Riding In A Group
fto-si
Posts: 402
I am considering joining one of my local clubs for sunday rides. I have been emailing the club finding out about the rides.
I have no worries with the distances involved as I regularly cover them on my solo rides but the average speed the club rides travel at are a couple of mph above my average.
Would riding in a group raise my average speed? I am not keen on the idea of struggling to keep up!
I have no worries with the distances involved as I regularly cover them on my solo rides but the average speed the club rides travel at are a couple of mph above my average.
Would riding in a group raise my average speed? I am not keen on the idea of struggling to keep up!
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Comments
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Working in a group is a lot easier than churning out the miles on your own.
Keep to the back of the group for the first couple of rides, observe the signalling that they use to alert others of obstacles etc, and you'll be amazed at how much difference there is when riding behind a group.
Go on, get out there....
Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!0 -
You should be fine - a group will move that bit more quickly than a solo rider. As hopper1 says, ensure you learn the etiquette of riding in a group and enjoy it. It's much more fun training through the winter with a group than it is on your own (and can be a good motivator to get out on those colder days).0
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I couldn't believe the difference riding in a group made the first time I ever did it on the Arthur Metcalfe Memorial Ride at the end of last month. I averaged over 18 mph over the 75 miles with probably 75% of that ridden in (well mostly at the back if I am being honest) of a group of 15-20 riders. Sometimes I don't even manage that on my 4 mile commute!
Not only do you get the benefit of being shielded from the wind, but the threat of being dropped of the back really gets the adrenaline pumping and keeps you motivated enough to keep with the group no matter what, as if you lose it you know you may never see it again.0 -
Some clubs have different speed groups so there maybe a more leisurly group to try out first just to see how you go.To err is human,
but to really screw things up you need a shimano - campag mixed drivechain.0 -
Just turn up and explain that it's your first club ride and that you'll probably stay on the back for the first few rides. Tell them that as soon as you've gained enough experience you'll pull through on the front. A good bunch of lads will have no problem with this and should even give you encouragement. If they don't - find another club.
Heck - you might even feel confident doing a bit on the first run, who knows?
What you don't do is turn up and sit off the front either a bike or a half wheel in front of the club's 1st cat
(like what used to happen occasionally when someone new turned up on the Clayton Velo Club run in Lancashire) 0 -
fto-si wrote:I am not keen on the idea of struggling to keep up!
then your probably in the wrong recreational sport
you will be alright they will wait if you get dropped"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
mididoctors wrote:
you will be alright they will wait if you get droppedfto-si wrote:I am not keen on the idea of struggling to keep up!
Maybe. Do some research first and find the right club. If you accidentally turn up on a chain gang they won't wait for you and if it's a proper training run a month before the first race you might get left behind.0 -
Where are you located?0
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I live in Ipswich, Suffolk0
