As, Bs, Cs, Ds
 

Are these club group designations fairly standard? I added averages from what I've heard on the street. I hope I got these right. We have fairly hilly terrain here so folks are asked to perform an uphill time trial in order to know what group they should ride with.

A: relaxed pace; frequent regroups; waits for all riders. 15 mph avg
B: touring pace; regroups every 30-45 minutes; waits for all riders. 18 mph
C: brisk pace; pacelines likely; regroups every 30-60 minutes. 22 mph
D: aggressive pace; pacelines likely; slower riders may miss regroups. 26+ mph

Reverse the letters.

Western Wheelers on the San Francisco Peninsula uses the A-F designation, with A being the easiest.

http://www.westernwheelers.org/main/.../ride_info.htm

The most important thing to realize is that any ride will actually go off at a pace no less demanding than the next designation up the scale.

this is what we use (from the carolina tarwheels web site)

A pace: 18+ mph
B pace: 16-18 mph
C pace: 13-15 mph
D pace: 10-12 mph

and i'm a B pace rider.

Cascade (Seattle) uses the following:

Easy: Under 10 mph Leisurely: 10-12 mph
Steady: 12-14 mph
Moderate: 14-16 mph
Brisk: 16-18 mph
Strenuous: 18-21 mph
Super Strenuous: 22+ mph

These are speeds on the flats (ish) without breaks.

I think it's important to have small ranges in the middle. The difference between 18 and 22 is pretty big on your range.

So, one of our rides might be "high moderate, low brisk, hilly". Around here our regroups are typically hill related.

We have really easy designations

A: Agressive, a fast hard ride, if you can't keep up, prepare to be dropped, these guys fly.
B: Balanced, slower then A, but brisk, probably 18-20 MPH, regroups but won't wait forever
C: Casual, very very casual, 13-15 MPH

I am proudly a B rider, but occassionaly hang on the end of A for as long as I can.
We don't have that many people so few groups and large jumps between, really like a baptism of fire when you move up.

Nope. My club uses 1-5 with 1 being easy and flat and 5 being a hilly century.

Where are the DD rides?

I ride with two different clubs regularly and two other clubs occassionally. They all have different ratings for their rides. Three clubs use something like AAA (fast) to D (casual) but the speed ranges are different for each. The fourth uses the actual average speed ranges, like 10/12 or 16/18.

That is absolutely the worst name for a cycling club I have EVER heard! PERIOD!

The Suffolk Bicycle Riders Association, Long Island's largest cycling club

AA 22+ 24+ Rides have no upper limit to speed and should only be attempted by riders familiar with the ride leader and other riders
A+ 20.1 - 22.0 20.0 - 24.0 Rides have infrequent stops, as determined by the group, and not formally planned. Ability to ride in a pace line required. Cue sheet may not be provided. No requirement to wait for stragglers. Riders are expected to be self-sufficient
A 18.1 - 20.0 18.0 - 22.0

B+/A 16.1 - 20+ 16.0 - 22+ These multilevel rides are unstructured and will break into several groups, traveling standard routes, cue sheets available. Bring a friend if your're concerned about having someone to ride with at the slower pace

B+ 16.1 - 18.0 16.0 - 20.0 Stops are approximately half way through the ride, or when necessary. Cue sheets provided. No requirement to wait for stragglers, but ride leader will try to re-group at rest stops. Riders are expected to be mostly self-sufficient

B 14.1 - 16.0 14.0 - 17.0

B- 13.1 - 14.0 13.0 - 15.0

C+ 12.1 - 13.0 12.0 - 14.0 Stops are frequent. Ride leaders will wait at turns for riders. Cue sheets provided

C 11.1 - 12.0 11.0 - 13.0

C- 10.1 - 11.0 10.0 - 12.0

D 6.0 - 10.0 < 10 Stops are frequent. Cue sheets provided. A good ride for beginners


I ride in the C+ range currently. Hopefully work myself to A end of summer if possible.

so********************???

your point is********************???

That's his point ... its the worse name ever... I don't think he could've been anymore direct at making his point :D

so, i don't really care. they're in chapel hole and i never ride with them. another group just uses the ride classifications.

no hard feelings.................:D

Your speeds might be a tad high on all levels. 26+ is Pro/Cat 1 speeds. 22 is still fast.

I guess its all relative to your terrain. 20+ is really fast where I live with all the hills and rollers. Usually I would do "A" as the fastest ride and go down from there.

We have 'The fast ride' and 'The slow ride'

Then there's sometimes 'The Tri Club ride' (intermediate speed, but much more unlikely to drop people than 'The fast ride'

There's also 'The City ride' which is the other club in town - - almost as fast as 'The fast ride' but will drop anyone without a moment's thought and sometimes will do so intentionally - and a more cavalier attitude towards traffic.

A 26 mph average is pretty wickedly fast, I would think.

The local rides from what I understand are more along the lines of what supertj posted above, though most places don't have as many subcategories available. I think also that those are probably pace speeds and not average speeds, but I'm not sure.

Pretty much what my club (Thread City Cyclers of Willimantic, CT) do as well. Except I don't recall there being a D ride. It's a bit hilly here in eastern CT and I am particularly slow on hills. So, I usually start at the B pace and hope to get into the A ride mid-season.

this always makes my heart sink.

I know Im sort of a tri-geek but I do want to try the group rides but I have to find a place where Id be welcome.
I asked my lbs if I could join them last summer, he had one look at me and smirk and said " don't bother, we'll drop you"
They have A and B rides and from what you guys are saying Id be good enough but they just wont give me a chance.

here's a ride report from someone on here who took the time to ride with me and he talks of our time. ( if you guys want to peek) I know I work hard and I could do this!

I wonder if I should just have the balls to just show up this year regardless of what they say?
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=230933

"I wonder if I should just have the balls to just show up this year regardless of what they say?"

Sounds like you should. Or find a group that doesn't answer question like that with a smirk....

Tell him he's an ass and go find another shop.

You should go do some group rides, they're fun and a great way to improve your skills. To eliminate all nervousness from the other riders, show up withOUT the tribars on the bike. You'll be fine :D

[edit] I just re-looked at your bike. You'll scare most roadies, showing up with a tri bike. It's the handling that is sketchy, especially in a paceline. I'd suggest being very up front that you'll stay out of the drops :)

You don't want to ride with A**Hats like that anyway. Beginning group riders (no offense, but most Triathletes are beginners in the sense of group riding, regardless of how long they have been riding) need a mentor to show them the ropes. Keep looking - you'll find someone eventually. If you can't find a club, I have found that riding in non-competitive Sunday invitationals is a great way to meet fellow riders. You can ride with someone or a group for short stretches between rest stops until you meet that magic someone that you are comfortable riding with.

And riding in a group, especially pace lines, is a great training aid that will help your tri efforts.

Dave

I know, I have said this and made it clear...
and cycle could witness that I do NOT drop on them when riding with people, except for one riding partner who's ridden with me for a long time and except for my races or when im alone.
I DO need a new bike withought bars, Im working on that.But I also want to keep my bike.

Duke fan?