Tips for group riding and training?
 

I've been cycling for almost exactly 2 years now, so still a novice. I am 48, 5'11, 158lbs. I've been doing club rides for quite a while now, but usually just the easier "no one gets dropped" ones in the 15-17mph range. Last week, however, I started doing the Saturday B run which is a 55mile rolling ride that is usually completed at around 20-21mph average. This ride starts steady, builds tempo, and then goes full pelt "through-and-off" and eases off toward the end. (Well I'd hope it eases off, but I haven't gotten that far yet to be sure).

Last week I managed to stay in the group, taking turms on the front, until about half-way, when I lost the wheel due to a lack of concentration at a little kick up in the road that caught me out. At this point the group is doing 25mph+ in a single line with a tail wind, and I couldn't get back on. I'm not saying I wouldn't have got dropped pretty soon anyway, but I ended up finishing the route myself with a 19.0mph average speed, which is fast for me.

Anyway, I'm still very inexperienced at this. Does anyone have any useful tips for tomorrow's ride? Since I'm new, they don't mind me missing turns until I get up to their fitness levels, so I am thinking of trying to stay in the middle of the bunch so I have time to react if I start falling back. Also at the front of my mind is to keep concentrated and to be ready for climbs and inclines as I'm not that familiar with this route.

Also, training-wise, I think I need to get a more structured routine. The last few months, I've been riding about 150m per week over 6 days. Group rides Sat - 40-60m, Sun - 35m, Wed -22m and on the other days I just do my own thing with usually a Monday or Friday rest. Do you have any ideas for the type of training I should be doing to improve, even a daily routine to follow? I would say I need to improve climbing and top speed most of all.

Any BF wisdom on these matters would be much appreciated.

One of the many mistakes I made learning to paceline was to try to pull too long at the front and then be so whipped I couldn't catch on at the back. Stay in the rotation just stay at the front a shorter time. It really helped me to ride with a buddy who would push me on the days I would otherwise have ridden solo. i've been really fortunate to have two friends who are experienced riders to teach me and force me out of my comfort zone regularly. I am older and bigger than you but my abilities have really improved in the last year with the help of my friends. I am routinely riding with people I've never been able to ride with before:)

I don't have a ton of experience but can share what I've learned, riding with a group at about the pace you described:

1. As RedC said, shorter pulls. Rotate to the front as normal, get in your drops when you are second in line, do 15 to 20 secs at the front in your drops, and rotate out.
2. To rejoin, start accelerating when you are in line with the last person. Don't wait until they go by or you'll chase a gap.
3. Conserve energy every chance you get. If you are feeling peppy early on, resist the urge to pull over long or lead up a hill. You'll need it later.
4. If 55 is your group ride length, work in a longer ride into your rotation. Try a 75 every other week. The group I ride with, most of the guys rarely ride over that distance, so they fade pretty quick after when we do our summer centuries.
5. Hill repeats are a curse on mankind, but they work.

Strive to keep a constant pace at the front. Never stop pedaling when you are on the front. Soft pedal when appropriate to keep a constant pace.

Be smooth and predictable.

If you need to spit, blow a snot rocket or drink, wait until you are on the back.

^This or don't pull at all and just suck wheel until you are strong enough to be part of the rotation. Be careful not to drop your speed too much when dropping back or you'll need to accelerate harder to get on the back -- every acceleration you have to make early will leave less in the bank for later in the ride. I've found that when my front wheel/hub is around the BB of the last rider is a good time to start gently getting over and then I'm in the draft pretty quickly without being gapped. Remember to have fun and keep on showing up!

nope, if you hit a small descent (-1 to -3 percent) go faster, or everyone behind you will have to brake so that they dont run into u. Sorry, just needed to clarify that. Keep a constant effort not pace. if u hit a hill dont sprint all out over it to only cause a huge gap for the rest of the riders who get how to ride in a regular group ride.

Good point. I should have said "strive to keep a constant level of effort". The key is to make changes slowly and smoothly, lest you send waves of chaos back through the group.

Draft behind the biggest rider that doesn't brake check but stays smooth in the paceline. Start climbs toward the front so you don't get tailed off. Use anything other than your brakes to correct your speed. Get comfortable being close. Ride to the lee of the rider in front so that you can overlap wheels slightly rather than brake. Sometimes you can't put your bike leeward, but you can lean your body there. a really fast paceline means ten or fifteen pedalstrokes at the front.

Well done.

This close.


http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...enSnapz001.jpg

I ride with a group that goes anywhere usually between 35-40 km/h on the flats. The hills are anyones game. Ive been riding for a year and a half and I go on the rides to get faster. My first ride I got dropped about half way through. Now when I go, I can stick with the pack the whole ride, but I only pull once or twice. I usually go to the back when I'm second in line. This is working well for me and I found myself getting faster and being able to feel better for longer on the rides. My last ride with them a couple of weeks ago I in the group for the sprint, but got dropped about 100 meters before the sign we sprint for. So basically what I'm saying is just keep going on the rides, never skip one and you'll get better with every ride.

Don't do that. If you get to 2nd in line you'll need to take a pull or you're going to get in the way or open a gap. If you don't want to pull just stay in the back and let the riders falling back slot in front of you.

Well I've actually been able to do that only a few times, because the group only consists of about 10 riders usually, and we're all in a tight two-man paceline. So really I've never found an easy way to stay at the back without falling off the pack. And I am accompanied by one or two other people sometimes who do the same, the group doesn't mind because they know I'm a young newbie that's just trying to stay with the group for the ride. ..Also, the riders are all really fast and can hold 45+ for about 60-70 km on our Tuesday rides, so the gaps I leave on our 'slower' Thursday rides, it's not a problem for them.

You have to get used to ride with the faster guys, don't pull at the front but get used to the high cadence for a week or so then start pulling at the front.

Good luck.

If you're not going to take pulls, just stay at the back. As the front guy drifts back, let a gap open for him and tell him to pull in front of you. Then you won't disrupt the people in rotation. If you are pulling, as mentioned, take shorter pulls. The bigger the group, the shorter the pull.

If you can, the best way to do is just rotate through. That means you get to the front do a very short pull and slide to the back. It's important to do because it keeps the flow of the group smooth and it teaches proper group riding skills...Such as, DO NOT accelerate when pulling through, just keep a steady pace...Cripes I hate that :)

If you are in a pace line, try not to stop pedaling - it will send ripples back through the line. Soft pedal or even pedal against a feathered brake, but keep pedaling. Always try to make changes slowly. And, above all, remember:


http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/v...Quad/GHoGH.jpg

That is what I'm working towards, those rides are still hard for me and even a 30 sec pull can blow me up for the rest of the ride.

To the OP again, just keep going, try to make every ride you can, and soon enough taking pulls on the group rides will not be a problem.

???
No need to keep pedaling, but sudden changes are bad.

Just been my experience that doing so keeps the line smoother. I think it may be b/c some riders overreact when/if they see the rider in front of them stop pedaling.

At speed, 30 seconds of pulling is too long. Get to the front, ten pedal strokes, move over.

Meh. Depends on the individual and what they are trying to accomplish.