I'm starting to get a little frustrated with the local group rides. All of them seem to have slowed down to "Winter Pace". What does that mean, you ask? Well, it seems to be ~4mph drop over the same terrain as in summer/fall. I can't even get a SST workout on these rides. I know the answer is to train alone but I do like riding with people once in a while. And it's not even like they're prescribing to LSD. These rides are the same distance as in summer, 2-3hr. Last week, I did try staying on the front more, short intervals off the back, etc...

Should I just STFU and ride alone?

You want to ride with a group but don't like the intensity at which the group rides?

There isn't **** you can do about that other than:
1) Pull the group the whole time
2) Don't ride with that group.

Just to clarify, I'm not blaming the groups and I'm not looking to change or push their pace. I'm also not looking for a hammerfest in December. I guess maybe I need to start a new ride in these parts for base building racers.

do your workout before the ride, then join them after.

your welcome.

+1

End of thread.

Lead them around for 2+ hours at whatever pace you need.

2:00 p.m. tomorrow(Sunday). The Hartley Dr. YMCA. We will be waiting.

I ride a 35 lb. touring bike with fenders, racks and 700gram slow-as-mollaseeees commuting tires. This will cover your speed discrepancies in a hurry. heavy, un-aero and reliable.

-L

Yeah, it helps to ride with people who have common goals. I've got a group of 5 of us that all work together and go out at lunch for 23mph SST rides. Two of them are hanging on for dear life at the back, but they try really hard to make it to every ride.

There's no better way to get faster. I love riding with people stronger than me if I can just barely hang on. That way, I don't feel like a liability because I can *just* keep up, and I get much stronger. When I improve, I can trade pulls with the person, shorter first and then longer. Add more and less people as you see fit.

I'm thinking you could either find (or establish) a new group or get on the front and drive that train, Casey Jones.

That's what I'm doing with my team's long weekend rides -- the CAT 3s and Masters have slowed down and it's a blast to ride with them, but by the end of 50-60 miles I'm working really hard to hang on. We have a double paceline and a couple CAT3s who pull longer than anyone, but we all get a chance to pull. It's a great way to get stronger.

Bring a mtb instead.

Or wear one of these:

this is great advice. I love unwinding on a long mellow group ride after ive finished my more intense workout for the day. I did this in the middle of the road race season earlier this year for a week and it really rejuvenated me.

A beautiful way to ride. Love to do it, especially with the more chatty/female teammates.

Sounds to me like it's only an SST ride for 3 of ya.

Yeah, they're always a step ahead of us in the periodizatino. They were doing SST when we were working on endurance. They're in specificity now... I just haven't told them yet.

Poor guys probably think of "SST" the way the rest of us think of WRI™

Can you really call it "winter" pace in North Carolina?

I can't remember the last time I rode my road bike on a road.

Seriously. It might have been a race.

Otherwise, it's been MTB in the snow/woods, and rollers in my garage.

So...don't complain about getting to ride with other people.

I think their pace is appropriate for base training.

That's kind of why I put it in quotes. I don't know how to do air quotes on the interweb. Anyway, that's what everyone seems to call it here.