Opinion needed re: group riding

[SouthernBelle]

Oh, Andea, I like that one. Wait til his legs are cooked then cook the rest of him.

[Geonz]

Maybe I'm letting my ego get in the way. I have had to work my butt off to finally be able to hang with the faster people on this ride only to have someone mess up the dynamics. I don't WANT to go back to the slower group....my goal is to get faster, not slower. There are several other rides that I "babysit" the slower riders (heaven knows I need to return the favor), but this is one ride I want to do for me. Now my friend, the knucklehead, messed it all up!

Umm...another thing...he IS the ride leader. He wasn't before but the other guy had to back out so.....

Welp, that's not letting it get in the way... that's you wanting to be a better rider. Might there be somebody else in the slower group that coudl spring up to halfway with you so you could ride together and push to get all the way to being able to drop the whole mess of 'em?

[7rider]

However, being the perpetual smartass, I propose that as soon as he blows up & starts to drop back, "one of the girls" (gigantic eye-roll for that phrase) should counter-attack the bejezus out of him & drop him like a hot spider

Slight hijack...
I nick-named one of the guys on our group ride "Pop" - not for his paternal qualities - but because he'd forever attack at the base of a hill and then - POP! - run out of gas halfway up, and the rest of us would just cruise on by him!

The kicker of it it...he turned out to be a really nice guy.

[Tuckervill]

7, that happens to me all the time, because I use the momentum to get me up the next hill. I'm heavy so I can go fast downhill, and I end up passing everyone else, usually. (I try to, so I won't waste any momentum. It annoys me to NO END if I have to brake going downhill!) Try as I might, I can't keep up the speed all the way up, so I end up being passed by everyone else again.

So, maybe old POP is just doing what he can--even though it seems to me he should just sit and spin instead of attacking.

Karen

[7rider]

7
So, maybe old POP is just doing what he can--even though it seems to me he should just sit and spin instead of attacking.

Nah...he's not too big a guy. He was just impatient. And that was last year. He's joined a race team and learned better strategy and techniques. Now, he rides with the faster group and does fine on the hills (much to my dismay). 50% of climbing is learning how to do it well (something I personally haven't yet learned! ).

[Andrea]

Oh, Andea, I like that one. Wait til his legs are cooked then cook the rest of him.

hehehe... the counter-attack is my all-time favorite race move!

[aicabsolut]

7, that happens to me all the time, because I use the momentum to get me up the next hill. I'm heavy so I can go fast downhill, and I end up passing everyone else, usually. (I try to, so I won't waste any momentum. It annoys me to NO END if I have to brake going downhill!) Try as I might, I can't keep up the speed all the way up, so I end up being passed by everyone else again.

So, maybe old POP is just doing what he can--even though it seems to me he should just sit and spin instead of attacking.

Karen

Those are 2 different scenarios. You are practicing a good method of not getting dropped. Use your momentum where you can, and then stay to the side and drift towards the back on the hills (instead of starting behind and then getting spit waay off the back).

That is totally different from attacking at the base of a climb (regardless of the terrain leading into it) and then blowing up instead of picking a sustainable pace.

[li10up]

It annoys me to NO END if I have to brake going downhill!)

Me too! Seems like the people in the front forget that those behind them on the downhills are in the draft ...they quit pedaling and then those in back have to hit the brakes. If they would keep pedaling then those in back could coast without having to brake...

...so that's a good tip for beginners. If you are in the front, keep pedaling even on the downhills.

I used to ride with a guy who would spin for about 5 revolutions then coast, spin, coast, ....repeat. I finally had to tell him that the price one has to pay for being in front is to have to pedal ALL the time. He just didn't realize what he was doing.

Now my friend the knucklehead is wonderful to draft behind. His cadence is rock steady...If I could just keep him from blowing up the group...

Guess we can't have it all!

[Geonz]

Just make a teeny adjustment so his brakes rub, or let just a little air out of his tires. He'll blow up much sooner... y'all can continue your ride.

[Tuckervill]

Those are 2 different scenarios. You are practicing a good method of not getting dropped. Use your momentum where you can, and then stay to the side and drift towards the back on the hills (instead of starting behind and then getting spit waay off the back).

That is totally different from attacking at the base of a climb (regardless of the terrain leading into it) and then blowing up instead of picking a sustainable pace.

Oh, I see--he's trying to break off when he gets to a hill...not just attacking the hill to get up it!

Yeah, he's not very self-aware, is he?

Karen