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@morecashthandash, what you have just described is what appeals to me so much. I know I could probably join in other people’s club rides when I want, but actually joining the club gives me access to the encouragement that comes from a community of riders that collectively know A LOT more than I do.
I may be middle aged, but I like having targets and ambitions to work toward, and a good club can help me take myself more seriously, as well as keeping me somewhat accountable... even if only through peer pressure.
<div class="bbp-reply-author">Haze
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<div class="bbp-reply-content">Most runs and training bashes around here are inclusive, so long as you’re safe you’re welcome.
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Pretty much like that around here too. The more popular social riding group is a collection of cyclists from lots of different clubs, along with cyclists not affiliated with clubs. Some guys from my club started a regular chaingang on a Saturday morning; once again, its open to anyone to join as long as they ride safely. We have club riders along with numerous ex and current Welsh champions, a commonwealth games silver medalist and former and current professional cyclists regularly joining.
I guess there is no convincing the dinner lady types here who like their silly petty rules. And thats why some clubs suit some - but not others.
Appols to Saxonrider for getting drawn in and contributing towards hijacking his thread.
Reading this with interest as thinking of trying my local club as I find anything over 90 min on the road solo as pretty boring.
What kind of fitness level is required to rock up at a club run? On a solo ride I average around 16.5 mph with around 80 foot of climbing per mile. I'm assuming that that's enough to keep up with the slower groups right?
16ish will see you in the 'inters' group , over 3 or 3 1/2hrs though , climbing wise, mostly less in the sunny southern flatlands.
You would be knocking on the door of the 'Fast' ride as the slipstream effect will help you 'sit on' at 20+ with alot less effort than a solo ride.
The biggest difference is energy deploymment . Mtb is alot more burst energy, road is way more constant output and in a group even more so. The boredom will disappear as you should be able to ride as a pair for long stretches of road and have a natter.
BTW most roadies do not mtb riding or racing seriously . They think its still at the 6-7pints the night before , a fry up and a mince around the local woods for 30 mins .
Our short Sunday social rides usually run at 13mph with 1000-1500 feet of climbing over 25 miles. I've led the rides with new newbies at 11-12mph though, strict no drop policy on social rides, we all had to start somewhere..
Steady interested run 13-15mph depending on terrain over 35-50 miles. Inters will do that at 16-18mph. The long fast group does what it says on the tin. Chaingang and training rides will show no mercy.
Once a month we have a "Step Up Sunday" - a shorter flatter ride to encourage new members, and then hillier or longer routes to encourage people to try something outside their comfort zone. Over the summer we've extended the distance of the steady rides till we had a group hitting 100 miles, but at a steady 12-13mph, we are on the edge of the Derbyshire Dales and Peak District so hillier rides are easy to run.
Seeing someone who started at the beginning of the year on a 20 mile beginners ride go on and hit 100 miles a few months later is fantastic, and it's a real motivation for others when they see what clubmates have achieved.
I’ll pm you if you really want to know.
I think you'll have to Jon, I'm bursting with curiosity!!!!!
TP Biker - we're a Surrey club, so no massive hills in our area although at the same time we can also do some reasonably hilly rides. Sort of 1% is our benchmark, eg: 500m in 50km; below that is considered a flatter route, above a hilly although on any given sunday it's up to the ride leaders to plan their routes, and of course it's also how you gain that height - as Surrey Hills riders know if all your climbs are from the south and all your descents go to the north it's a very different ride to v/v. We only make the hilly / not hilly distinction because we try to alternate, so if it's hilly one week, it'll be less hilly the next.
Typical ride speeds then are
Social - 12mph around 60km (yes, I know.....)
Fast Social - 13-14 maybe a bit further
both these are no drop / stop and frequent regroups although as said, we try and keep the group together and rolling as much as we can, and it's when stronger riders join these groups and constantly clip off the front, which makes the group pace rise until weaker riders lose touch that i get a bit cross (or, I sit on the front of the 'rest' and manage pace down again to the group pace and if the breakaway misses a turn - tough)
Inters - 15-16
Fast Inters -17-18
Fast - 19-20 (all around 80km +/-)
these are still no drop but rather than stopping to regroup so often, if the group does split on hills then the leaders will ride tempo until the stragglers get back on (leaving someone to mark at corners, etc)
I 've never heard of Veloflow, but it sounds like a rubbish name for a household cleaner.
Thanks folks. I must say that I had expected the speeds to be far higher given its a group ride.
Issue I probably now have is that I should really join the slower groups to learn the rules of group riding, but cycling at 12mph for 40 miles would literally send me to sleep.
Just a thought, road riding seems to work in a club format, ie chain gang groups, MTB not so much, a big group of bikers out on the hills can be a slow, frustrating experience.
IME obviously.
Veloflow, seen them in a few LVRC races
@TPBiker, if you are averaging 16.5, you should be pretty comfortable. As singletrackmind points out though, it is how you learn to use and manage your energy / effort whilst on group rides that matters. At least, that was my experience.
I thought I was fit coming from an mtb / spin class / turbo background, but my first club rides were a real step up. Roadies do not stop, not even in the slower groups. The average speed may drop, but it is still a consistent effort that is required and that can take some adjustment and getting used to (depending on your experiences).
Just a thought, road riding seems to work in a club format, ie chain gang groups, MTB not so much, a big group of bikers out on the hills can be a slow, frustrating experience.
IME obviously.
Not just yours. I lead MTB rides at my (mostly road) club and get a very, very wide range of abilities turning up. As with any ride, it works best when everyone is pretty closely matched (or willing to spend a day riding steady), but if there's one person who insists on pushing up every 5% gradient hill, then it rapidly becomes bloody annoying for everyone else. Actually, this is far better dealt with in road clubs where speeds and distances are posted before, whereas it's always harder to gauge (as both a rider, and leader) with a group of mountain bikers.
It's all cycling so I don't mind really though 🙂
Thanks folks. I must say that I had expected the speeds to be far higher given its a group ride.
I think our slowest social groups go out at 10mph on the road (no, I wouldn't enjoy that either!) and the group I go out with is in the 18-ish mph area (terrain depending, of course). Everyone likes different types of rides and a good club should cater to what its members enjoy doing.
Issue I probably now have is that I should really join the slower groups to learn the rules of group riding, but cycling at 12mph for 40 miles would literally send me to sleep.
It doesn't take that long.... one, maximum two rides usually and you can still enjoy riding in a group and the chat and the coffee stop. If you can't invest that time to learn a new skill and all you want is a workout, then you might as well ride solo.
Equally I'd counter that if you can do 16.5mph average on your own, that'll be at the faster end of many club's group rides but before the group would be happy to let you in then they'd need to be happy that you aren't going to bring the group down with an avoidable 'mistake' - and also that you pass the attitude test. By that I mean if you moan like **** about the speed, keep clipping off the front to make your point, and respond to any pieces of advice in the way some folks have responded to me, soon the word goes out that you aren't much fun to ride with. As a ride leader yes, i want you to have a good ride but I also want the other half dozen or so in the group to enjoy it and get home safely too.
Would riding with a club not get you in trouble with the plod?
Might be a great deterrent in a captain caveman style though
Page one called, it wants its jokes back.
BTW most roadies do not mtb riding or racing seriously . They think its still at the 6-7pints the night before , a fry up and a mince around the local woods for 30 mins .
I posed photos from SSUK to our roadie clubs facebook page.
Judging by the number that disappeared again I don't think it fit in with their view of 'cycling'.
BTW most roadies do not mtb riding or racing seriously . They think its still at the 6-7pints the night before , a fry up and a mince around the local woods for 30 mins .
I posed photos from SSUK to our roadie clubs facebook page.
Judging by the number that disappeared again I don’t think it fit in with their view of ‘cycling’.
To be fair to them, I don't think people appreciate quite how different the two disciplines are. As a mountain biker for decades (it hurts to say that), and a road rider for the last couple of years, I've gained a huge appreciation of the difference in skill set needed to do both and I have a lot less time for those on either side that throw scorn and sarcasm over the fence at "the other bunch".
I've led a few "easy" MTB rides for various road riders from our club. Nothing serious - maybe 15-20 miles of moderate, local offroad. Hilly, yes, but this ain't the Fens! It's always surprised me how broken everyone looks at the end, despite most of them thinking nothing of riding 50+ miles at a decent pace every Sunday morning. Mountain biking is tough if you're not used to it!
Switching to the other side, I assumed that my MTB skills (such as they are) would make me an immediately superior rider to my road brethren when I joined them on their rides. In fact, I had as much to learn from them as I would expect to teach a kid before they could ride competently at a trail centre. I don't think anything I'd ever done before on the MTB, that had my adrenaline and heart pumping like a 30mph sustained group ride on the road, riding inches from the wheel in front, and inches from the bike next to me. I was bloody terrified and the only way I knew how fast we were going was by shouting at the chap riding next to me who was a bit more competent than me and could thus glance down at his Garmin!
I think I've grown up a bit (hey, I was one of those taking the piss out of the lycra-clad-muppets!) and have learnt to appreciate some new aspects to cycling that I had never entertained before. And now, I'll always encourage people to swap bikes and try something new.
I was bloody terrified and the only way I knew how fast we were going was by shouting at the chap riding next to me who was a bit more competent than me and could thus glance down at his Garmin!
+1; I went from road in the 90's, to MTB in its incarnations and then only relatively recently (3 or so years) back to road and I'd remembered the do's and don'ts quite well, but had forgotten (or maybe got 25 years more sensible) how 'exciting' it can be to be in a group clipping along at a decent speed.
Which is the point, whether it's 15 or 30mph, if someone screws up most of the people behind are going down too, and tarmac's hard at any speed. So to keep the right side of the exhilarating <--> terrifying border is why we have certain practices.
Another example - I know we've seen the pro's do it, but if you want to take your gilet off / count all your gels in your pockets / unwrap a sandwich, wait until we next stop. If you absolutely have to do it now, drop to the rear of the group first. I don't doubt your skillz, but it's not a race and you don't need to fight to hold position in the group. If you were to screw up, I'd rather there's no-one behind you to suffer the fall out.
I got a mouthful for suggesting that to a rider once.
Too many rules, or just an obvious observation.