Tunnelrat81

You say that as if a steel bike with DT shifters is going to slow you down. That actually got a chuckle out of me. I suppose you credit your expensive bike and wheelset when you've dominated the local group ride. "No guys, it's not me, it's this $6,000 bike. You should have seen how slow I was last week before I'd picked this baby up..." I once had to ride my "old DT shifter" commute bike on our fast climbing group ride because my main bike was out of commission. A friend noticed the bike before the ride and said something along the lines of "Man if you beat me on that tonight, I'm going to hang up my bike for good" or something like that. I don't need to tell you the rest of the story. But it was clear that this person held the belief that equipment had more impact than it did.



The most important thing about riding with your wife is to have your mind and interest in the proper place. You should never try to mix 'wife' rides with 'training rides.' These two things DO NOT go together. This is especially true when she's just beginning. What she needs is to be having fun and to see you having fun with her. If you're wishing you were going faster, or feeling concerned about losing your 'edge,' she'll be able to tell. It's best to completely take yourself out of that mindset and think of it as an entirely different activity. Help her discover how fun cycling is...and remember that one of the least fun scenarios for all of us if feeling weaker and slower than those we're riding with.

Try not to ride in front of her unless she specifically seems to enjoy following in your draft, and the terrain/conditions allow it to be done safely. And then be VERY vocal and careful about pace control. She's not used to the discomfort of chasing a fast wheel, so make sure you use the draft at a very moderate speed and remind her to let you know if it's too fast.

If you're riding up a hill, put her either next to or in front of you, and ALWAYS let her dictate the pace. If she's in front, leave > 5 ft. between you so she doesn't feel you breathing down her neck. She gets to set the pace and doesn't constantly feel like she's being left behind. If you ride in front, you'll inevitably open a gap, turn around, drastically slow your pace to wait for her before continuing on and repeating the process...Psychologically, this is not what she needs to see, and it communicates that riding with her is difficult and unpleasant for you.

Oh, and congrats on roping your wife into the sport. I hope she embraces it as much as mine did. When I first got my wife on a bike, we walked her and her (borrowed) bike down to the street, and I proceeded to explain how to lift the pedal to the right position, step down and lift herself on to the seat while picking the other foot up. Literally step by step through the basics. I even helped her shift a time or two in the processes because it had DT shifters and she was too uncomfortable letting go of the bars. With patience and some time, her love for the sport took off and we invested in a much nicer bike for her. A few years after that and she was entering her first race...Oh, and I don't have to worry about her keeping up with me anymore on our rides together.

-Jeremy

P.S. This is from her first race, #80