Introducing new riders - How to stay together

[TrekJeni]

First post here, forgive me if I'm doing something taboo.

My gym buddy and I saw a flyer for the MS150 here in Cincinnati about 6 months ago. Said "let's do it". Bought new bikes three weeks before the ride and rode all 150 miles. I guess us two 30 year olds are in better shape than we thought! Anyways, a neighbor of mine down the road use to do centuries and stuff years ago and was envious that we are totally addicted to this sport now and has hinted at riding with us. We're doing an easy 25 mile flat ride (morning Glory) with him and his 16 year old son next weekend.

My friend and I went for a easy 25 miler last night and the 16 year old tagged along. He was on his dad's Bianchi which we had to fit to him as the kid is about 6'3" and maybe 160 pounds sopping wet. We rode for about 3 miles on relatively flat roads when we came to the first hill. He promptly got off his bike and walked. He was already spent. This was not going to work. We had resolved ourselves to practice spinning as we knew we'd be going slower than normal but we couldnt even spin without our butts bouncing all over from such low resistance. Tried to pull him but he wouldn't get close enough to draft so taht didnt' work. How do you incorporate slower riders into your rides? It was absolutly miserable. I hate to sound like a whining baby but I just didn't think us "old women" could smoke a 16 year old like that! I'd really like to see him get better since this is the first enthusiasm he's show towards anything. Although tall for cycling, he's got a body I could only hope for.

If that wasn't enough, the three of us got passed by what appeared to be the peleton! I looked back over my shoulder to see if he was still with us and in the distance I saw a dozen guys riding in a paceline. "Uh Oh, we're going to get passed and passed fast". Talk about embarrassing - they were all hot too! We joked with our newbie, out of the closet kid about having to get into biking so he could check out all the spandex! LOL

Really gals, any advice on keeping people motivated or keeping the tempo to something suitable for everyone? Thanks

Jeni

[mtbdarby]

Jeni,
I'm no expert or roadie for that matter so I'll just give you my thoughts if I was the new kid:

He's riding on his DADs bike that YOU had to fit to him and he was trying to keep up to a GIRL. Maybe??? He was a little intimidated and unbelievably nervous. My first few mountian biking exercursions I was so nervous my heart rate was through the roof in nothing flat and I couldn't seem to catch my breath. It could be possible all these things combined put a lot of pressure on him and he was just really uncomfortable. And maybe he sensed your impatience too. Any chance you could take him on a leisurely "fun" ride to get him loosed up? Or do something non bike related before that so he's comfortable around you?

Normally a 16 yo boy has more energy that we can imagine. I really wouldn't think that it's physical ability that slowed him down. And does he even know what drafting is? Peleton? That's a whole new language to non bikers. Heck, sometimes you guys still get me with phrases I don't understand, lol.

Maybe put him at ease a little and let him know you never drop riders and you only go as fast as the slowest one can go (or however you can phrase that tactfully). I STILL feel bad if I'm the slowest rider and they tell me this all the time. It's in our competitive nature to try and be good at what we're doing.

Hope that helped some. Let us know how the next ride goes, but I'd try and take some pressure off. Real or imagined.

Dar

[mtbdarby]

Of course (laughing) maybe he was checking you out and got....a rise out of it... and had to walk, lol. Too funny :p Still trying to think like a 16 yo boy here :D

[bikerchick68]

Hi Jeni! Good for you for helping a new person get drawn into the sport... it's awesome that a 16 yr old is showing interest in such a great and healthy hobby!!

I actually ride with new people on Sunday AM's... a sort of informal introduction ride group... I talk about safety, technique (spin, spin, spin!!!), getting fit to the bike etc... when I take people I have a route that is 24.8 miles COMPLETELY flat... most people that have never ridden cannot touch hills until they build some initial strength in those quads... especially since they are probably riding flat pedals (so not able to utilize all muscle groups yet) ... and still scared to death of clipless! I have a no-drop policy so that a brand new person can ride with us if I have more experienced people with me... sometimes we don't make it the 25 miles... I can look at newbies and sorta tell if they're gonna poop out early...

I also talk about eating prior to and during rides and I remind people all the time to drink!!! Amazing how many people don't drink... often times I suggest stopping to drink as they are not comfortable removing the water bottle while riding... another thing I teach people how to do! I just have to know this is completely a recovery ride for me... and if I want more I go back out after they all leave!

When I was brand new I was riding with my ex, a racer... and his expectation of what I should already know and be able to do was unrealistic... I almost quit due to it... it was just freakin miserable... got divorced in Dec and have done 4 centuries this year so far... HA! :D

I know what ya mean about getting dropped by a peleton... LOL... makes ya wanna chase that rabbit down huh?

good luck with your new boy and way to go on encouraging him!!!

[Dianyla]

I'd suggest your newbie friend get in some serious saddle time on his own to improve his stamina/speed and ride with you guys occasionally. Such as, Mon-Fri he's on his own and you guys go for a weekend jaunt. If you do every ride with him it will be endlessly frustrating and potentially painful for all parties involved.

[Grog]

Great ! New riders !!!

I am introducing a friend who's never done any kind of aerobic exercice whatsoever in her whole life (she's 27). Good muscles thanks to Pilates, though. She recently realized that no-cardio capacity could become a problem for her and was finally willing to come on a bike ride with me. I was on my road bike and she on my hybrid (which is a tad too big for her but it has been okay for now) so there was no way she could have been riding my speed anyway. So 15 km/h (about 9 mph) it was. On our third ride (she rode 30+ km!!) we had an evil headwind so I taught her to draft, it made a difference.

Usually I'd recommend riding behing the slow person (unless the said evil headwind rises!) so that way you make sure you ride at his/her speed and don't exhaust him/her. And avoiding hills as much as possible (I know that for some it's just not a possibility). Spinning a bigger or smaller gear, pedaling with one foot, practicing the "look ma! no hands!" technique, etc. can help you benefit from the time spent riding as slow speeds.

On the only hill on our course, I ride behind her in my biggest gear. Standing up allows me to go at even less speeds than sitting. And I cheer her all the way up. It's on a bike path so we meet a lot of people who find it pretty funny, but she told me that if I hadn't been there in the back she would have put her foot down more than once on that hill (which she has never done so far).

Someone posted this link today: the first article will help.
http://www.roadbikerider.com/articles.htm#RoadBikeRider.com!

Enjoy the ride! You need recovery rides once in a while anyway.

[JanT]

My friend and I have taken her young son and a few of his friends out mountain biking a few times. They're 13-ish, so a bit younger than your friend's son. What we discovered is that even though they're boys, they're not in cycling shape. Furthermore, they needed to be cued to shift! They would try to climb hills without changing gears, and that simply didn't work. Your young friend may need some advice on gearing and how to pace himself on hills. It sounds like he's a total newbie, so you have to assume he knows nothing and teach him. Be patient and tolerant on rides with him, and keep them short (maybe 10 miles max) and build him up gradually. Then drop him off at home and you and your friend can pick up the pace and do your training. You may have to accept that rides with the young man are not going to be work-outs for awhile, but they can still be pleasant experiences--bonding, shared memories, etc.

[Saxa82]

25 miles is a lot for a kid who is not used to biking. Just because he is a 16 year old kid might make one think he must be in shape. But it may not be true. Also, even if the kid is active, biking is a skill and certain techniques like shifting, climbing, and especially drafting come with experience. If you want to take less experienced riders with you, then you need to adjust the pace and just enjoy the scenery that you can see better now that you're going slower!

[TrekJeni]

Thanks for all of your insight. Reading through the postings I see that us gals expected too much from him. When my girlfriend and I started to ride, our very first ride was about 30 miles. We woke up the next day and thought "wow this biking stuff is going to be easy!" but then we didnt' really factor in the five days a week at the gym for the past year doing three days of weights and two days of kickboking / bootcamp cardio stuff! LOL So, no cycling is not "easy" we were just alreeady in great shape.

Update on the "boy" - we did a 27 mile tour with him and his father yesterday (Sunday) along with more than 2000 other people. He did great! There was an a$$ kicker of a hill that his father elected not to do but he did most of it without walking.

Thanks everyone!

[bikerchick68]

great news! congratulate him for me too! he's already off to a good start... :)

[KSH]

I have a couple of friends who ride *slower* than me. And I only suggest that they ride with me, when I know I am in the mood for not caring how fast I go.

If I invite them, I prepare myself to have an easy ride... and to enjoy the chatting and the scenery, versus sweating and getting a good workout.

Also, on some of the no drop rides I go on... the faster riders may go ahead... BUT the always circle back for the slower ones. You could have let him know that you would go ahead, but circle back... doing the hills twice would have been good for you too!

And, everyone's fitness level is different. I think we all know that age doesn't mean a thing in cycling. How many times have you been smoked by a man or lady, twice your age? Maybe this 16 year old hasn't done any physical/cardio type of activity in his life? Very common these days.

Also, did you two take a look at how he was using the gears... maybe he was mashing the pedals, thus he was tired before he might have been if he was spinning his pedals.

Well, you were nice to ride with him... and younger riders need encouragement and someone who can set the example... more teens/young adults need to incorporate physical activity in their lives.

You know what else, maybe he has never been in a situation where he was faced with physical discomfort and where he had to make a decision: press on through the pain, or quit. I know my first swim meet... when I was 14 years old... I was tired after 50 yards (of my 100 yard back stroke)... and I decided I would get out of the pool and stop. I thought it was OK to just stop in the middle of my competition, no one had told me it wasn't OK to stop. But they all yelled at me to finish and I did. I also learned how to press on, and that you don't give up when you are tired or in pain. Maybe he hasn't learned that lesson yet?

AND... I bet that kid went home was *down* on himself cause some 30 year old women kicked his butt... and I bet you MOTIVATED him to get faster and do better! Guys HATE when a girl beats them... OR passes them on a bike!

[SandyLS]

(Quote KSH) "How many times have you been smoked by a man or lady, twice your age? "


Nope, never happened! Can't say as if I've ever been passed up by a 116 year old biker, and I am way slow! :p Point well taken though. Hubby worked a lot of overtime this summer and just now has started to have the time to bike with me. (Somebody had to pay for the new toys). I do a ride by myself while he is at work at my own speed and goals. (50 miles yesterday at 15.5 mph.my longest and fastest to date) When He gets home I'm happy to go along behind him at his speed and distance as he builds up endurance. I'm just glad that he in interested in riding at all. His rides give me a chance to practice the skills that I am still afraid of, standing to pedal, grabbing my water bottle while riding, clipping and unclipping, riding in the drops and lots more.