Am I ready for a group ride?

In Tulsa, there is a large Wednesday night ride each week. My husband rides each week but I haven't gone yet. He has always talked like it would be too much for me. Apparently there are 3 hills that they lovingly refer to as the 3 sisters and he is worried about me making it up them. I also have a male co-worker who is willing to introduce me to some girls that ride each week so that I could ride with them. There are different routes for 25, 35 and 50 miles.

I'm more of a wallflower and not much of a social butterfly and I've never ridden without my DH so I'm worried that I will feel all alone if I go with these girls. I can't make the 35 miles with my husbands group. They woudl leave us behind and it would just take me too long. :o

Stats:
1. I've been riding a road bike for a little over a year.
2. Just got back on my bike recently due to a non-cycling injury that kept me off for a while.
3. I ride clipless but my DH says that it is a problem that I unclip with both feet and not just one at each intersection. (fell a few times so now I always completely unclip).
4. I haven't figured out how to stand and pedal going up hills. DH says that might be a problem when tackling the 3 sisters.
5. My rides usually consist of 20-30 miles at 13.5-14.5 MPH avg.

So what do you think? Should I just jump out there and try it. I'm pretty nervous about feeling like I'm slowing the other's down or just in general looking like I don't know what I'm doing.:confused:

I think you should go out there and give it a try. What's the worst that could happen. You might have to walk up the hill. So what!
I never stand going up hills I always sit and spin because I don't want to wrench on my knees.
I have been riding again for about 2 years now and I don't worry about my speed. I worry about getting through the ride and not killing myself.
I always feel bad if someone has to wait for me too, but I have learned to ride by myself and not worry about everyone else or trying to kill myself to keep up. Just make sure you know the route and how to get where you need to go and have a cell phone or something with you for emergencies.
If they say that it is a no drop ride, then they need to expect that there will be some that will be slower and someone will have to hang back with.

Seems to me your husband should be encouraging you to join him and he should hold back with you, and help you along, since he is experienced on the ride.

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Originally Posted by beancounterbeth

I'm pretty nervous about feeling like I'm slowing the other's down or just in general looking like I don't know what I'm doing.:confused:

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That's exactly how I felt the first time I rode with other riders (heck, I still feel that way), and I'd bet it's how most people feel. The only way you can find out is to just do it. If it were me, I'd contact that group of female riders your co-worker recommended and ask what their 25 mile route is like. Chances are, you might feel less intimidated riding with women your first time out, instead of with your husband's group.

And why is it a problem to clip out both feet? As long as you can re-clip both when you're ready to go, what's the big deal?

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Originally Posted by beancounterbeth

I'm more of a wallflower and not much of a social butterfly and I've never ridden without my DH

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The world is your oyster

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Originally Posted by beancounterbeth

so I'm worried that I will feel all alone if I go with these girls.

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If you use the women of TE as an example I'm willing to bet you'll find support there as well.

There's only one way to find out ;)

Geez, I'm a wall flower too. But if those women will ride with you, they will ride with you! It won't be a gab fest.
now to answer your questions.

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Originally Posted by beancounterbeth

Stats:
1. I've been riding a road bike for a little over a year.
great!
2. Just got back on my bike recently due to a non-cycling injury that kept me off for a while.
but you're riding!

3. I ride clipless but my DH says that it is a problem that I unclip with both feet and not just one at each intersection. (fell a few times so now I always completely unclip).
The other gals aren't going to give a hoot whether you unclip or not. Sometimes I unclip both feet. Why would that bother your husband?
4. I haven't figured out how to stand and pedal going up hills. DH says that might be a problem when tackling the 3 sisters.
some people NEVER stand up and pedal on hills. With some bikes, i have found it difficult myself. I might ride for days without standing up on hills, and I live in hilly country.
you don't need to stand up.

5. My rides usually consist of 20-30 miles at 13.5-14.5 MPH avg.
you sound like a pretty strong rider to me!


So what do you think? Should I just jump out there and try it.
yes!

I'm pretty nervous about feeling like I'm slowing the other's down or just in general looking like I don't know what I'm doing.:confused:

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I'd tell them up front that you've never ridden with anyone and you have no idea if you'll be too slow or not.
You'll know from their reaction if they are going to want to ride with you or not. If it was me, I'd say, sure, we wont' drop you if you don't drop us!

I think everyone here thinks you should go so I'll put in my two cents and concur with them all . . . YES GO AND RIDE WITH THEM! :)

I completely relate. My first several group rides were on the tandem with Dh, so I was "lookin' good"! (He's very strong, so it makes me look faster than I am!) The first time I tried a group ride on my own I was late getting there and most people had left, so I technically ended up riding by myself, as I feared would be the case even if I had had a head start. Then a ladies' group cropped up, so I tried that. Surprisingly, I was one of the faster one's, which made me feel good! (From the sound of it, I'm about your level, by the way.) That group was definitely more for beginners and, apparently, I was past that point.

The club's schedule conflicts a lot with mine, so it was difficult for me to ever really do a club ride, plus my fear of being the slowest made me not try too hard to make it happen. However, last Saturday, Dh offered to take the kids to their weekly horse lesson so I could do the club ride. I was nervous, like you, how it would go. This was guys and girls mixed. Turned out to be AWESOME!!! The group I rode with was right at my level. There is a 23 and 33 mile ride on Saturdays. The 33 mile ride is the "fast" group and the 23 mile ride is, apparently, the "moderate" group. They stopped at the top of all the climbs to regroup and I was thrilled to not ever be the last one. I was about in the middle, or a little behind the middle on the climbs, but pretty much in or near the front on the flat or downhill.

So, I say, jump in and try it. You might be surprised. If it doesn't work out, then at least you know what level you need to be to try it again. I do recommend trying the ladies' ride first. Much more likely to be a good first experience, but one of the shorter guy/girl rides might be fine as well. You also might want to try that 3 hill climb without the club to get an idea what it's like before trying it with them.

I say go for it. :D

Riding with a group is a great way to become a better and stronger cyclist.

Ask questions when you get there if you are uncertain about protocols.

Don't overlap the wheel of the guy/gal in front of you. Offset is okay, overlap--No! You'll be the one to go down, BTW, if there's contact.

Don't worry about being dropped. Different rides and even different groups that meet up for the same ride have different flavors. Some are no drop rides/groups. Others, you're gonna just have to do your best to hang on as long as you can. And it's okay to be dropped. One day you will not get dropped and you will feel a sense of satisfaction about your riding.

Watch out for sketchy riders. Some folks refuse to listen regarding safe cycling practices. I'm talking the red light running, wheel overlapping, speed changing yahoos. Avoid those folks once you figure out who they are.

Most of all--have fun!

First, address the clipless pedals. These can be your best friend if you master them. Answer this: if you are sitting still on your bike, one foot on the ground, the other on the pedal, which foot is most likely to be on the pedal in the ready position?

For me, it is my right foot. It is the first foot to come unclipped when I stop. Figure out which is your "unclipping" foot and practice unclipping just that foot and stopping.

Another thing to consider are your pedals. I've heard so many great things about other brands of pedals, but I stick with my Shimano SPDs for one particular reason: you can adjust how easy or hard it is to clip out. I keep it on the easy adjustment so I can get out of my pedals easier if need be. Perhaps you should check to see what pedals you are using, try out some Shimano SPDs if you're not using them already, and adjust them so they're easy to clip out. This alone may solve your problem.

Group Rides

You are never going to get up those three hills if you don't try. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll conquer them. There is absolutely no shame in walking up a hill. Everyone has done it. (If you haven't, then you need to come here and ride ;)).

Go to the group ride. Release your husband from any responsibility of keeping track of you and riding with you. Do your own thing.

Oh, and ask your coworker if he'd be willing organize a ride with you, him, and his female friends. That way, he can ease your shyness on the first ride and help you get to know the other gals.

Be brave. Have fun. You'll soon wonder why you didn't try this sooner. :)

You should try the group ride. I started riding about a month ago when DH's race team started a women's group ride. There are some experienced riders in the group but they help me out by giving me tips to improve my riding. DH has ridden the 3 sisters in the Tulsa area when we lived there. He said try it if you have a three ring on your bike. He rode it many times when he was beginning to ride.

You've probably already decided, but I hope you did go and I hope you unclipped however you felt like unclipping.

So it's thursday morning....

didyaride, didyaride???? How'd it go?

Sorry I missed this thread yesterday, but having been a sheepish rider myself, I found a different set of friends on group rides than the office group that normally outrides me (I hang with them as long as I can on our after work rides). I do better with my weekend group ride friends, pretty much our small gang sticks together, and if someone is feeling frisky - they say so, sprint ahead to get it out of their system, then ride back for us.

So I'm voting for going on the group ride, and you and your DH meet in the parking lot at the end. Riding within your skill/comfort level, or maybe pushing yourself a bit harder, will keep the peace between you.

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Originally Posted by bmccasland

So I'm voting for going on the group ride, and you and your DH meet in the parking lot at the end. Riding within your skill/comfort level, or maybe pushing yourself a bit harder, will keep the peace between you.

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My DH and I do this all the time. He takes the long route "with the boys" and I take the shorter route (with the ladies and the old men! :rolleyes:). We meet at the end.

I hope you did the ride...or plan to do it next week. You got some good advice from the women here. I won't state it again, but I think group rides are a great way to boost your riding confidence, get stronger, and meet a whole bunch of new folks....while having a darn good time in the process.

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3. I ride clipless but my DH says that it is a problem that I unclip with both feet and not just one at each intersection. (fell a few times so now I always completely unclip).

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What the heck? Is what he is really saying that he's afraid you won't get going in time to get across the intersection, and be left behind or stuck at the light? In that case, move to the front of the pack at the lights, be johnny-on-the-spot while the light is changing, and hurry it up getting mounted and across. Make sure you're in a good gear for taking off before you get to the light, too.

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4. I haven't figured out how to stand and pedal going up hills. DH says that might be a problem when tackling the 3 sisters.

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You can always walk 'em. Then you'll be standing. ;) No, but seriously, if they can't wait for you to attempt the hill either spinning up slowly or walking, then it's not a no-drop ride for folks, and you probably shouldn't be doing that one. Find a no-drop ride.

Being able to stand up on the pedals was a matter of upper body strength for me. I couldn't do it last season (felt scared like I was going to pitch over the bars), but 6 months of boot camp changed all that. Now I stand without even thinking about it.

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5. My rides usually consist of 20-30 miles at 13.5-14.5 MPH avg.

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Sounds like me on a group ride. You're faster by yourself than I am when I ride alone. Groups make me go faster.

Karen

If your hubby knows the route, maybe you should preride it before the group ride -- that way you'll be familiar with the turns and know ahead of time if the 3 sisters will be a problem, and work on attacking them. Know what gear you need to be in, know if you need to shift someplace on the way up -- I find it much easier to climb something the second time around.

Okay, I'm going to just toss in that it depends on the group. SOunds like DH's group isn't the right one.

If you're afraid you'll feel alone, connect with somebody or accept that you'll feel alone (it probably isn't fatal for one bike ride). I'd say "if it isn't for you, then don't go back" except that even the same weekly group ride can be very different on different nights, so I would psych myself to try it, say, three times before making a decision.

Thank you to everyone who replied. You all really boosted my confidence. I didn't go last night. I already had a pilates class scheduled so I went to that while DH went on the ride.

We talked it over last night and I'm going to go next Wednesday. I'll meet up with the girls and DH is going to tag along for the first ride to help boost my confidence and give me encouraging words throughout the ride. I'm super excited and nervous all at the same time.

I'll post next Thursday and let you all know how it went. I'm going to ride tomorrow morning and then after that give my legs a break so that they are fresh for next week. :)

Once again....thank you all so much!

Since you've already made your decision--BRAVA by the way--I just want to add some encouragement.

I was in a similar situation. I'm no generally a "joiner," but after talking to a woman I met while cycling solo on a local trail, I was persuaded to just check out the local Saturday morning club ride. Like 7Rider's club, ours has a faster and a slower group--mostly women and older folks--so I didn't have to worry about keeping up with riders who were way out of my league. I couldn't do the distance of even the slower group the first day, but they stopped and talked with me when I decided I had to turn around. They were all enormously encouraging and told me to keep at it and eventually the distance would come.

Know what? They were right! And that's still the group I ride with. We do anywhere from 30- to 55-mile rides on Saturday mornings and try to fit in one or two shorter rides during the week. I would NEVER have achieved this kind of mileage riding on my own. And while I'm no speed demon--nor do I care to be--my speed has increased too. AND, lots of people in our club never stand on a climb.

Maybe the best thing is that I've made some great new cycling friends--nice bonus!

Have a great group ride and keep us posted on your results!

I think you should give it a try. Group riding can be really fun--if you find the right group.

I would add this to the clipless pedal "issue." On one hand, I agree that you should do what makes you feel comfortable. On the other, I think there's something to be said for feeling confident unclipping and stopping with just foot in an emergency. I can think of a number of times that I've had to unclip and stop in a real hurry, i.e., without really even thinking about it. From that standpoint, I would encourage you to practice unclipping with just one foot. Always make it the same foot and I assure you that it will, in time, become second nature. I'd suggest going to a parking lot or quiet park and just doing it over and over again.