Podagrower

Had an invite to go on a C paced 30 mile ride Saturday morning with some people I know, more people I didn't know. I knew if I rode solo, the things weighing on my mind would keep from putting any real effort into riding, so when I finally cleared the important things late Friday, I decided to join up with them. Beautiful day for riding, and the beginning of the ride was terrific. Double paceline, riders rotating off the front regularly. Then it turned into one of those rides, we got to an out and back stretch and all the fast riders decided it was time to sprint. I've improved my sprint timing, overall endurance, and not blowing myself up pretty good lately, so it was nice to look down, see that I was holding 24, and that I was passing and holding back a lot of the other sprinters (I'm sure wearing my C/A jersey added some speed). The speed had been creeping up leading up to the sprint, and at our rest stop shortly thereafter, it was announced that we would be returning to the intended pace. I didn't have a problem with either pace, but we had 3 riders with their tongues hanging out. Of course, we left the rest stop and immediately started running 19, on a trail, and in spite of the call to single up, several riders wanted to continue riding double to chat with their buddies. Once we got off the trail, we hit a head wind, the three riders struggling got dropped, and myself and another rider fell back to take the pull for the stragglers (advantage/disadvantage of being a clyde). None of us knew the planned route, made it up as we went, and wound up with 36 miles.

It felt good to know I could hang with these riders, felt good to help people struggling. It also felt good to know that the potential for situations like this exist before I headed out with them.

intransit1217

I envy you clydes who can stay out front all day because you're just bigger dudes...more leg, longer muscle,bigger lungs. And that you can hang with he faster guys. Glad you enjoyed both aspects of the ride. I like to pull for the not as strong riders too. But I forget that I'm a tweener and sometimes pull away.

dr_lha

Boy, that doesn't sound like a "C" pace ride at all.

jsigone

sounds like the ol california "C" paced to me, even a sprint point makes it better. Everyone should suffer a mile or three til the line

nice work

dr_lha

Yeah, I guess every group/club rides differently. In my club a "C" ride is mostly beginner riders on hybrids/wal-mart specials/old mountain bikes and averages 10-12 mph.

LGHT

My last group ride was the same way it was supposed to be a leisure 15mph ride to the coast and back. We had a few new riders, and a few guys with really fancy bikes and carbon wheels who seemed to think that 15 was too slow so they took the lead and pushed the group to hold 17-18. To make matters worse 1 guy tried to "race" me up a long hard hill. Now I'm not the fastest or strongest rider, but I do ride a lot of hills so I was ready. About half way up when he started to slow I actually kicked it up a few gears and started to stand and pump up the hill until I finished about a min ahead of him. At the top he couldn't believe I made it up so easily. I quickly commented not bad for a fat guy huhh... Never understood why the "racers" go on leisure group rides and try and hammer and show off. I guess they need the attention?

hochflynn

Agreed, with my club a C ride is generally 12-13 mph, to maybe a max of 14 mph if pretty flat.

jsigone

here's from one of the larger clubs in SD

The C Group Ride

Don’t be fooled by this ride’s name. “C” stands for “Climbing.” Every C-rider could ride with the A’s and the B’s, but not every A- and B-rider can hang with the C’s.

More detail about this ride will be published soon.

The C Group ride rolls out directly after the B Group.

dr_lha

Ha! Well we certainly don't advertise our C group rides like that! In fact they're advertised as "slow and easy" rides (there's a D group as well), and roll out on a different night from the rest of the club rides. I sometimes tag with them to coordinate/tell people to raise their saddles.

jsigone

The D's on the club is Development class, split into 4 ranges. D1-D4. D1 would be the normal "C" club ride. Mind you their saturday ride draws over 200 riders. so plenty in each class

RubeRad

I went out on a weekday lunchtime ride once with guys from businesses in the neighborhood, advertised as "This will *NOT* be a fast paced ride. Around 16 MPH or so and will be approximately 21 miles". Pace was nearer 20, and I got dropped on the first hill. One good samaritan rode with me up the hill and at one point gave me a little push on the back (in a friendly way, not taunting), and then pulled me back to the group. But on the second hill I was on my own.

If I ever ride with them again, I would leave early and wait for them at the top of the first hill.

Cosmic Hawk

As someone who has never gone on a single group ride, and only participated in time trials, I never understood the slow paced ride or any of that. Every ride I go on, I go as fast as I humanly can. I figure the wind and hills I encounter will dictate the speed for that ride. I will admit to not being the best team player ever.

dr_lha

For some riders, 12 mph is as fast as they can go, at least on average over longish distances.

Podagrower

Our area clubs C rides are 14-18, and we did finish with an average of 16, so in theory it was a solid C pace. The speed didn't bother me near as much as dropping the slower riders, in my opinion, that's not cool on a C ride.

dr_lha

Yeah, C means pretty slow when you live in the Applacians like I do! C should definitely be "no drop" though, so agreed, not cool.

BugDude

They should publish rides in a range of speeds (i.e. 12-14 mph) and then stick to it. That way people who ride enough to know what they can do can decide if they can keep up or not. As a 293 pounder on a hybrid, I average between 13-14 mph on my rides up to 25 miles.

I've never done a group ride, but for me one of the things I enjoy about biking is the alone time, and I can go at whatever pace I'm feeling like that day. Perhaps they're just not my thing.

dr_lha

Clubs typically do publish range of speeds for various levels. For my club it's right on the website. It's up to the coordinators of the ride to make sure that they are stuck to, this is sometimes where things fall down.

You should try it, it's fun. Plus it will push you to go faster and farther.

IBOHUNT

Here are a couple excerpts from some sites which I've ridden.
They've given up on the "classification" bit.


1. This is a bat sh*t crazy fast ride and you will get dropped!! Typically it's a 40-50mi/20+ mph ride. We don't have all day!

OR

2. This ride is just getting started, but seems to be well received. Take one lap to familiarize everyone with the course, wait at stops and keep everyone together, then on subsequent laps.... RELEASE THE DOGS!

Warning: this is NOT a 'No drop' ride. You may get dropped and be on your own to get back to the start/finish.




There is that old saying that if you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. It's like that, but if you're the fastest rider in the group, you're in the wrong group.

modelmartin

Dropping new people on these rides is so stupid. Most won't come back. My first club ride i got dropped about halfway through and I didn't know whether I wanted to associate with them again. I waited a year and went back and now I am a regular. The ride always breaks up and I end up riding alone in the middle. That's fine for me. i know other people who went out to a club ride and got dropped and never went back. Clubs need to be smarter about how to get new people engaged and dropping them on C and B rides is not smart.

crazyb

This.

FrenchFit 

In my limited group ride experience I concluded that my fellow riders didn't work-out, run, get much exercise other than riding...this was their work-out plan. So, they would get serious, wanted to feel that burn, needed to be epic. For me, the ride was pure recreation and I enjoyed playing sweeper, engaging with those at the back. When they started burning slower riders at red lights and crashing I figured it was time to leave - guilt by association.

RubeRad

Also, a C ride should plan a number of regroup points in the route where everybody stops and waits for the dropped to catch up.

ColaJacket

It depends on how they are advertised, and if there is a D group. If there is a D group, and the B rides are advertised as drop rides, then I don't think it is a terrible procedure. Especially if the C group rides mostly the same route as the B group, and can pick up any stragglers. Agree that C groups should be no drop.

GH

modelmartin

Here is the basic key for our rides -

A and A/B rides are for experienced riders who desire to ride fast, in pace lines or on their own. Leaders of these ride levels may ride anywhere within the group.
B, B/C and C rides are social rides at moderate or slower paces where riders generally ride as a group. Leaders of these levels will ride with the group at the published pace. Faster, self-sufficient riders may join these rides, but they may be started ahead of the group and ride at the front on their own.


C is rated at 9/11 mph average, B at 13-15, and A at 17 mph. There are also b/c and a/b which fill the gaps. there is no D in our club.


I still maintain that it is a smart idea to engage new people in conversation and explain how the rides work and perhaps not drop them completely, leaving them humiliated and NOT encouraged to do that again!

Our club has annual leader training for ride leaders and most do a good job but some are just "clique" leaders.

ColaJacket

Some groups go A, B, C, D, so in your group, the B group may be equivalent to another group's C group.

The extra information helps riders figure out where to go.

GH