When is it time for a new riding group?
03-08-14, 03:42 PM
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When is it time for a new riding group?
First, let me say that it's not anything personal with the group I ride with, they're all great guys and some are close friends.
Here's the story: Last May a local group invited me to start riding with them. I got dropped two of the first three rides. Now it's to the point where if I'm not doing 90% of the work, I'm not breaking a sweat. Today, for example, the group rode 80 miles, I rode just over 103. I pulled nearly all 80 miles, literally. The normal sprint places we have, nobody sprinted. Those guys were more gassed than I was and I was going significantly slower than normal due to a stiff headwind. Today's average speed was 18.3, I'm usually 2 mph or so faster riding alone on those same routes. Further evidence is that my avg HR for the ride today was just 123.
The biggest issue with finding a new group is that it would involve two hours of driving total. That said, is it time?
Here's the story: Last May a local group invited me to start riding with them. I got dropped two of the first three rides. Now it's to the point where if I'm not doing 90% of the work, I'm not breaking a sweat. Today, for example, the group rode 80 miles, I rode just over 103. I pulled nearly all 80 miles, literally. The normal sprint places we have, nobody sprinted. Those guys were more gassed than I was and I was going significantly slower than normal due to a stiff headwind. Today's average speed was 18.3, I'm usually 2 mph or so faster riding alone on those same routes. Further evidence is that my avg HR for the ride today was just 123.
The biggest issue with finding a new group is that it would involve two hours of driving total. That said, is it time?
03-08-14, 03:54 PM
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Sounds like it is. Not sure how close you are to Tucson, but I hear their rides is pretty damn fast. You could always rotate, you don't have to participate in a ride every week.
03-08-14, 04:30 PM
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Drive up to Tucson and do Shootout. You might love it and decide that it's worth the 2 hour drive a couple times per month, or you will hurt so bad that you will be thankful to go back to towing your 18mph group around 
03-08-14, 04:32 PM
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To make it race-y, the answer depends on why you're doing the ride. What do you want to get out of it?
When you stop getting out of it what you want, find a new way to get what you need.
To make it race-y, the answer depends on why you're doing the ride. What do you want to get out of it?
When you stop getting out of it what you want, find a new way to get what you need.
03-08-14, 09:32 PM
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Shootout it is!
03-09-14, 02:50 AM
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there are lots of fast group rides around here to choose from but I usually avoid them. It's just a massive hammerfest over the flats, from light-to-light, up climbs, downhill, etc. Hammer 24/7. Or there are other group rides here taht move at SLUGGISH pace.
I already did that kind of "training", and it didn't work for me.
I already did that kind of "training", and it didn't work for me.
03-10-14, 10:55 PM
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Do you have another bike (MTB, commuter) that you can ride instead? Something that is slower and that you'll need to put more effort into maintain the same speed that you do currently?
Occasionally I'll bring my commuter bike with rack and panniers to the local Wed. ride. With my fred setup I get almost as good a workout riding with the B group than I do on my race bike with the A group. About half a year ago I just bought a Chariot trailer to haul my 2-yr old. daughter around. It takes about the same effort to go 16 mph while hauling around a 30 lb. trailer than it does to cruise at 20+ on my race bike.
Occasionally I'll bring my commuter bike with rack and panniers to the local Wed. ride. With my fred setup I get almost as good a workout riding with the B group than I do on my race bike with the A group. About half a year ago I just bought a Chariot trailer to haul my 2-yr old. daughter around. It takes about the same effort to go 16 mph while hauling around a 30 lb. trailer than it does to cruise at 20+ on my race bike.
