Great post on why group riding is important bikemomma!

I was just refelcting on that during the team ride this morning, there was a new guy who had very little clue, and it was amazing how different the "group feel" was as everyone adjusted to give him berth. I aspire to be like the really smooth riders on the team, I'm not sure really how to describe it, other than that they are so at one with the bike that nothing fazes them. They are easy to ride behind because they are so predictable. While I'm no longer a danger to others, I'm no where near as predicatble or rock steady as they are yet.

Kaian, if you haven't rode with groups much I would try riding with a touring/recreational club first. As much as it pains me to say, racers can be very territorial (though they're usually kinder to women), it would be best to have paceline basics down before looking for a team.

That said, being on a team makes a big difference. Most teams have deals where they reimburse race entry fees and some travel, plus sponsorship deals like a free helmet a year, cheap gel/e-caps, etc. If there are other women on the team you can work together during races--the top women around here are on top because the team has 5 women who work to get 1 a win. Team rides make a huge difference, even when you're tired and it's 30 degrees outside you have to show up and ride hard. Plus it's nice at a race to have people to hang with while your waiting/warming up/cheer you on etc!

Question on the 34mph, I do 200m sprints and can't get over 30 at that distance. Over a slightly longer distance I can get into the mid-thirties. What is the best acceleration distance to work on since it changes from race to race?