How can I train with my husband???

[kelownagirl]

Everyone has had some great suggestions. One other thing my DH and I have done is for him to ride on ahead for 3-4 minutes, then turn around and ride back to me and/or past me. He can ride his speed, I can ride mine, and we're always fairly close together. He likes this a little better than stopping and waiting for me because he can keep on riding. I like it because I'm not looking at him in the distance all the time and yet I'm not riding totally alone.

Now that I'm running and swimming, and riding a little less, he does hard rides alone, and easier rides when he's with me.

[Crankin]

None of our rides are "training," so maybe this won't work for you. When I started riding my husband was at his fastest. He just rode at my pace or a little ahead of me. He did his fastest rides with other people, who he no longer rides with. I got faster just by going out and riding alone, getting faster and getting lighter bikes over the years. Now we are more evenly matched. If we are going out for a long ride, we stay together. Since most of our riding involves hills, we usually average around 14-15 on these days. Flat rides we average around 16-17. Now, when he rides to work (maybe 2 days a week) he'll average 17 even 18 and my average alone on a hilly "training" ride tends to be in the high 15's, including the 15% climb at the end. I will never be as strong as my husband, but there are times when I can climb faster than him. It's usually when he is pacing himself because he is tired. He descends like a rocket and that's my least favorite part of riding, so he waits.
We usually do our weekend rides with another couple. He is a bit stronger than my husband and sometimes takes off ahead, but they usually stay together. My friend is slow; hence I often end up in the middle, riding alone. At certain points in these rides, though, my husband stays with me and is perfectly happy. Our goal is to ride together until we keel over and drop dead....

[arielmoon]

Great suggestions here! BF got me riding a few months ago when he was just getting back into it after 2 years. Right now I am quite a bit stronger and way more fit. I have a hard time staying on his wheel but if I go ahead to pull I leave him behind. I feel bad cause this was something of our 'together' time and the poor guy has to hear about it from people that see me way out there in front of him all the time.

I had someone experienced people tell me I should race and he was quite proud of that but I am sure his ego has been taking a beating. Yesterday I sat behind him for 75% of the ride and barely broke a sweat so I let that be a light day for me. We averaged 17.9 and my best ever on the same 20 mile loop three days prior was 19mph. I am going to take some of the advice of posters here and find a riding partner that is more at my level for some of my rides. I ride solo a few days a week and I just remembered there is a group ride at LBS once a week that I could do too.

It sounds like he could eventually be faster than me so I better not let this go to my head!

Great thread!