Hey everyone,

We're in the process of trying to start up some group rides locally. We have riders of all skill levels, and when we went out earlier in the week, started out with 15 and ended with 4 due to people hammering along, some people apparently getting lost, etc. All in all, not the best "group" effort. Of course, you go too slow, you'll bore the faster riders, you go too fast, you discourage the slower ones. I've got some ideas on how to remedy this, but figured our group can probably benefit from others mistakes. So, advice?

Thanks!

Chris

to our group ride every now and then. Usually the slower riders fail to show again unfortunately, and the main group stays together. If there is some separation we will take breaks after a big climb etc to wait. When slower riders are present the faster riders usually take off separate and one rider stays to supervise the newer member.

Hey everyone,

We're in the process of trying to start up some group rides locally. We have riders of all skill levels, and when we went out earlier in the week, started out with 15 and ended with 4 due to people hammering along, some people apparently getting lost, etc. All in all, not the best "group" effort. Of course, you go too slow, you'll bore the faster riders, you go too fast, you discourage the slower ones. I've got some ideas on how to remedy this, but figured our group can probably benefit from others mistakes. So, advice?

Thanks!

Chris

Our club rides can get that way real fast. It seems that when the Cat 1/2 guys are not along for the ride; the cat 4's will pick up the pace and try to show everyone what they've got. For the cat 5's and newbies in the group it's not a lot of fun when there's someone in front trying to show everyone he/she is Lance/Lancette Armstrong. I've even been accused of doing it. The experienced racers/riders know how to keep the pace down or atleast consistant during the group ride.
Some good things for group rides are as follows:


Designate a waiting area at a known intersection every ride, atleast for a little while. This gives stragglers time to keep up, give feedback and eat a cliff bar.
ridign with a cue sheet will also keep people from getting discouraged when they're dropped and give them a bail out route.
Hope this helps,
Arby.

Riding in a major metro area, the weekly group ride sometimes has 300 starters. It goes about 15 minutes and then turns into a race. As riders get dropped off the back, they re-group with the other riders that drop off the back and generally you end up riding in a group of about 6 to 10 where everyone is comfortable at the pace they're doing. (If you're not, you can always drop back and fall in with the next slower group.)

But that's big city stuff with lots of riders. Also, everyone is pretty familar with the route, so people don't get lost.

In this smaller town I'm in now, a dozen rides is a big starting group. It usually breaks down into two or three sub groups. But the routes are really clear, and the riders know the area. Still, the group ride generally doesn't fit my schedule and the riding I want to do, so I don't usually get to them.

I think what you discover with any group process is that sooner or later the group sorts out the procedures and ends up doing what works. And yes, a lot of the slower riders give up coming out to the rides. Most group rides on road bikes are about training for racing or riding at a race training pace.

Road bike riders ride to go faster, farther, or get more fit. That's why we ride, and that's generally the objective of a group ride.

...It seems that when the Cat 1/2 guys are not along for the ride; the cat 4's will pick up the pace and try to show everyone what they've got...

Go figure. The best riders to keep a slower paced group together are usually the strongest riders. They have nothing to prove, they understand how to get a workout without maxing out their HR and they are willing to put something back into the sport by developing new riders. What you need to do at the beginning of the ride is identify three (3) strong riders and it does not need to be the same three every week.

1) The Diesel who is responsible for sitting up front and setting a steady, reasonable pace. This can be done from the front position or the second position, but not much further back. In addition to setting a steady pace the Diesel also makes sure no one chases any rabbits. If a rabbit jumps the Diesel keeps everyone else in the pack and when the rabbit gets lonely he will come back.

2) The Sweeper who sits at the back of the pack. He makes sure no one drifts off the back unnoticed. If someone gets gapped the Sweeper slides back and pulls them back up to the pack. The Sweeper has a great view of the pack and can offer appropriate encouragement and coaching if the nature of the group allows it. The Sweeper also monitors fatigue and needs to inform the Diesel if the pace is too fast or too slow.

3) The Shepard who hopefully is not needed is there for the rider who gets in over his head. If someone bonks or is simply not up to the pace of the majority of the group the Shepard drops off with the slower rider and gets them back home. This can be turning around and riding straight back or another approach is to take a short cut and try to hook up with the group later. Before leaving the group the Shepard lets the Sweeper know he is leaving the group with slowrider and also ask if anyone else ones to go with him.

These three riders can allow a group ride to remain a group ride. What is the point of showing up for a group ride if the bulk of the group does not stay together. With five miles to go let everyone have their race to the finish. The weak ones will accelerate and the strongest riders will usually just watch. Where's the glory in beating another rider if you don't both have numbers on your back?

Here is an excerpt from our ride guidelines for our Wednesday nights.
http://www.3rvs.com/info/RidePromos/saturn101.html

...This is not a race! If you want to test your legs out go to a Tuesday night race training ride or join the Carroll group for a brisk pace. For the most part the entire ride can be done in your small ring and the group should stay together with an average pace of 17-18mph for the ride. With about 4 miles to go until the finish anyone feeling particularly frisky can take off for the finish line sprint.

This group is a great recovery ride for racers after a hard Tuesday night effort. Fitness oriented riders who find the pace a little slower than they prefer can take longer pulls up front to get their workout. By staying together as a group you also enhance your group riding skills, which can have a dramatic effect on your ability to go fast....

Break into groups at the start. Designate a "leader" for each group. Clearly state tne average speed and distance for each group before the start to try to assure that people can handle the ride. Advise the exact route to the first regrouping spot. Make sure everyone in the group knows how many people are in the group. If the "leader" is not going to sweep, make sure everyone knows that they are responsible to be sure the person behind them makes any turn off the road you're on.

Break into groups at the start. Designate a "leader" for each group. Clearly state tne average speed and distance for each group before the start to try to assure that people can handle the ride. Advise the exact route to the first regrouping spot. Make sure everyone in the group knows how many people are in the group. If the "leader" is not going to sweep, make sure everyone knows that they are responsible to be sure the person behind them makes any turn off the road you're on.
If I tried this on our local group rides I'd quickly become known as the "ride nazi"!

Printed maps for those who haven't done the route before are a nice touch. Otherwise, these things have a way of working themselves out.

I have done group rides in rural areas that had a sprint for each yellow warning sign (stop, corner, etc) with a rolling regroup after each one. One road had multiple signs and was a real test of endurance since we didn't regroup until the stop sign yellow sign. We would turn around at the end of the road and round up all the gapped riders and roll back up to speed. Racing isn't about going 26-28mph for two hours, it is about going 30+ for several hundred yards and being able to recover at 25 mph and repeat. When I rode with smaller groups, a fast sprint was 32 mph. I used to ride with a large group of 50-60 fast riders and the sprints would be at 35-38 mph since the wind up was 30 mph before the sprint. Setting up your training ride in an area that has loops with shortcuts is good since there are more opportunities to rejoin the group. BTW, I am the Diesel.