tomato coupe

Every ride is a race ... you just might not know it.

big john

I know it, I did around 2000 club rides in the last 20 years. I just don't approach a charity ride as a race.

Iride01 

I play it by ear every year. If a group comes by and they ask or I ask if they mind, then I'll stay with them for a time. I seldom stay for more than a couple turns on the front out of a group of 20 or so. I'm just not use to going slow for so long when they are slow. But overall, as a group, their time will beat my time by a long margin.

caloso

When I first started riding, I signed up for a 40-mile charity ride. I remember hooking up with a bunch for awhile but I didn't know anything about riding with a group so I ended up getting dropped after a few miles. Started racing and haven't done an "event ride" since. I guess now I'd try to organize a rotation if possible. No reason people can't work together.

Inusuit

I've done only one event ride. Tour de Prairie out of Cheyenne. About 60 riders, most faster than me so it was basically a solo ride. I did enjoy seeing other bikes and bikers. I might do others as it was a good experience. Don't think I would like riding in a pack.

WhyFi

Say that after you've found yourself lazily rolling along at 28mph in the draft; it can be a lot of fun.

big john

Riding in the right pack is important. If you ride with others over a period of time you learn who you can trust and who had bad habits and who to avoid completely.
When at a charity ride with 6000 riders you get all kinds of riders and you don't know anything about them. This is why I don't join strangers in their pacelines except in rare cases. I don't mind riding in the front for the whole ride, it's what I'm used to after getting dropped so many times over the years.

Some people go into these rides looking for a wheel to sit on. If I know somebody or make a friend I will exchange pulls but I'm not going to sit on some stranger who might lead me off a cliff. I can do that on my own.

Sojodave

I've got an event 104 mile "ride" this Saturday with 3800 feet of climbing at 94 degrees. Here is what I've found doing several of these types of rides.

1. Don't start out too fast by yourself. Everyone is excited and they usually take off fast, find someone to draft off of, and look for groups to form.
2. Know the course before so you know where the hills are. Download the map if you can onto your GPS unit.
3. Draft as much as possible and be courteous by pointing out obstacles in the road and turns.
4. Bring your own food and don't eat anything new. I've seen riders get sick because they introduce something new to their stomachs.
5. If you're in a group, and it is going too fast, drop off and see if you can catch another group. I was in a group and I was drafting, doing 400 watts @ 30mph on the flats, which definitely was not sustainable.
6. Put your food in plastic bags for each stop and mark them 1,2,3..etc. I've seen riders who are fumbling around for drinks, powders, bars, etc. Put it all in an individual bag and save time.
7. Don't leave stops by yourself. If you're by yourself, wait for a group to leave and hook on.
8. Go to the bathroom every chance you get. You never know what the bathroom situation will be like at the next stop.
9. If someone is drafting off of you, be polite, pull them for a while, flick your elbow pull out, and then draft off of them...
10. Have fun, it's not a race, it's a ride.

Oh yea, don't forget to start your Garmin/Wahoo GPS computer at the start like I always forget to do on most big rides.

PeteHski

Timed Sportive rides are popular here in the UK. They are basically races for non-racers. I view them as a personal challenge to better my own finish times, whilst enjoying a ride in like-minded groups. Groups naturally form and split along the way, so I just take it as it comes. If I'm in a group that I find is going too hard, I drop off and cruise solo until another slightly slower group comes along. Often others in the same group will do the same thing, so you often get natural splits forming into smaller groups. Likewise if I'm in a slow group I will try to latch onto a faster group coming through from behind. On big events with thousands of riders you can effectively ride in a peloton pretty much the whole time if you wish. Because individual start times are staggered by anything up to a couple of hours, there is always a steady stream of faster late starters coming through the field. The last Sportive I did a few weeks ago had starts in groups of 6 (covid restrictions) every 2 mins and by complete chance the group of 6 I started in was a perfect match and we rode the whole event together. But that very rarely happens!

big john

We sure disagree on some of these points! If I am paying $75 to ride I am going to eat a lot of whatever they are serving. Some of the event type rides I have done feature excellent food and sag, others not so much.
As for being a wheelsucker, be careful with that. I wouldn't encourage newbie riders to do it.

noimagination

I haven't done any truly large rides, like GFNY. I've done the TZ Bridge MS ride a few times, the Tour de Cure, and the Tour de Putnam. So, my strategies might not work for larger "event" rides.
1. I get there early so I can do the register/pick up t-shirt and meal ticket/etc. stuff at a leisurely pace, get the bike off the car, gear up, use the restroom, etc. without rushing.

2. I wait a couple of minutes after the official "start" before I set off. If you're in front, it is generally a sh*t show for the first few miles as those who like to "race" try to pass everyone else. It doesn't matter if there is a solid line of cyclists, they try to pass anyway and too often crash taking out not only themselves but others. Many of the riders have no experience riding around others and are truly dangerous to be around. I'm not the best bike handler in the world myself, but at least I have a minimum level of competence, which is emphatically NOT the case with a majority (yes, more than 50%) of the riders I see on an event ride.

3. I ride at my own pace and try to avoid groups. Again, many people are truly horrible bike handlers - cannot ride a straight line; swerve with no warning; slow with no warning; can't get a water bottle or something from their pockets without being all over the road; oblivious to the presence of other riders; etc. In general there is an inverse relationship between the density of riders and the safety and predictability of the riders. I don't think its worth the risk to ride with a group of cyclists whom I don't know. I'm generally not doing the ride because I want company, but rather because I like the route (or to ride unfamiliar routes) and to take advantage of the opportunity to ride roads that are normally not available to cyclists. Also you often get to go through controlled intersections without stopping if there are cops controlling the flow.

4. When descending in particular, I stay WELL away from other riders. If I'm on a descent and can't pass a rider quickly, I hang FAR back. Fortunately many riders are slow descenders so it is possible to pass them quickly so as to minimize the length of time I'm near them. Crashes are most likely in the first few frantic miles, but descents run a clear 2nd place for being the most likely time for crashes to occur.

5. I avoid the rest stops and try to take enough fluids and food - so, Camelback plus bottles, and energy bars or other food. I can generally go 80-ish miles without stopping. The early stops in particular get crowded and you end up waiting around a lot. I'm there to ride, not stand around. The stops generally don't have anything I really want anyway.

PeteHski

That’s interesting. Most riders I see in Sportive events are pretty experienced club riders, so groups are normally quite safe to ride in.

I do notice the fast starts though! If the course is not overly demanding I plan to ride a bit harder at the start to take advantage of faster groups and then try to hang on as long as possible. They often naturally settle down to a more sustainable pace anyway. If the course is really tough I just ride my own pace from the start and pass all the bodies later!

noimagination

A couple of years ago, I got caught up in the GFNY going North through a part of Haverstraw while I was on a ride (if I'd known the ride was that day, I'd have chosen a different route). I was with a clump of 80 or so riders, and I couldn't get away from them fast enough. JHFC, the stupidity I saw in those 5 minutes still boggles my mind. Later in my ride (North Mountain Road, on my way back) I got passed by the front group, about 15 or so riders, they were fine (for the couple of seconds it took them to pass me).

IME, the maximum number of riders in a "good" group is around 6 or so. Much beyond that, the likelihood that there is at least one a**hole who doesn't know what the feck they're doing approaches unity. Of course, I'm too slow to keep up with the really expert riders, so I'm sure this doesn't hold true for many faster groups.

big john

The bloodshed is the biggest turn-off to these rides for me. Descents and anything technical. There is a charity ride near here that I have done 10 times because groups from my club do it. There is a section of very twisty road with a rough surface. There is usually carnage there.

Sure, the same thing can happen on club rides when newbies show up but at an event with 1000s of riders the chance of knuckleheads is greater. Just assume they don't know what they are doing and stay vigilant. Of course, if you have the speed to drop everyone you have only yourself to blame if things go south.

LarrySellerz

The charity ride I saw near me was virtual this year, seems like the organizers are covid doomers. They still wanted $150 to do the ride, and it's not all for charity because you get a jersey... ridiculous imo. Once they start up again I plan on going. I imagine there will be a chaotic start and a large chain gang will form with strong riders pacelining and a huge group redlining trying to hold onto the back. Sounds fun.

phrantic09

I do most of my riding solo, so in an "event" I like being in the group. I just pay attention to the people around me and ID the groups I want to be with vs those I don't. I found a good group that I should have stayed with rather than dropping them on a hill, they blew by me at mile 70 (of 75) and I couldn't grab on. They finished about 8 minutes ahead of me.

PeteHski

It sounds like the US is not the place to be doing this type of event! I'm usually in the front third of the field, but certainly not in the seriously fast groups. I haven't personally seen any of this dangerous riding and carnage on UK events. Although I have heard of nasty crashes happening. I just take it as it comes. I'll certainly ride in a group most of the time. It's one of the reasons I do these events.

rsbob 

Most of the event rides I have done are 100, 150, 200 mile rides which attract a pretty experienced dedicated group. I may start these solo or as part of a two man team. Inevitably we join pace lines and quickly determine whether they are safe to ride with and know the basics of pace-lining. We avoid yoyo groups or people that have to bolt off the front destroying the pace. The goal is always a sub 5 hour century ride time and sub 11 double which is only doable with pacelines. Yes there is always an occasional wing nut out there, but they are usually easy to spot and avoid.

abercrombie

This is pretty much my approach on the last big ride I did -- looking for various groups that fits my speed level. First 2 times , I just rode solo and smelled the roses, and it was more difficult. This 3rd time on this route, I stuck with various groups and made PRs on all the segments and it felt much easier. However, I have to admit it wasn't as fun as going slower and taking in the scenery.

big john

They aren't all like I've described. There are some tough climbing rides that don't attract newbie riders, or huge crowds for that matter. I've had great fun on rides that are limited to around 100 riders and even some with 3-400.

WhyFi

They put 8 minutes in to you in 5 miles? Ouch.

dilbert2000

Channeling George

I ride alone, yeah
With nobody else
I ride alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah, you know when I ride alone
I don't touch wheels with myself

PeteHski

Ah, that could be it! Most events I do are tough 100 mile rides with up to 4000 m of steep climbing. Not the kind of events that attract inexperienced riders. The descents are often seriously scary too. Narrow farm tracks with gravel and sheep ***** on them. I did one today that was probably about as tough as it gets for the UK. - Peak Epic Sportive. I didn’t hear of any incidents thankfully.

terrymorse 

Even the hardest event rides aren't without riders doing stupid things.

Event rides don't get much tougher than Climb to Kaiser (156 miles, 17,907 feet). The last time I did it, a rider got himself killed on Big Creek Rd by going around a blind curve on the wrong side of the road. The accident happened long after I had passed that point, so I didn't have to experience the carnage.

The same type of head-on fatality crash happened on the Sierra Century (103 miles, 8,586 feet). Once again, it happened long after I had passed that spot.

Good strategy to avoid the yahoos on these ride: start early, ride fast.

big john

That's true but I still think there are fewer knuckleheads on the harder rides, especially the rides which aren't heavily advertised. That said, a friend was doing the Eastern Sierra double one year and his paceline picked up a solo rider who was struggling with the headwind. That rider made a bonehead move and took down the whole paceline and my friend got a broken elbow for his troubles.
There is a club that puts on climbing centuries which are limited to 100 riders. I've done several of them and the riders are all very steady and I never saw any problem except one time there was ice on the road and one guy slid out.
Those King of the Mountain rides have seemed ok to me, too. I think the most I've seen is 400 riders on the 5 or 6 of them I have been on.