Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy

Ooozing testosterone . . . don't some of us wish. There are whole threads on supplementing T. Of course you have a point.

You betcha group rides create pacing problems. That's the whole idea! As it is said, we don't train in spite of the pain, we train because of the pain. Not that we like pain, but pain is inevitable. And as it is inevitable, we bank the pain because we'll need to make withdrawals later. I realize that's kind of a hard-ass view, but the women I ride with, and our group is about 50-50, also have come to that view. It's simply more fun to move the bike up the road. I say that you can have a license to fly, but you have to make installment payments.

Have you mentioned what bike you are riding, what tires, what wheels, what gearing (front and back), techie stuff like that?

The general program is to prioritize the distance goals. However and ahem and like that. There's this concept of arousal. Really. Like on the trainer or just going out for a ride by myself, I might have a hard time getting my HR over 142. It hurts and makes my legs feel tired. But put me on a long hill with a fast group on my wheel and I have no trouble hitting 160 and feeling great. Yes, it's all hormones, but not particularly testosterone. I can testify that women feel it just as much as men.

When I was starting out trying to ride distance, I would ride away from home until I was exhausted and then ride back. That's the basic formula. Pushing you a little . . . find a group that's just a little faster than you are now when you're at full stretch, if you can. You want a group that you can at least still see ahead of you on a hill. They're the carrot. Ride their route until you've had enough and are getting dropped worse, then break off and finish out your planned distance. I say, if you can still walk when you're finished, you could have gone harder. This will teach you everything you need to know about nutrition, hydration, cramping (always bring Tums), bike handling, and everything else you'll need to know. Watch them closely. Do what they do. Stand when they stand, sit when they sit. Go hard when they surge, back off when they do. Look like they do, except wear brighter clothing. Stay at the back if they'll let you. Ask questions. Learn.

The tactic is to hold the effort. Almost every group ride will climb like crazy and then back off when they crest. These aren't races, they're training rides. So when you crest and you're behind, you don't back off. You get them back and hold their wheel until the blood starts from your eyesockets. Never give up. If you do that, it'll get easier quite quickly.

The big lesson is how to finish anyway. But be careful: it's addictive.