PipinFan

Hi there !! Guys I went riding in a group for the first time in 5 1/2 months since I bought my Bike,I always ride along and I "was" doing well clocking some 20 mph for some 50 miles on "solo" rides,I wanted to get used to my bike,the road etc etc etc,I stayed at the back of the pack or group because I don't have experience riding on groups (someone told me you should stay on the back until you get familiar,also the group ride will be easier for you because on "solo" rides you work harder,you should be able to do mid 20's mph ave blah blah blah) anyways I was riding at the end of the group when all of the sudden I got distracted by a good looking girl that was running on the street, when I looked up ahead the group was about 4-5 bikes length ahead of me and I could never ever catch them again !!!!!!! I mean I'm in good shape but I was left behind and finish my ride like 5 minutes later than the group!!!!!!!!!

Why I was blown out that way ********** I know I got distracted by Jezzz I'm MAD !!

Pharmr

4-5 lengths???....I would think that a good stand-up semi sprint at the pack would have gotten you back in the group...but if she was really hot, it was probably worth it.

KevinF

If you can ride 50 miles at a 20mph pace solo, you can most certainly close a 5 bike length gap. I am officially slow (16, 17mph pace for most rides), but even I can crank it up to 30mph for a minute or two if I need to catch somebody.

PipinFan

No, I was not at my limit (for a group ride?? )we were doing like 20 mph and my heart rate was @ 150-160 which is fine,I have to admit that I have not ride my bike for about a week and I twisted my ankle about 5 days ago very bad also and I'm just healing by now but still ... Ohh at the end of my ride I did 18.9 MPH ave on 40 miles which is tied with my worst time so far since I bought that Bike. I still wondering what the hell happened.


Ohh yes the girl was HOT HOT HOT !!!!

Raerfani

This thread is worthless without pics!

roadfix

I don't believe the OP's story. The whole group would have been distracted by this pretty girl. He simply could not hang. There's no shame in that.

BikerJoeP

This thread is worthless without literacy!!

grahny

Grammar and punctuation is important when commuincating... unless you're on mass quantities of speed, 'cause that's what I felt like trying to read that.

edit: fixed... elle oh elle

DrPete 

If you get gapped, a short, quick shot of pain and suffering to close the gap will save you large amounts of pain from being OTB.

And if you were scoping out women you definitely could have pushed a little harder.

DrPete 

Spelling is a virtue too.

PipinFan

Ok let me regroup here,let's forget for a second about the Girl,this is more serious at least for me Let's say that I'm able to do some 20mph for 50 miles on solo rides.. don't you guys think I should be able to hang around a group @ mid 20's mph???

grahny

touché

DrPete 

The big difference is the surges. On a solo ride it doesn't really matter because if you're blowing up you slow down--nothing is lost. But if you're hurting on a climb on a group ride and lose the pack, suddenly you're back out on your own with no way to catch a group that's presumably working together.

Training to dig deep and handle the surges/accelerations will help. Best way to do this is to keep showing up at the ride where you got dropped and try to hang on a little longer each time. Then, one day, you'll be finishing strong.

DrPete 

PipinFan

DrPete thanks for your Input,I have to admit also that I've being complaining about my saddle,when I ride harder it hurts like HELL !!!and that makes me go a lot slower most of the times,I changed the position on my saddle but still hurts so I just bought a Selle Italia SLK Gel Flow saddle and I hope that helps.

I will show up next Sunday to see what happens. I know I can do a lot better than that..

cmh

Sounds like maybe you had a temporary lack of blood flow to your legs.

Do as Dr. P said and keep riding with the group. You'll probably keep up next time you go out.

Blue Jays

If you're averaging 20 m.p.h. as a solo rider on a 50-mile course you should have no problem closing a small gap. Do some sprint training to reach city line or county line markers on the roadway.

PipinFan

Ok I will,I ride a heavy bike "hybrid" I have almost every morning for 13 miles @ 17.8 mph average but due to rains down here in Fla I stop for more than a week,I think that lack of some training also affected me plus my f$#@ing saddle that hurts like HELL was a nice contribution to my failure!! I went back today on my "heavy" beauty to put some miles,I'm sure after I change my saddle I should be able to close the gap.

By the way I did reached the group after hey left me behind but I felt tired and we were just like 5 minutes into the ride.. don't know,let see next time,and thanks for your input.



here is me and the Bike... :-)

Hocam

Fixed.

thomson

How about “Grammar and punctuation are” …

serpico7

Amen. I have found that reading posts by certain forum members actually makes me feel dumber (turns out what our mothers said about laying with dogs and coming home with fleas is true). I now make liberal use of the message board's Ignore function (yes RyanF, you were the first, but certainly not the last, to be added to my ignore list).

Bob Ross

You do know that in the grand scheme of things, that Orbea is neither heavy nor a hybrid, right?

lvleph

I was completely confused by that too.

truckin

Pretty sure he's talking about another bike he has... if not, I want to live in his world, where that Orbea is a heavy hybrid!

bbattle

Not only that, but nobody has quoted Phil Liggett yet.

"And he's gone off the back end. The elastic has snapped." "And Bo Hamburger is, I dare say, fried."