Pace for Group Rides
 

Hi, I have done virtually all of my riding solo for the past several years. I'd like to join a club or at least do some group rides to get to know more like minded folks, but I want to make sure that I follow the rules or at least do some basic research before jumping into a group ride with those that have experience.

Interestingly, I haven't been able to find a good answer in the internet for the following and haven't been able to surface anything when I do a forum search. Group rides are typically labeled A, B or C. While I realize that the groups denote different MPH paces (at least I think!?!) and to soem extent fitness.....what are the break points? For example, is the C group for 14 MPH and under?

Ha, what a n00b I am. But everyone needs to start somewhere and you guys are cool.

But I do know the meaning of HTFU and I'm trying to do that.

Check with the club, each is different.

I also like to hear the group ride leaders discuss pace before the ride.

You should contact the ride leader though and ask them, don't accept a half answer like slow to moderate. Slow to moderate for one person is 5 MPH, slow to moderate for another is 25MPH. Ask about average speed, or distance and riding time, which will allow you to compute the average speed yourself. Also ask if they have a no-drop rule. Some groups will have a sweeper who will hang back with the final rider, others will take off like a bunch of drag racers and your left on your own if your not up to their speed. What I hate the most are collection points, where you get fast riders who go like nuts, then wait for the slower riders to catch up, and as soon as the slowest rider comes into view, they take off again. If your the last guy, you don't get any breaks, been there, done that, quit riding with my brother-in-laws group because they always did that.....

As ride speeds increase, the riders will draft more, and ride closer together. So the slower groups are easier for beginners. They often are more careful to be a real no-drop ride, with rider counts or sweeper riders at the back.

Most ride leaders will welcome an email or call from a new rider. Find out: distance of the ride, typical flat road speeds, and perhaps average speed for the whole ride.

But average speeds really depend on the amount of climbing, and the number of stop signs or lights. For instance, I do a local ride that averages 15 mph most weeks, but has 3-4 longer hill climbs and a number of stop lights. So the 15 average includes typical flat road speeds of 18-20 mph (faster on downhills, slower on uphills, of course).

Some of the local rides are an out-and-back ride with easy navigation, or a route marked by spraypainted markings at each turn. These tend to break up into smaller groups, each riding it's own pace, since they don't need a ride leader to navigate.

The local group here usually has two or three routes mapped out for the ride and before the ride you have people breaking into groups for which route at what speed. ie short route at 12mph, long route at 12mph, long route at 20mph and so on. Sometimes a person may end up riding solo because nobody else wants to do that route at that pace.

Not all groups are like this with regroup points. SFVBC sure was not. Though thinking about it there were 2 regroup spots that made up at least 80% of all regroups (excluding the midride major stops, which meant brunch or lunch depending on how long a ride was). One at the top of a climb on Mulholland and the other at a park about 1/2 mile from the end of the decent going into Simi Valley. Neither was ever last insight and gone, but the hilltop stop had far less waiting once the last rider arrived. Oh enough to get a foot down and take a drink. But the park regroup allowed much more time for the slow riders to actually get some rest.

My advice is to the OP is error on the slow side. You are doing this to get more social. If you get in a ride that is 'too slow' yuo can talk to and get to know some other cyclists. Heck if it turns out the C ride is too slow you might get lucky and find another rider who is thinking of stepping up (or who alternated B and C depending on how he feels and what else he has on tap for the day). Then when you try B ride yuo get to try it with someone you know. If yuo then find the B ride is too fast it is less apt to be a disaster.

One other thnig for the OP, it seems you are used to riding alone. If the group has decent route slips then what is the worst that happens? Yuo get dropped and have to ride alone on a new route. If the route is decent you still come out ahead on the deal.

If this is your first group ride I would go with the C group and see if you want to switch. I think you will find the C group is likely more social. You can decide if that provides what you are looking for or if it is better to go with a group that wants to push a little harder.

If your experience is like mine there will be many more important considerations in finding the right group than pace. In CA, MO and here in WA I have found large group riding to be a PIMA (Pain In My Asz). There are always a few people who demand on asserting cyclist's rights on the road. I know the problem is 99% mine, but I see too many riders that I'm not compatible with. Be safe.

edit: I believe in cyclist's rights on the road and even participated in a couple of Critical Mass rides in San Francisco, so please no flames about my opinion of large cycling groups. I simply choose to not participate in group rides, with the exception of scheduled events where the driving public is well aware that groups of cyclists will be on the road.

Here is the link to our club. http://www.wpwbikeclub.org/ Go under the rides tab to classification to see how A B C D rides are determined. The ride leader usually determines the route and pace.

My suggestion is look for a group ride with a no drop designation so if you get in with a hammerhead run they should stop and let you catch up and if the group is too slow then just finish and look for a different group/ride. Most of our rides are no drop. If you look on our ride calendar many times the leader will post and email or phone number. Call and see if you fit in to the ride.

I know there are riders who do not enjoy the group ride but it is enjoyable to socialize and ride. Totally look forward to these rides. Also as a returning rider I learned much from riding with our group.

Why do you want to ride with a group? Is it to improve your riding skills? Improve your speed? Learn new cycling skills? Meet new people? Learn new routes? Show off your speed or your cf bike?

I think that if you're really interested in becoming a really good cyclist, you need to ride with an experienced group. This means joining a club, because just going out on a casual ride with any group is a real crapshoot. With a good club, you will learn the CRAFT of cycling, something that can only be passed on by experienced cyclists, and something most people who ride bikes know nothing about. Experienced cyclists will quickly tell you what you're doing wrong, will tell you how to do it properly, and will allow for your learning curve. You will also meet some wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) people in a good club. But do this only if you're interested in being really good; otherwise, the experience will be wasted and you might as well just go out with some C group who ride slowly and don't allow drafting because they think it's too dangerous, so nobody learns anything.

L.