Can I ride in a group? - Reluctant to keep up...

joeninho

Hi folks,

I'm fairly new to the road cycling game. I'm talking new in terms of a few weeks. As posted earlier, I managed 50 miles on Friday, which I am quite pleased with. I am toying with the idea of joining a club, but a little apprehensive having read a few things on bike radar recently (see 'Reluctant to keep up thread').

There are two issues...

1. I have never ridden in a group and I may be reluctant to ride on the wheel of someone without some serious practice/training, although I'm as daring as the next guy and will give most things a try. Why is a gap such an issue for a beginners group? This is not a criticism of JGSI's view, rather I am interested in the politics and etiquette of club/group riding.

2. My average speed on the 50 miler was 12.7 mph. In fact, that seems to be my average on most rides, although there are plenty of hills around these parts. Is this fast enough to ride with a club? I wouldn't want the whole club having a barby at the side of the road as they wait for me to catch up.

Cheers,

J.

paul_mck

you dont need to ride 5mm from the guy in front just keep up! Sit at a gap youre comfortable with as it wont help anyone if you touch wheels and go arse over tit.

I think youd struggle to find a club that runs at that pace unless they have a beginners group but most are approachable and will soon let you know.

JayKosta

In my area (NY USA) there are 2 different types of cycling clubs -
1) race / performance oriented
2) leisure / recreation / social oriented

If you ride with the performance group on a training ride (which means fairly hard and fast), then not being able to keep the pace is annoying to the riders who all want to stay together in a close paceline. Gaps in the paceline mean the other riders have to work harder to close the gap when they should be able to rest before they are again at the front doing the pulling.
In a performance club there are probably groups of varying strength and speed, but each group will probably want to stay fairly close in their paceline.

The leisure group is rarely concerned with pacelines or doing hard training on a club ride, they ride for enjoyment, reasonable exercise, and socializing.

Find a compatible group of riders and you'll be fine.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

Gizmodo

As Jay said, there are different types of clubs. Clubs form all the time as groups of friends that ride together decide to formalise things.

First of all look at the description of the club's social rides, for example the club I belong to has 3 rides on a Sunday.
1. Fast group, 17 to 18 mph average over a lumpy 80ish miles, no stops
2. Tempo group, 15 to 17 mph average over a flatter 65ish miles, no stops
3. Cafe run, 13 mph average over 40 to 50 miles with a cafe stop mid way

That's just one example. Phone the club and have a chat about where you are now and what groups they have. They should offer "guest rides", a try-before-you-buy, so you can join a ride (in my clubs case 5 times) before joining.

Remember, you can always say "thanks folks, I've had enough for today, I'm going home" and peel off and find your own way home.

I am a big fan of club riding, but not all clubs are equal.

Mikey23

I too average about 12.5 and my club has a 12 group. Have been out with them a few times and they seem a bit random but quite friendly and supportive. This group doesn't seem to do the wheel hugging thing which would scare the pants off me. Just a question of seeking out the right one for you I guess

VTech

I joined the fast ride of my local club as I missed the beginners ride. They simply said hang on for as long as you can and I did for 5-7 miles.
After they left me on a hill I continued on to do my biggest ride to date as I was chuffed I had been in the pack for 20 mins. They were all friendly and approachable and I'm sure most clubs are he same.
Our local club has 17-19, 15-17 and 12-14.

RiderUk

I cycled solo for about 6 months before joining a club, but feel joining a club earlier would have been fine.
From experience your average speed will go up without question when cycling in a group.
I joined my LCC intermediate group whose average speed was 15mph.
First week, I sat at the back of the group paired up with an experienced club rider learning group riding etiquette and protocol.
Looking at my speedo for the first couple of miles we riding at 18 mph which was fine, however 2 hours later as the club ride was coming to an end the last 5 miles was a struggle. Someone kindly stayed with me for support, having a 5 minute rest and drink was enough to get me to the finish.
5 weeks later, how different everything is. My average speed is well up, fitness level has increased exponentially and I’m no longer at the back.
It’s not a race as such, but riding as part of a group is very motivational and your inclined to cycle faster.
Each week I get better and better and can rider faster for longer, group cycling is fantastic without question.
Joining a cycle club has been of huge benefit and wished I had joined one earlier, you meet up with local riders and talk cycling with likeminded people.
As mentioned in this thread, talk to your local cycle club and explain your current situation.

markhewitt1978

joeninho wrote:

Hi folks,

I'm fairly new to the road cycling game. I'm talking new in terms of a few weeks. As posted earlier, I managed 50 miles on Friday, which I am quite pleased with. I am toying with the idea of joining a club, but a little apprehensive having read a few things on bike radar recently (see 'Reluctant to keep up thread').

There are two issues...

1. I have never ridden in a group and I may be reluctant to ride on the wheel of someone without some serious practice/training, although I'm as daring as the next guy and will give most things a try. Why is a gap such an issue for a beginners group? This is not a criticism of JGSI's view, rather I am interested in the politics and etiquette of club/group riding.

2. My average speed on the 50 miler was 12.7 mph. In fact, that seems to be my average on most rides, although there are plenty of hills around these parts. Is this fast enough to ride with a club? I wouldn't want the whole club having a barby at the side of the road as they wait for me to catch up.

Cheers,

J.

I'm about the same, averaging 12mph on hilly terrain. Trouble is my local club seem to average about 15-16mph over the same terrain. I'm a member of the group on Strava and exchange messages with them etc, but haven't been out with them as I know I'd slow them down.

Mikey23

It's a tricky one. I suspect all the riders in that group were averaging 12 but have got confident and competent and are now able to ride the same routes at higher pace. I think that would probably work for anyone but the hardest part is going along and thinking that you are a total wally and struggling till you get it... Tis exactly where I am ATM. My prob is that my 'local' club is actually quite a long way away so I have to motivate myself to get there in order to look a total wally and I don't know the routes so have no bailout strategy...

Bobbinogs

It is just a question of finding the right club. I would recommend trying to seek out a local CTC group if you can. They tend to be very welcoming and the average CTC rider does not turn up in full lycra sporting wheels that cost more than most folks earn in a month. Most CTC clubs will run a variety of rides, with the slowest group really focussing on touring rather than riding, if you get what I mean. More a case of a good social that happens to be mobile

http://www.ctc.org.uk/local-groups

When you are confident/fitter than you can work up the groups with no big steps, just less breaks in cycling and a more determined pace. Might also be worth seeking out some local audax rides as they attract a wide range of people and are a good way to get into organised rides without some of the daunting 'race pace' atmosphere of some sportives. Audaxes are also blinking cheap so worth trying without any real outlay (you just need to be self sufficient).

http://www.aukweb.net/events/