Lower back pain
I get lower back pain on steep climbs when I'm pressing hard on the pedals at a low cadence.

It sounds like you are a fairly new rider. Maybe work on increasing your cadence. On fast (for me) group rides, my cadence is up near 100 rpm. On easy rides, it's often in the high 80s. Try spinning one gear easier than you are used to.

Hanging in on group rides
I need every small advantage I can find to hang on:

Drafting and aero:
Riding in the drops--my bike fit lets me use the drops comfortably, not just on the sprints.
I turn my head until I can feel the direction of the wind is straight in my face, and the same wind noise in each ear. Then I try to offset to have the rider in front at that angle so I'm completely in the rider's draft.
And I even try to find taller riders to draft.
I'll make a very hard effort to close a gap quickly, then (try to) recover in the draft.
Take very short pulls if the group is doing a rotation.


Good tires, like Continental GP4000, have supple sidewalls and lower rolling resistance. At your 75kg/165 pounds, try 95 front, 110 rear on 23c, and 90 front, 105 rear on 25c. (For fast rides on rough roads, I sometimes bump up the pressure 5 psi to help avoid pinch flats on potholes.)


Yes!