the ride. A sad state of affairs. It's still a good thrashfest and the best race-substitute training out there.