"Fast Club Rides"?

[caleb]

"Fast Club Rides" is a term that shows up here every now and then.

To what does it refer?

[avalonracing]

A group ride where 1-12 people (of a much larger group) ride like it is the World Championship.

[Brons2]

cat3 wannabees with no endurance whatsoever. they're 30 mph out and 16 mph back for a 23-24 average.

[stevep]

depends on the circuit.
ask roman meal...
he'll be back this afternoon from a ride we started in august.

"whats our average speed?... 4 months, covered 32 miles...anyone?"

[benb]

For the most part I think a group trying to ride really hard.. maybe getting lucky and ending up around 19mph average speed.

They attack each other.. but then let the pace drop. No one can seem to ride a proper paceline or work together. Egos fly.

Possibly some gut-check moments when someone does something really stupid like a brake check in the pack.

Also I think running some red lights and/or stop signs to break up the group might be a requirement.

[Acotts]

The group I ride with likes to stay a hair above 20 MPH for about 56 miles. For me, the only rest is for about 30 seconds at the turn around. The others get about 2 minutes after the first huge hill (about 15 miles in) in which the rest of the groups waits for me to granny my way up.

I bonk on every ride. I have been doing it for 3 seasons now.

One day, it will be okay...one day....

[Too Tall]

Depends where you stand! I think of it as a race team ride that is controlled eg long warm up, designated hill intervals, sprint and regroup cool down OR a no rules mid week pukefest hill workout. Both fit the definition for me and are infact twice weekly here about town :)

The evil stepchild of "Fast Club Ride" is what I loath...it needs no elaboration.

[sspielman]

For a fast group ride to work, it needs a patron to monitor things....and be willing to organize work to keep things together....Also, if the object is to ride fast, the group can't get mad at somebody who does...it has to be willing to let somebody go for awhile...and maybe work to catch him (them).

[Fixed]

depends on the ride you could find each one in the same town on the same day here
i like to go when i want so i ride alone i would like to have 1 or 2 bros to ride with though once in awhile .
i did group rides for years that were like the first choice 3 times a week but i got to thinking i have better things to do than pretend racing 3 times a week( (i had a good one with a city bus yesterday )
pluse i dont load up my bike for a ride bikes are for riding not driving around in the back of a ugh ...car
imho cheers :beer: merry christmas
things i race
cars , buses , simi trucks , cabs , and that fast old lady in the motorized wheelchair she 's tough .
cheers

[Ray]

Its any club ride where speed is the focus of the ride, rather than seeing the scenery, hanging out socially, going for more distance at a deliberately slower pace, etc. For some of you that might mean 25+ mph average speed. For some of us, it may mean closer to 15-17, and for others, even less. I tend not to go on "fast" club rides, even in my meager category, because I don't like riding with people who's primary goal is speed. Particularly when you're talking about the difference between pleasure and pain only buying you the couple of mph from 15 to 17 mph. The point of that is WHAT exactly? For the record, in the fairly hilly area where I ride, 15 is my pretty standard in-season pace, (even slower in winter), and I can push myself to 17+ on club rides, but I very rarely choose to. 14-16 is smooth, easy, fun, social, with just a few harder efforts mixed in on the hills. 16-18 requires a lot of effort, a good bit of pain, and a CONSTANT assessment of my resources and where the edge is that I have to back away from. Those rides are occasionally fun, but usually not. To me, only.

It's about what gets you off. If turning yourself inside out for that extra couple of mph is what gets you off, by all means go crazy on your bad self. I do it, every now and then, myself, but it gets less and less frequent. To me, riding smoothly at the fastest pace I can comfortably maintain for a few hours is what gets me off 99% of the time. That attitude has resulted in me getting a bit slower over the past few years. But it also allows me to not worry about that and enjoy the riding as much or more than I ever did.

-Ray

[DarrenCT]

"skinny guys talking, fat guys gasping"

very very funny. that about sums it up.

no racing for this cat. i just like riding either solo or with 2 others max.

cheers
-d

[CNY rider]

Its any club ride where speed is the focus of the ride, rather than seeing the scenery, hanging out socially, going for more distance at a deliberately slower pace, etc. For some of you that might mean 25+ mph average speed. For some of us, it may mean closer to 15-17, and for others, even less. I tend not to go on "fast" club rides, even in my meager category, because I don't like riding with people who's primary goal is speed. Particularly when you're talking about the difference between pleasure and pain only buying you the couple of mph from 15 to 17 mph. The point of that is WHAT exactly? For the record, in the fairly hilly area where I ride, 15 is my pretty standard in-season pace, (even slower in winter), and I can push myself to 17+ on club rides, but I very rarely choose to. 14-16 is smooth, easy, fun, social, with just a few harder efforts mixed in on the hills. 16-18 requires a lot of effort, a good bit of pain, and a CONSTANT assessment of my resources and where the edge is that I have to back away from. Those rides are occasionally fun, but usually not. To me, only.

It's about what gets you off. If going for that extra couple of mph is what gets you off, by all means go crazy on your bad self. And have bragging rights amongst the B group if you manage not to crash horribly (which happens waaaay too much, another reason I don't much like those rides). To me, riding smoothly at the fastest pace I can comfortably maintain for a few hours is what gets me off 99% of the time. That attitude has resulted in me getting a bit slower over the past few years. But it also allows me to not worry about that and enjoy the riding as much or more than I ever did.

-Ray

Ray you're my kind of guy.

Hope to see you at the Ramble or some other Forum-fests this summer.

[DarrenCT]

Ray you're my kind of guy.

Hope to see you at the Ramble or some other Forum-fests this summer.

now the Ramble is another story. i'm definitely hoping to make it there!

[zank]

depends on the circuit.
ask roman meal...
he'll be back this afternoon from a ride we started in august.

"whats our average speed?... 4 months, covered 32 miles...anyone?"

0.010928 miles/hr

[Kevan]

in the heat of summer maybe. Now...yud be lucky to squeeze 14 out of me.

I pity my po' self.

[zank]

I don't ride with the local club for reasons noted above. I don't feel a need to try to win Tuesday night Nationals. But I am part of a group of like-minded good friends who tend to go out with a purpose on most rides. We did a 90 mile ride last summer and didn't mix up our line and none of us missed a single turn for the entire ride. Like clockwork.

Where I grew up, the local club rides were always races. Even the Monday night ride. :crap: Needless to say, my pals and I didn't attend very often. A lot of those guys don't ride bikes anymore.

[benb]

Thing is the "Team Ride" averaging 22-25mph can be more relaxing then the "Fast Club ride" at 17-19mph.. just cause people are smooth and ride a nice paceline.

[zank]

I agree. I get home smoked from some club rides riding with guys and gals I don't know. Mostly from my nerves though. I have seen some really dumb things in some fast club rides. Things that make a cat 4 race look mellow.

[Too Tall]

BWAHAHAHAH Sometimes I use these evil club rides for peak race training. It's perfect, the local fast club rides chase down EVERYTHING which on a given day would bug the heck out of me however for race prep. it is PURE f'in gold. Just sayin' ;)

[zank]

But if you crash in an evil club ride, you may not get to race on Saturday. Just sayin'.

[Longdaddy]

For the most part I think a group trying to ride really hard.. maybe getting lucky and ending up around 19mph average speed.

They attack each other.. but then let the pace drop. No one can seem to ride a proper paceline or work together. Egos fly.

Possibly some gut-check moments when someone does something really stupid like a brake check in the pack.

Also I think running some red lights and/or stop signs to break up the group might be a requirement.


Right.On.Target.

[Cdub]

But if you crash in an evil club ride, you may not get to race on Saturday. Just sayin'.


We have this ride as well. We used to do it until we learned how to train properly. Like Too Tall said, it can help to prep for a race. All the speed up, slow down, gets annoying.

Smooth and long now!!!

[dauwhe]

Its any club ride where speed is the focus of the ride, rather than seeing the scenery, hanging out socially, going for more distance at a deliberately slower pace, etc. For some of you that might mean 25+ mph average speed. For some of us, it may mean closer to 15-17, and for others, even less. I tend not to go on "fast" club rides, even in my meager category, because I don't like riding with people who's primary goal is speed. Particularly when you're talking about the difference between pleasure and pain only buying you the couple of mph from 15 to 17 mph. The point of that is WHAT exactly? For the record, in the fairly hilly area where I ride, 15 is my pretty standard in-season pace, (even slower in winter), and I can push myself to 17+ on club rides, but I very rarely choose to. 14-16 is smooth, easy, fun, social, with just a few harder efforts mixed in on the hills. 16-18 requires a lot of effort, a good bit of pain, and a CONSTANT assessment of my resources and where the edge is that I have to back away from. Those rides are occasionally fun, but usually not. To me, only.

It's about what gets you off. If turning yourself inside out for that extra couple of mph is what gets you off, by all means go crazy on your bad self. I do it, every now and then, myself, but it gets less and less frequent. To me, riding smoothly at the fastest pace I can comfortably maintain for a few hours is what gets me off 99% of the time. That attitude has resulted in me getting a bit slower over the past few years. But it also allows me to not worry about that and enjoy the riding as much or more than I ever did.

-Ray

+1 as always :)

Dave, who hasn't been on the bike in more than two weeks. Let it snow!!

[Dekonick]

"skinny guys talking, fat guys gasping"

very very funny. that about sums it up.

no racing for this cat. i just like riding either solo or with 2 others max.

cheers
-d
Thats my style :)

[swoop]

we need a fast club ride haiku contest.

[Longdaddy]

we need a fast club ride haiku contest.

Early Morning Ride
Many expensive bikes here
Must act like a jerk

[TimB]

...riding with TooTall and Zap and my other old friends cruising along at >26mph down a road in rural southern MD. Steady wheels, neat little paceline, and a whole lot of fun.

'Dem were the days.

[avalonracing]

we need a fast club ride haiku contest.

Those who cannot race
tonight is your chance to shine
I will school you now

hey you, off the front
come on, this is not a race
if no one else knows

you bring your friends out
and drop them on the first hill
you should wait for them

[Fixed]

it's everywhere world champs evey weekend
cheers
it is what it is
imho cheers

[GregL]

The local club I belong to is large enough that the rides break up according to the interests of the riders. The front group ("hammerheads") is made up of licensed racers who use the rides as unstructured intervals. Lots of attacks, usually a 22+ MPH pace (in the hills of CNY). No one is "racing" per se, but depending on how much you attack, the effort can be harder than most races. Usually this groups sheds riders out the back the entire ride. If you have put in your share of attacks and still have something in the tank at the end, you are likely in good racing form. I use these rides to test and fine tune my racing fitness.

The next group on the road is usually made up of fast recreational cyclists. The pace is a bit slower (18 to 20-ish MPH), but much more steady. The group usually stays together. I will ride with this group when I'm with my wife or if I'm looking for a lower intensity ride. If I need an active rest day, I will sit in at the tail of this group.

The fastest "fast group ride" I ever participated in was in the Jupiter FL area. It left from the Ocean City Park and headed north on A1A to Hobe Sound and back. 50 miles at 25+ MPH including warm up, cool down, draw bridges, and traffic. It was mid-March, so I didn't have anything near race fitness yet. I have never spent more time suffering in a 53 x 12 than I did that day...

Regards,
Greg

[marle]

in the heat of summer maybe. Now...yud be lucky to squeeze 14 out of me.

I pity my po' self.

I feel your pain

[nm87710]

I don't ride with the local club for reasons noted above. I don't feel a need to try to win Tuesday night Nationals.

HA! Only World Class around here. Fast Club Rides are The XXX Worlds(Insert day of week for XXX). You'd think some of the guys have a paycheck waiting for them at the end - although the ones I've done it seems most don't make it till the end anywho :crap: .

From my racing perspective it's always better to Training to Race rather than Race to Train(what most do at The XXX Worlds) :)

[RIHans]

Jan- late Feb...Miles on a fixed gear

March-April...Base miles

May and beyond...power-meter

Is this not a CLUB ride. Kinda-sorta Friends?

[OldDog]

skinny guys talking...bas tards - fat guys gasping...me.

I like the fat boy rides...15 - 18 mph...pizza and beer afterwards. The skinny kids can have their lettece and tufu.


:beer: :beer:

[Fixed]

bro what's good for a 20 year old cat 2 ain't that good for the older cat imho
like diggin a hole in your fitness it's too high of a price that can days or longer to recover from i know cats in there 50 still trying to keep up with the young cats imho that is great but you can go into the zone too deep that's all
cheers

[PaulE]

For the most part I think a group trying to ride really hard.. maybe getting lucky and ending up around 19mph average speed.

They attack each other.. but then let the pace drop. No one can seem to ride a proper paceline or work together. Egos fly.

Possibly some gut-check moments when someone does something really stupid like a brake check in the pack.

Also I think running some red lights and/or stop signs to break up the group might be a requirement.

Being second in line in a double paceline when the two lead guys decide it's time for them to pull off without giving any notice at all. Not so bad except then the guy in front of you slows down by 50% while still directly in front of you and then moving out of the paceline.

Accelerating out of corners after running said red lights and/or stop signs to string out the group.

Squeezing out any newcomers trying to stay in the middle of the pack by diving into the half wheel gap they've left in front of themselves until they are spit out the back.

Screaming "on your left" and passing someone on a busy road descent with little or no shoulder while traffic buzzes by at > 50 mph when the speed limit is 35. P.S. at this point in the ride, everyone will re-group in less than 2 miles at the coffee shop stop.

A guy captaining a tandem with his girlfriend as stoker riding along the curb to the right of the pack, diving for holes too small for a single bike and cursing at everyone else for being too slow and in his way.

[jimp1234]

Don't mean to hijack the thread but I've been thinking about an idea that's related to this topic. Over the last few years I've gravitated toward mostly singular riding. Part of the reason has been scheduling, but another part has been what I'll call the "Goldilocks factor". Namely finding a ride, or group of riders who generally ride not too fast, or not too slow, but just right (for me that is). So here's my idea. What if you had rides based on watts? Like ride websites or club newsletters where they list the recommended FT watt level for the participants of that particular ride? My theory (which may be completely wrong) is that if my FT (functional threshold) is 300 and I would comfortably ride at 75% of that number, then if all the other participants had about the same FT, we'd all ride about the same speed? Does my theory sound right?? Should I start a website?? :rolleyes:

-Jim

[stevep]

Being second in line in a double paceline when the two lead guys decide it's time for them to pull off without giving any notice at all. Not so bad except then the guy in front of you slows down by 50% while still directly in front of you and then moving out of the paceline.

Accelerating out of corners after running said red lights and/or stop signs to string out the group.

Squeezing out any newcomers trying to stay in the middle of the pack by diving into the half wheel gap they've left in front of themselves until they are spit out the back.

Screaming "on your left" and passing someone on a busy road descent with little or no shoulder while traffic buzzes by at > 50 mph when the speed limit is 35. P.S. at this point in the ride, everyone will re-group in less than 2 miles at the coffee shop stop.

A guy captaining a tandem with his girlfriend as stoker riding along the curb to the right of the pack, diving for holes too small for a single bike and cursing at everyone else for being too slow and in his way.

all reasons that riders like to ride with who they like to ride with and arent always super happy to get unknowns dragged along on rides. its much safer with known and disciplined riders.

[Ray]

Don't mean to hijack the thread but I've been thinking about an idea that's related to this topic. Over the last few years I've gravitated toward mostly singular riding. Part of the reason has been scheduling, but another part has been what I'll call the "Goldilocks factor". Namely finding a ride, or group of riders who generally ride not too fast, or not too slow, but just right (for me that is). So here's my idea. What if you had rides based on watts? Like ride websites or club newsletters where they list the recommended FT watt level for the participants of that particular ride? My theory (which may be completely wrong) is that if my FT (functional threshold) is 300 and I would comfortably ride at 75% of that number, then if all the other participants had about the same FT, we'd all ride about the same speed? Does my theory sound right?? Should I start a website?? :rolleyes:

-Jim
Never work. Most of us don't have any idea how many watts we're usually putting out, how many we're capable of, etc. And even if we did, we'd have to calculate the watts per pound ratio to equalize for big riders, little riders, etc. Never happen.

-Ray

[Blue Jays]

jimp1234, it would have to be a pretty disciplined group to remain squarely within the wattage boundaries established for the ride.
One would think using "average MPH" is a sufficient gauge of intensity for most as long as all ride participants are familiar with the local terrain.

[caleb]

"average MPH" is a sufficient gauge of intensity for most as long as all ride participants are familiar with the local terrain.

Depends on the group. 20mph average can feel like a walk in the park if the group works together. It can also turn into a sufferfest if the group isn't smooth. If Joe pulls at 27mph, Jim at 14, and Jeff at 21 the ride might average 20mph, but it won't be much fun.

[Blue Jays]

/\/\ caleb, good point.

[Erik.Lazdins]

Its any club ride where speed is the focus of the ride, rather than seeing the scenery, hanging out socially, going for more distance at a deliberately slower pace, etc. For some of you that might mean 25+ mph average speed. For some of us, it may mean closer to 15-17, and for others, even less. I tend not to go on "fast" club rides, even in my meager category, because I don't like riding with people who's primary goal is speed. Particularly when you're talking about the difference between pleasure and pain only buying you the couple of mph from 15 to 17 mph. The point of that is WHAT exactly? For the record, in the fairly hilly area where I ride, 15 is my pretty standard in-season pace, (even slower in winter), and I can push myself to 17+ on club rides, but I very rarely choose to. 14-16 is smooth, easy, fun, social, with just a few harder efforts mixed in on the hills. 16-18 requires a lot of effort, a good bit of pain, and a CONSTANT assessment of my resources and where the edge is that I have to back away from. Those rides are occasionally fun, but usually not. To me, only.

It's about what gets you off. If turning yourself inside out for that extra couple of mph is what gets you off, by all means go crazy on your bad self. I do it, every now and then, myself, but it gets less and less frequent. To me, riding smoothly at the fastest pace I can comfortably maintain for a few hours is what gets me off 99% of the time. That attitude has resulted in me getting a bit slower over the past few years. But it also allows me to not worry about that and enjoy the riding as much or more than I ever did.

-Ray


+many before me but I'll insist on adding my name to this well written post! I could not have written this better :beer:

I had a riding bud who was well matched to me so we pushed each other, but always waited when the other was dropped - he moved away so we only get a few rides in each year.

I stopped doing the wheelmen rides a few years back - but mostly ride alone.
today's solo ride was a 650B ride and quick up until I lost it over the field in the mud and splashed down! the clothes are hanging up clean now and the Riv will get a good dousing and the brush with bucket of warm soapy water tomorrow.

[shinomaster]

I wouldn't ride with people who don't wait.

[manet]

I wouldn't ride with people who don't wait.

... the *****ty end of the stick is slippery as well as stinky