You need to be smooth and predictable in fast groups
05-09-18, 05:50 AM
#127
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05-09-18, 05:57 AM
#128
I'm doing it wrong.
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This is the truth, and it happens at every charity ride I've ever been part of. It's the main reason I no longer ride with a club I used to ride with.
05-20-18, 10:53 PM
#129
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Bumping this thread to post a video demonstrating the trick of sitting at the back and just off to the side of the front rotation. You’re not pulling but you’re not disrupting the flow either. This allows you to stick with the fast group without blowing yourself up.
05-21-18, 04:01 AM
#130
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Bumping this thread to post a video demonstrating the trick of sitting at the back and just off to the side of the front rotation. You’re not pulling but you’re not disrupting the flow either. This allows you to stick with the fast group without blowing yourself up.
https://youtu.be/_CF8XVzJ2HQ
https://youtu.be/_CF8XVzJ2HQ
05-21-18, 08:27 AM
#131
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Compare the A ride, which is a bit faster and a whole lot smoother.
05-21-18, 08:44 AM
#132
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Thanks for the videos @kbarch!
Short pulls in that A group. Slackers. Seriously, they all seem to be doing well, not overlapping wheels, smooth pace. That's what I'm talking about.
The B group however is a bit more frightening. Can't see the front but at the back they are waiting too long to accelerate onto the wheel of the rear rider. Waiting until the rider to the right has passed is too late. The result is riders standing to catch on, then having to brake and coast when they catch up, and so forth.
Short pulls in that A group. Slackers. Seriously, they all seem to be doing well, not overlapping wheels, smooth pace. That's what I'm talking about.
The B group however is a bit more frightening. Can't see the front but at the back they are waiting too long to accelerate onto the wheel of the rear rider. Waiting until the rider to the right has passed is too late. The result is riders standing to catch on, then having to brake and coast when they catch up, and so forth.
05-21-18, 09:23 AM
#133
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Thanks for the videos @kbarch!
Short pulls in that A group. Slackers. Seriously, they all seem to be doing well, not overlapping wheels, smooth pace. That's what I'm talking about.
The B group however is a bit more frightening. Can't see the front but at the back they are waiting too long to accelerate onto the wheel of the rear rider. Waiting until the rider to the right has passed is too late. The result is riders standing to catch on, then having to brake and coast when they catch up, and so forth.
Short pulls in that A group. Slackers. Seriously, they all seem to be doing well, not overlapping wheels, smooth pace. That's what I'm talking about.
The B group however is a bit more frightening. Can't see the front but at the back they are waiting too long to accelerate onto the wheel of the rear rider. Waiting until the rider to the right has passed is too late. The result is riders standing to catch on, then having to brake and coast when they catch up, and so forth.
05-21-18, 09:52 AM
#134
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Yes, the guys accelerating onto the the rear of the group scare me a little. I would not hesitate to ride with them but would prefer to be in the rotation between some of the smoother riders. I would not want to be in front of or behind the guy in blue who stood.
Last edited by TimothyH; 05-21-18 at 10:03 AM.
05-21-18, 10:06 AM
#135
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Nothing frightening on that ride. I brought my 14-year old on the B ride. That's the reason I wasn't pulling. I wanted him to stay on my wheel, towards the middle, not take any pulls, and feel comfortable in the middle of the pack. That portion of the ride had a tailwind Saturday so it was important to not be at the back, especially when the road turned to a crosswind, a few minutes after the end of that video.
On the way back, he got tired of sitting on Dad's wheel and moved up to take pulls. Did great and I expect that he'll be doing the A ride by this time next year, if not by the end of this season.
On the way back, he got tired of sitting on Dad's wheel and moved up to take pulls. Did great and I expect that he'll be doing the A ride by this time next year, if not by the end of this season.
Last edited by caloso; 05-21-18 at 11:31 AM.
05-21-18, 10:14 AM
#136
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Thanks for the videos @kbarch!
Short pulls in that A group. Slackers. Seriously, they all seem to be doing well, not overlapping wheels, smooth pace. That's what I'm talking about.
The B group however is a bit more frightening. Can't see the front but at the back they are waiting too long to accelerate onto the wheel of the rear rider. Waiting until the rider to the right has passed is too late. The result is riders standing to catch on, then having to brake and coast when they catch up, and so forth.
Short pulls in that A group. Slackers. Seriously, they all seem to be doing well, not overlapping wheels, smooth pace. That's what I'm talking about.
The B group however is a bit more frightening. Can't see the front but at the back they are waiting too long to accelerate onto the wheel of the rear rider. Waiting until the rider to the right has passed is too late. The result is riders standing to catch on, then having to brake and coast when they catch up, and so forth.
It was a rotating pace line.
05-21-18, 11:34 AM
#138
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It's getting busier. When I first started going on this ride 15 or so years ago, we could go an hour without seeing any cars. Now there are quite a few more: more housing out there, and Waze directing drivers off I-5 on to the Garden Highway to avoid traffic.
05-21-18, 01:51 PM
#140
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Where Garden Highway (the road in that video) lacks in volume it more than makes up for it in fast or distracted drivers. I've been riding on this road on & off for about 6-years and every close call I've had has been on this road. There's no shoulder in the east bound direction, overgrown hedges and blind turns in a couple of spots and if cars take the turns too tight you're toast.
05-21-18, 03:20 PM
#141
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I don’t think anyone was confused. The gaps are bigger than optimal, but it still stays together. It’s always going to be slightly ragged on the B ride, which is going to have a greater disparity of fitness and experience.
Compare the A ride, which is a bit faster and a whole lot smoother.
05-21-18, 03:56 PM
#143
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05-21-18, 04:07 PM
#144
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Like a car is coming behind you?
Can you tell I've never ridden in a group?
Can you tell I've never ridden in a group?
05-21-18, 04:15 PM
#145
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No, like a car is coming towards you. See 0:52, someone (might have been me, can't remember) yells "car up!" At 1:00, a silver sedan goes by. Riders also need to call out slower riders or runners/walkers.
If there's a car behind you, the shout is "car back!" Riders at the back of the group have the responsibility to look back occasionally and call out any cars back. And everyone should repeat it up the line so riders at the front hear it.
If there's a car behind you, the shout is "car back!" Riders at the back of the group have the responsibility to look back occasionally and call out any cars back. And everyone should repeat it up the line so riders at the front hear it.
05-21-18, 04:23 PM
#146
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The recorded wind noise in the A group ride (post #131 ) is fantastic -- it really illustrates the difference between pulling and sitting on someone's wheel.
05-21-18, 07:40 PM
#148
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Thanks for the explanation @caloso
05-21-18, 09:13 PM
#150
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