Fifty Plus (50+) - When do you "drop".

Sometimes I get into a pace line that I have a hard time staying with. It may be faster than I really am capable of riding, or it may be a familiar group at my normal pace, but I simply do not "have it' that particular day.

Anyway, at what point do you say to yourself, " That is it, I am done, I am sliding out of this line and letting them go?"

at what point do you say to yourself, " That is it, I am done, I am sliding out of this line and letting them go?"

When you're at the front or the back of the line. Never when you're in the middle!


More to your point: As soon as you know it to be unquestionably and irrevocably true. And no sooner.

I would say it depends on my intentions that day. If I'm out for a threshold ride I'll try to hang until my eyes bleed. But if I'm trying to stay in a lower zone, like tempo, then I'll drop off as soon as the pace exceeds that level. Then there are the days when no matter my intentions I'm off the back anyway.

As soon as it starts going uphill.

I agree with BikeWNC, it's really a matter of what I had planned for myself that day (which could be thrown out the metaphorical window, of course) but it really comes down to: Is staying in this pace line good for me (for whatever applicable reasons)?

The other obvious reason is if you see unsafe pace-line riding and opt out for your own safety and peace of mind (yes, that happens!).

Rick / OCRR

Assuming my goal is to stay with group, and not stay below an effort threshold, then I'm not going to intentionally drop off at all. I push as hard as I can, and if they ride away and leave me, that's what happens, but I'm never going to just 'throw in the towel'.

Usually right after I have stopped; and realize I forgot to clip out.

At some point you do decide to drop; you realize you cant stay with the paceline and finish the ride, or you dont have the strength to keep up with the others. At that point I am usually at the end of the line anyway

At some point you do decide to drop; you realize you cant stay with the paceline and finish the ride, or you dont have the strength to keep up with the others. At that point I am usually at the end of the line anyway

I guess my point is that, personally, I try to make sure that 'not having the strength to keep up' isn't a decision I make that point in the ride. If my pre-ride decision was to hang with the pack, then I'm going to keep trying to do that until I explode. As they are riding away from me, I will be digging as deep as I possibly can to keep them from doing that, or to stay as close as possible. I'm not going to decide to ease up because hanging with them has gotten really hard, or because they are easing away from me. For me, this is going to be on a hill, and I want to get the rest of the way up the hill before I'm caught by the next group back, or I risk being dropped by them as well. If I make it to the top before they catch me, then I'll be able to hang with them, as I've already shown I was faster than they were on the part of the ride leading up to where I was dropped.

So, for me, unless I've made an advance decision not to push it, I will never 'drop', I will only 'be dropped'. The difference is crucial. And I will most certainly be at the back of the line when I'm dropped. Dropping off from the front of the line, or the middle, is only going to happen if I have a mechanical failure of some sort.

It depends a lot on the situation. On a training ride, I make every effort NOT to drop. In a brevet, any time the group is going faster than I know I "should" be, I'll let 'em go.

SP
Bend, OR

It is about the goal of the group and do they stick with it. If the group / paceline decides to deviate from the plan, I may as well and do my own thing.

I like small group rides because they are fun and it provides the opportunity to work on paceline skills with people I know. So my typical group situation is hand picked and we stay together and do not try to lay accelerations on each other that result in dropped riders. The more typical comment is "how is the pace".

I use individual efforts for specific training.

I just always make sure I ride with people weaker then myself [very small children and adults that have never ridden before.]

I believe the question was When do you "drop", when ever they can't keep up wit me.

When do I let go, when I determine that if I continue to hang on I my ability to recover and keep a descent solo pace will be severely compromised.

When the EMT's arrive?

Some interesting ways to determine when to let go of a pace line. I find that I am off the back when the discomfort, or actually pain, overcomes the desire.

Getting dropped is never my decision. When it happens, it happens.

I almost never find a pace line I can keep up with.-0)

Anyway, at what point do you say to yourself, " That is it, I am done, I am sliding out of this line and letting them go?"


When you're at the front or the back of the line. Never when you're in the middle!

When you're at the front in single paceline, when you're at the back of a single or double-rotating paceline. What you want to do is make sure you're allowing the paceline to maintain its rhythm. Don't mess it up by opening gaps because you're too tired to maintain the pace. Drop off before that.


I just always make sure I ride with people weaker then myself [very small children and adults that have never ridden before.]

:lol:


I would say it depends on my intentions that day. If I'm out for a threshold ride I'll try to hang until my eyes bleed. But if I'm trying to stay in a lower zone, like tempo, then I'll drop off as soon as the pace exceeds that level. Then there are the days when no matter my intentions I'm off the back anyway.

I agree, it depends. However, I try to match my day's objective with whether or not I even want to ride with a group.

Anyway, at what point do you say to yourself, " That is it, I am done, I am sliding out of this line and letting them go?"

Most often rather than dropping out, I am dropped when cornering, and I lose a few feet, and the paceline is so fast that I would burn out just to catch up. Almost all my riding is done solo though, and I've not motivated myself to corner faster.

My Favorite Drops - Maybe an adjunct to this thread.

Pulled a group of very fast guys to the top of a rise, rotated back, and watched them disappear, down the hill on the other side of the rise, into the horizon. Boy, did the elastic ever snap on that one... I thought, "No problem, I'll catch them at the next light/stop sign". After about 10 miles of ITT'ing (individual time trialing) it down an unfamiliar road, with no stops, I cut back towards the start, and eventually intersected the escapees.

and the contrary---a great thrill is unexpectedly hanging with a stronger group for much longer than expected or planned. Unfortunately it has been so long that has happened with me I've forgotten what a great thrill it must be!

As soon as it starts going uphill.

So true!

sigh...

85% HR. That's what my cardiologist told me. I may hang on for a short period if it appears that I may be able to rest, but usually it's drop time.

If you don't get dropped now and again, then you are not really trying. You will never improve.

At 85% of max HR, I'm just barely in zone 5. ;)