Originally Posted by BigSean
Because Im self employed I cant make mid week mid day rides. Im wondering if I just push harder on my weekday rides if that'll help. You know, basically pushing myself till I blow up then continue as hard as I can to finish my loop.
The Valley Ride (Wednesday night) sounds right up your alley, then. But, be warned, it is pretty chaotic.
There is also the Tuesday/Thursday Morning Ride:
This fast group ride meet at the downtown Palo Alto Starbucks (on University Ave) early in the morning at 6:25 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This ride travels opposite of the Noon ride around The Loop: Sand Hill, Portola, Alpine.
As for work on your own, of course, you can do that, no one's stopping you. Structured intervals (search for it) will help. But many people find solo efforts like that boring, and hard to stick to. That's why these group rides are good; they're basically un-structured interval sessions. The "fear" of getting dropped will motivate you more to stay attached.