First Sunday Club run

philwint

I did my first full club run with the Calder Clarion chaps today. I've joined them for some of their mid-week runs over the last month when I've had some time off, but this was the first time I could make the hallowed Sunday run.

AND IT WAS ACE

knackering, excruciatingly painful in parts, long, nasty head wind, sunshine and stinging rain, hills - OMG the hills!!.... but still fantastic

My longest ride ever at 83.5 miles, with 3,781ft of climb and all at 17.5mph (moving average)

My gps lost reception a few times, so strava is out a bit

http://app.strava.com/activities/48753920

I'm hooked - will certainly be back for more torture next week.

pride4ever

Thats an epic ride no doubt but I get your average speed to 15.6 which is still impressive on todays windy conditions.

philwint

pride4ever wrote:

Thats an epic ride no doubt but I get your average speed to 15.6 which is still impressive on todays windy conditions.

Down to the loss of GPS. It lost reception twice, the first was during the cafe stop, so i think the 35 mins there messed it up.

Garmin connect says 17.5 but i'm suspecting that is off as well. Two of the other guys are on Strava too and their ave is 16, so I'll go with that.

iPete

It's ace, not sure why i put if off for so long.

Went out with the fast guys today, me and two others worked on the front whilst 7 others hung on for dear life that was until I started to bonk, amateur hour!

Great fun and great way to improve your riding isn't it!

alihisgreat

iPete wrote:

It's ace, not sure why i put if off for so long.

Went out with the fast guys today, me and two others worked on the front whilst 7 others hung on for dear life that was until I started to bonk, amateur hour!

Great fun and great way to improve your riding isn't it!

The key to riding with a fast group is to do your turn early, then sit on the back whilst everyone else then has to bury themselves to keep up the pace which you've decided for them during your turn

(but In all seriousness club riding is about riding as a group.. so don't do the above!)

philwint

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

(but In all seriousness club riding is about riding as a group.. so don't do the above!)

Yeah - I did 2 short turns on the front, but that was as much as I could manage

Davdandy

83 miles is no mean feat.Well done Phil.

rolf_f

Impressively uncompromising route between Tingley and Holbeck!

That route is kind of like a combination between my commute and one of our clubs more popular Sunday runs (commute being A650 towards Middleton and Club ride up to Grassington and not the other way round!).

We went out to Askern today. 92 miles and a lot of wind!

philwint

Rolf F wrote:

Impressively uncompromising route between Tingley and Holbeck!

That's the MTB side coming through - straight through everyhting lol. Or it could be where the GPS lost reception

We went out to Askern today. 92 miles and a lot of wind!

I was there last Sunday, by a much shorter route!

nmt

Great ride Phil, for a moment there I was going to say I take it you were the one not in the clarion club kit but then I saw your strava link, Passed some calder clarion this morning but not where you rode.

Azhar

Hey Phil. Nice to read you enjoyed yourself there buddy. I'm still contemplating if I should join a cycling club. My commute is done on my own and I don't see how joining a cycling club will help me, what with all the slip streaming and sh1t. I actually don't mind riding on my own but realistically I would only be able to do one ride a week with them rather than the 4 rides they normally have a week.

philwint

Azhar wrote:

...... I don't see how joining a cycling club will help me, what with all the slip streaming and sh1t.

For me, what got me hooked on the road bike over my old and trusty MTB is the distance you can travel, and the speed at which you can do it.

Riding in a group allows you to go further and faster. And to work much harder too. When you are on your own it's very easy to just ease of a bit when you start to hurt. In a group it's amazing how a tiny drop in effort has that wheel in front immediately stretching out away from you. A couple of times today I got slightly dropped on hills, then had to work really hard on the flats to catch up (though I know they dropped the pace to help). And way too many times I had to dig deep to keep up, where I would normally have eased off if alone.

And of course the best bit is that you are with like minded people, so you can have a bit of a chat (when your lungs allow it) on the road, and a nice friendly group at the cafe.

I've been riding on my own, or occasionally with a couple of mates on mountain bike for years, and there is nothing like a good group ride. Go on - join up and give it a blast. Or more likely turn up for a ride a few times, then join up if you like it.

zardoz

I agree with Phil, I was supposed to be riding in the Postponed New Forest Sportive on Sunday but instead I went out for the first time with a local club on their Sunday run - something I had been thinking about for a while. We did 66 miles, and its amazing how much harder you work in a group rather than on your own. It made a nice change to riding on my own. The only way you really improve is by being pushed by people who are slightly faster than you - plus there is the social aspect and cake........

TheSmithers

Great ride to the OP! I think wherever you were in the UK yesterday, it wouldn't have been easy in the wind.

I did approximately 85 miles in the New Forest yesterday. I say approximately because there was a portion of the ride where I didn't realise my garmin wasn't recording!

In summary, it was the most brutal ride I've ever done in the 6 months or so I've been riding. The New Forest is very exposed so there was a constant high wind, cattle grids and the most severe cramp I've ever had! I had to stop so many times because of it, hence why my total time is so much more than my moving time. Frustrating as I had loads of energy, but just couldn't deploy it because both my calves and quads kept contracting whenever I tried to put the power down. Still, it was an awesome ride with some beautiful scenery! Must go back when the weather is a bit calmer.

Ride here: http://app.strava.com/activities/48805291

Bobbinogs

zardoz wrote:

...its amazing how much harder you work in a group rather than on your own.... The only way you really improve is by being pushed by people who are slightly faster than you ...

I am not sure I agree with these two bits.

Firstly, one doesn't necessarily work harder in a group because that depends on what the group is trying to achieve on that day and the individual. Some club rides do make one work harder, rides like chaingangs (which can be brutal) or winter training...but other club rides are Sunday social rides. It also depends on one's ability relative to the group (no point being on the front and working so hard that you snap the elastic behind or cause breaks, etc.). In fact being a good lead out takes a lot of skill and judgement.

Secondly, many folks (myself included) do training on their own and can push themselves quite hard so don't need a group to improve...but working in a group gives them some concept of relative performance, and it can also make suffering more enjoyable.

I think the ultimate answer is mix and match as and when fits. Most clubs let you go out on rides when it suits (so even once a month is ok and one doesn't even need to feel oblilged to go to the social midweek, etc.). Most clubs accept that everyone has a different objective/priority on any one day, for example, sometimes I will miss a club ride just because it doesn't fit (as in when I am tapering for a big ride the day after), but either way group/club riding can be exhillerating, bloody dangerous, social, tough, easy...but I would thoroughly recommend it regardless!

Azhar

Phil has ur club told u that u have to wear their cycling jerseys and bib shorts at one pont or are they happy forum to wear what they wAnt?

TheSmithers

Bobbinogs wrote:

zardoz wrote:

...its amazing how much harder you work in a group rather than on your own.... The only way you really improve is by being pushed by people who are slightly faster than you ...

I am not sure I agree with these two bits.

Me neither. I find lone riding much harder. You don't get the benefit of drafting, and for me personally, having some company on a ride gives me a real psychological boost.

slowbike

TheSmithers wrote:

Bobbinogs wrote:

zardoz wrote:

...its amazing how much harder you work in a group rather than on your own.... The only way you really improve is by being pushed by people who are slightly faster than you ...

I am not sure I agree with these two bits.

Me neither. I find lone riding much harder. You don't get the benefit of drafting, and for me personally, having some company on a ride gives me a real psychological boost.

It depends on your ability compared to the pace of the group.
Lone riding may not give the benefits of drafting - but you set your own pace and alter it when you need/want to. You don't always have that flexibility in a group - so if you're a slower rider you'll almost certainly work harder in a group than out.

philwint

Azhar wrote:

Phil has ur club told u that u have to wear their cycling jerseys and bib shorts at one pont or are they happy forum to wear what they wAnt?

No, there seems to be a mix, maybe half and half for in club colours : not in club colours