showlow

Was just visiting a new LBS. The owner moved to AZ specifically for our race scene. He suggested I try racing myself and he made a pretty good argument. But, I'm not ready to buy a race specific road bike and get a license just yet. I was searching the forum for newb advice. An older post suggested I find some 'fast group rides' first and get comfortable with that before trying an actual race.

Can anybody suggest any good group rides for this sorta thing? I live Downtown, so near to here is good. I'm cool with getting dropped if that's what happens. Just want the experience of riding with some quicker, more experienced riders.

Thanks in advance.

ChrisZog

Here's to hoping you found a group in the past month. I live in the west valley and am still a slower rider (I'm a clyde and the wife is 5'2" so between us we are are probably never going to be fast). But I know that Southwest Bikes in Peoria has different groups for all skill levels. I believe their A or B level groups are fast and distance riders. We rode with their E group ride once and that was 10 miles at about 10 mph. D group was about 10-20 miles at 12mph.

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Also there's a Glendale group (not associated with any stores). Every other Sunday they do about 10-15 miles with a casual and chatty group out for breakfast. The more advanced riders then go off for a faster ride after we get back to our start. The following Thursday they do a faster 20-25 mile ride at about 15 mph. And on Silent Sundays at South Mountain they ride up the street to the top and then back down again. Not sure if you wanted to do some climbing but that sounds like a challenge.

https://cycling.meetup.com/cities/us/az/glendale/

I don't know much about east valley. I'm betting Global bikes has some groups so their website may help. We usually find groups by using Yelp to find bike shops and then look for group rides associated with the stores.

bmcphx

Where "downtown" do you live? As I find people around the city use that term pretty loosely, must be a Phoenix thing...

I live downtown and do Gainey on Tuesday mornings, it's nice for the situation you are describing because there are several hard efforts but with the two regroup spots and stop lights you can always catch back on if you get dropped... I think you'd have to be really out of shape to get dropped though. I ride from my condo and it's 47-49 minutes on the nose to get there, 16.4 miles. I leave home at 430 and the ride starts at 530 so I have about 8-10 minutes to fill up my water bottle at the gym, really a great ride too. My favorite in the city.

Saturday is BOS which is the hardest in Phoenix and starts at various times in the morning throughout the year. This weekend is the last 7am start, then April and may it will be 6:30, moving to 6:00 for June, July, and August. If I ride there and back it's a 96mi day so I don't do that all the time.

Both rides are good groups of mostly racers with some other fast non-racers thrown in and then the random strong weekend riders.

Other rides you could easily get to are Tribe in Tempe, starts at the shop on Miller and Indian School. It's two 10 mile loops with the first half of the first one being neutral then it's a testosterone fest. Round trip from downtown this is about a 2 hour ride but it starts in the evening which is gross especially this time of year. You contend with rush hour traffic to get there by 7, ride in the hot, then get home at like 9pm. **** all that noise unless you are a night owl.

You can always meet up with us on Sundays from The Velo at Garfield and 2nd, we do South Mountain as a smallish group and a few of us race, then whomever else shows up. It's a moderate pace to the hill, regroup, then everyone to the top at their own pace, another regroup, descend at their own pace, regroup at the bottom, then neutral pace home. 8am this sunday, then moving to 7 for April.

There are other rides in the area like Airpark, ATM, West Valley, and I'm sure some others, that are relatively "fast" but I think Airpark and ATM are boring because flat ground for a long time with no turns, and West Valley is a total **** show. Inexperienced riders are common, and anyone who tries to tell them what they are doing wrong or could do right is reprimanded because they value how many people are on their ride more than they value the safety and development of riders. It's the buddy-buddy club and they have crashes all the time because of it. If you go on BOS or Gainey and screw up, you're going to get yelled at, and depending on who yells at you, they may crush your soul with their words. This is how I was shown the ropes and I'm a much better rider for it.

edit: I just read the above response, I'd stay away from Silent Sunday if I were you. I always forget it's going on and roll up to the coned off roads and feel immediate regret for riding there. It's very dangerous because you have people thinking they can walk/run/ride/push strollers across the whole road just because it's closed to cars. I can't tell you how many times I've been riding up the hill and some idiot is descending around a corner in my lane or I am going down the hill and go around a blind corner to find 5 housewives walking side-by-side across the whole lane. It's truly awful.

guttertech

^This is a good summary. Here's how I would describe the weekly calendar.

Monday:
N/A

Tuesday:
Gainey @ 0530 - Very fast with a couple very short power climbs. Mostly flat otherwise.
Lifetime @ I dunno - I am told this is a fast ride and fewer peeps, so I assume it can be harder.
There's also a ride in Ahwatukee in the morning that is supposed to be painful. I think it leaves at 0530 from Ganem Jewelers but don't quote me on that.
Underground Crit @ 1830 - This ride is going away on April 7th. It's basically a practice crit and the A group is always fast and single file.
Swiss @ 1900 - Can be very fast but it's in the middle of a neighborhood. Weird ride.

Wednesday:
Airpark @ 1900 (I think) - Two fast loops in North Scottsdale.

Thursday:
Gainey @ 0530 - Very fast with five climbs. The longest is only about 4 minutes (when it's really fast), but they're one right after another so it can suck.
Tribe @ 1910 - Very fast and two loops around Papago. I don't think I've ever done this ride and thought "that was easier than usual." I really like this ride but only get out there on special occasions.
Stetson Loops @ 1900 - Way up in NW Phoenix (meets at Deem Hills Park). Five loops, neutral for like two miles, then full gas for a mile up a "hill." Wash, rinse, repeat. I did this ride once. I almost threw up but it was also boring.

Friday:
The Friday Ride @ some godawful time in the morning - I haven't done this one but it climbs 56th and Castle in Phoenix. I am told it is pain cave.

Saturday:
BOS @ varies - This is my weekly ride. Sometimes it hurts more than others but you're always welcome to drive the bus and make it hurt more.
Bicycle Ranch @ varies - Their A group can be very hard. Probably less punchy than BOS so a different kind of hurt.
WVC @ varies - This ride is fast but very flat so it's easy for everyone to hang in the A group for the first half. This makes it sketchy, imo.

Sunday:
ATM @ varies - Flat but usually fast enough that I generally see it thin out and it doesn't feel sketchy. Kind of boring.
Airpark @ varies - Flat and fast. Fun. Lots of stoplights, which is not fun.

SpeshulEd 

I find this site to list off most of the rides happening in Arizona - more hipsterish fun rides, but they do include some shop rides from around Phoenix:
Calendar | Bike That AZ Up

Clipped In has a pretty good list as well - probably more racers checking out these rides:
Cycling | Bike Shop Cycling | Cycling News| Cycling Races | Arizona

AZ Bike Club has several chapters around the valley for a multitude of styles.

I haven't done a club/group ride since moving "downtown" other then a bike/brunch ride where the top speed was around 8mph and most of the people rode on the sidewalks...needless to say, I'll never do another one of those.

I'd like to check out LOOPS on Monday night at 8pm from The Velo, someone told me they do a faster ride beforehand, starting at 6:30.

I really wish there was something on the weekend that started around 10-11, knocked out 40-50 miles with a pace of 20mph or so, and finished with beers, but no such luck. I like my bike and all, but I also like drinking on the weekends and sleeping in.

bmcphx

how did I forget about Friday Ride.... great ride and good group of people. it's 5 "climbs" that are actually 9-10% hills... lots of regroups so we drill it up the hill and stand around until everyone catches up. It's not far from downtown, just ride down Van Buren which turns to Mill, and the group meets at the Starbucks on Mill and 6th at 0530. I was like 28mi round trip when I did this ride last... and just like Gainey Tuesday, I head back to LGO on the way home for coffee after, it's part of a ritual.
@guttertech rides at night so he's a good guy to ask about late rides, I prefer the mornings for a myriad of reasons.

SpeshulEd 

Is Gainey a shop, I've never heard of that ride before?

Although, now that I think about it, I think I've seen "Gainey" on your strava before.

bmcphx

what are you going to do when it gets hot?

bmcphx

Village Gainey Health Club, look at my rides on Tuesday mornings and it should give you all the info, but if you want to head that way I'll ride out there with you some time. That's the ride I did every week until I got hurt and then just got back this month. It's my favorite ride around I think. Really good workout and I'm home by 8am even including a 30-40 minute coffee stop.

SpeshulEd 

As long as I'm moving, the heat doesn't bother me...well, at least up to the 105ish point, then I'm all for getting up earlier.

Maybe one of these days if I can drag my ass out of bed. I suck in the morning though, I'll be dropped in no time.

I miss group rides. It's been at least six months since I've ridden with a group.

BoSoxYacht

West valley cycle has a good ride.

The A group is strong. I struggled to stay with them on the flats, but lead most of the climbs(before my wreck).