pgoat

I just did the first of nine B17 rides. (46 miles)

I have three friends doing the same group pace - all were disenchanted with the slow overall speed, as well as the slow cruising speed. We clocked about 12.5 mph average speed on the day, and that was with only one nasty hill (Walnut Street near Rte. 9) and a few short and gentle rollers.

Those three buddies are definitely faster riders than me, especially when going uphill (for reference, they clobbered me on Walnut Street; they posted about 1:28ish for 4 laps in Central Park, I did 1:33).

We were all thinking of asking to be moved up to B18 - anyone else here have thoughts/experiences/advice to share? Is the B18 much more challenging than B17?

jyossarian

What's SIG? Explain pgoat!

Stacy

I thought the whole point of doing the B17 was that you cruised at (or averaged) 17 mph. Or is 17 mph a goal?

Not the Slowest

PGOAT, There are a few things here and Stacy you are correct. The goal of the B17 is to REACH a cruising speed or 17 mph by the series end. You've only just begun and I believe by the series end you will be able to stay at a constant 17mph on the flats and be able to ride to almost 100 miles in one day at that level. A 12.5mph overall average speed is closer to a 15/16 ride listing. A ride listed at 17mph may give you an average of 14 mph after the ride.
You should ask your ride leader but I believe this was or should have been discussed at the orientation. My thoughts is that you are right on schedule and should spend some REAL time training during the week.
If you believe that you are in the wrong group and that is possible, then speak up. However, the NYCC grading chart says you should be in the B16, your friend in the B17.

Give it time, the rides will get longer, harder, faster and hillier.

pgoat

Thanks Robert,

Yep, Stacy, 17 is the goal, we're supposed to end on a 75-mile ride, with option to stretch it out into a full century.

I think we were told that the rides would have a lower average speed to factor in hills and so forth. But since we we told the first ride would be 45 miles at 15 mph pace, we expected faster. Again, our cruising speed was more like 13 on this one. I do understand that is normal as Robert said, I think we were just all surprised after the pace we expected following the trials in the park.

We also asked (and heard others ask) the leader if the rides would be getting faster and were told in all cases not really. The emphasis is on the riding skills, not the speed - and we were told that in orientation. My biggest problem is that despite the copious safety measures, more riders have equaled more hazards for me so far...

My biggest beef is riding in a tight, slow pack like that - despite people calling out holes, etc, some slipped through the cracks unannounced, and I banged up my front wheel on a bad one...also had my new back wheel messed when I got rear ended (someone stopped short in front of me). I realize we can always go slower and be more careful, and that I have to learn more about riding in a group, but it kinda seems to defeat the purpose of signing up - I can ride faster and safer all by myself.

Oh, well...so far it was nice to ride with other people...I will def. give it another couple of rides for sure. I told my friends to maybe give it another week - out of 12 or so riders in our group, aside from me and a few other slugs having trouble with the hill on Walnut, we'd all like to go faster, and Our leader seemed somewhat flexible to our requests (eg, not stopping for an hour sit-down lunch at a diner in future). So I'm cool with staying put in the B17s.

Eddie - https://www.nycc.org/rides_sig.shtml

pgoat

btw, I'm commuting by bike about 4 days/week; I plan to either hit the trainer or do some laps in CP at least once during the week as well.

jyossarian

When? After work?

zacster

My experience with the SIG wasn't a good one either. I signed up for the A19 sig and found that it wasn't at all what I wanted it to be. First, the rides were slow to start. We met at the boathouse and then didn't leave for a long time. In the meantime it was still pretty chilly out there. We also stopped for way too long at the destination diner, where again we would be cold to start back up. The rides themselves weren't varied. We did Nyack 4 out of 5 rides that I made. The pace was a little slow too, for an A19 I figured we'd be riding at a good clip, not plodding along. Then there was the thing that I just didn't like. We were being instructed in double pacelining. That's great on an open country road with no traffic, but 9w is hardly an open country road. It felt dangerous. And we always started by riding through Harlem instead of on Riverside. That just seemed to be a slow way to start, but maybe there was a reason for that.

I wasn't the only one that felt this way from my group. There were 2 others that I rode with again that also quit and weren't enjoying themselves. I guess you get what you pay for.

pgoat

yep - 6PM or so, probably Wednesdays or Thursday (Thursday this week, no bike for me tomorrow) - lemme know if you wanna hook up.

pgoat

Yeah, It's free (after you join the club, which is cheap enough) so no biggie, I am gonna give it another week or two and if I'm not digging it I can always drop out...

v70cat

I did a 50 miles ride to Locust Vally on Sunday with the 5BBC, it was a beautiful ride, much nicer that NJ via the GWB.

The pace was a little slow and they made to many stops but it was fun.

jyossarian

Will do. Might have to meet up after 6 though so I'll just hook on as you loop around. I gotta get my cycling legs back so I'll be slow going for a while.

pgoat

no worries - I'll probably be on my MTB with a bag and or lock, so I'll be plodding along at snails pace behind you.

jyossarian

No way dude, I'm following your wheel, not the other way around.

CPFITNESS

Newbie question. I just got back from doing a single loop in the park and have 2 questions. I have a polar cs200 computer. I know sometimes it gets a little haywire but it seems to always say that loop in the park is 5.5 miles when everyone tells me it's 6 miles. Is that normal margin of error for when the computer loses signal (sometimnes i'm riding and for a few seconds I can see the speed is clearly WAY off. Am I missing some small section of the loop that makes the ride longer? I feel like that may be what I'm doing in the southernmost part of the park.

Last question, is there any rule of thumb to estimate what my 4 lap time would be based on a single lap time? I was working pretty hard and feeling pretty tired after one lap that i did in 21:38. I'm thinking tomorrow I'll just go out and bang out 4 laps but those few hills in the park absolutely kill me! I've done 20-25 miles up through harlem past the gwb and back but thats mostly flat. Throw Harlem Hill and some of those other smaller hills into the mix and I get beat up. (FWIW, i'm 6'3" 245 and I'm riding on an entry level Giant Rapid 3 not a full fledged road bike so I don't expect to be a speed demon but I'm in good shape I'm a personal trainer so the 245 ain't all fat but I probably should be closer to 225)

pgoat

whoops - my plans just got switched around on me - no can do on Thursday, will prolly do a few laps tomorrow night (Wed.) Sorry for the confusion!

pgoat

I feel your pain on the hills, I need to drop many pounds to be where I should be.

I can't speak to the computer error except to say I wouldn't sweat it for such a small difference. It might be that your wheel size is set incorrectly? (700c/26"?)

As for guesstimating your 4-lap based on 1 lap time I don't think so. Part of the fitness is endurance, and you might be lightning fast for one or two laps and then peter out, or do all 4 at different times if you need to "warm up", etc. If you do different rides like you mentioned just keep track of your average speeds and that will give you an idea. Hills will always slow a rider down some - some of us more than others!!

Btw, it took me a month or so of trying but I eventually got comfortable with multiple laps...they seem really short to me now, albeit still with much pain & suffering on the hills....don't kill yourself - go out and do two laps tomorrow or three if you feel great. That'd be a great progress right there...In a week or two I am sure you'll be up to four, no prob. The hills will still be there, waiting...

CPFITNESS

thanks for the info. those damn hills, they are the greatest thing ever when your my size going down them and you blast by everyone. I'm getting tired of cruising on the flats thinking I'm going at a good clip and out of nowhere someone BLOWS by me and it looks like they aren't even pedaling! I shouldn't say I'm getting tired of it, I actually love it. It's so motivating! Have to get myself a proper roadbike and see if the aerodynamics helps me out

pgoat

That's awesome that you're motivated - that's the key

Hills bum me out, but I am trying to keep optimistic that I'll improve. On my SIG, out of 12 people I was in the slowest third of riders, and all of us were the heavier built riders...no surprise there! If it's any consolation, even Tour de France level sprinters suffer and get dropped (by lighter cyclists) on climbs - and they're hardly fat! I am trying to diet sensibly so that I'll be a better climber by the end of the SIG eight weeks from now.

Nicer bike is nice, but no substitute for improving the engine. And aero doesn't help much on the hills (lighter bike helps a little there). Still, if you can afford a nice road machine, they're a pleasure. Small changes to your current bike help too - narrower tires, lowering your upper body etc. All in good time. To begin with, just get out and ride and have fun.

jyossarian

pgoat: No can do this Thursday either. I have an urgent meeting at a taqueria that evening. If you're doing tomorrow, post the time and I'll swing by and latch on when I can.

cpfitness: Is the polar wireless? If so, the haywire is probably caused by interference on the same frequency. If it's wired, check the distance bet. the magnet and the sensor. It should be close w/o touching. Also do the rollout measurement of your tires to make sure the right distance is entered in the computer. If that's wrong, the distance estimate will be wrong and so will your speed calcs.

CPFITNESS

its probably interference, i know it's set up right and from time to time the sensor gets moved around a bit. no biggie.

Stacy

According to the New York Roadrunners the Central Park loop is exactly 6.0273 miles.. but that's probably on the inside lane. I use a Polar CS 100 which usually gives me 6.1 or 6.2 and while I do get some variance the only time I've come up that short in terms of mileage was when my battery was going dead. So I'd guess it's either your battery or it's set for the wrong wheel size. I did have some interference when I used the heart rate monitor but never in Central Park.

And don't worry about getting buzzed in the park. Some of the fastest riders in the world like to do a few laps there.

jyossarian

pgoat, you gonna be out tonight? what time?

pgoat

yup - should be on the lower loop by 6 PM. (Green/grey jacket, cheesy lime green Ninja Turtle DOT helmet, ancient mtb w/ slicks)

-p

Not the Slowest

Good points all around.
A comment of LAPS in CP, best to do them early like 6-6:30 am or at 7:00 pm or later when there are no cars.
You will not make too much headway at 6:00 pm but at least you will be riding. I ride some nights with groups and they start at 7pm. There is a B16ish morning ride that may of be of interest, check the NYCC ride listings.

That said....
Pgoat you have it right. This is a training series and there is lots to learn beyond getting faster. Riding in a "paceline" or "group" teaches you how to react without taking you or your fellow riders down. Just like in a car the back rider must be able to stop or avoid a rider who slows or quickly stops. This will take time but you kinda have to watch the riders and not the birds in trees.
To avoid potholes, bumps etc isn't too hard. Keep an eye on the road AHEAD every now and then, actually more now than then. This will allow you to see whats coming or what they may be swerving around.
THIS is a group ride skill that all of you will learn. Watch for hand pointing, hole shouting etc.
If you are getting your butt jostled and are not getting the SHOUT OUT'S, then tell ALL ride leaders.

You will get faster, You will get better and you will feel safer.
Oh yeah one more point. If there is someone in the group who you do not feel safe riding behind, THEN DON't.
Go past them, give more space, tell others especially the leaders what you see. These things can be corrected and you will live to ride another day.

Robert