Proposal

Dear all,

I am finding myself in between A/B groups and was wondering if anyone else feels this way? I'm struggling to keep up with A group on Sat 7 a.m. RP rides yet not feeling challenging enough in group B. So, whenever riding with A I'm slowing them down and whilst with B pack I'm increasing their pace.
so now I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in 7:30 a.m. Sat RP sessions with 22-23 mph?

Thanks,

A

You sound like an A-rider to me (maybe which need a bit of encouragement)

Just stick with the A-group @Anvar If I have time on Saturday morning I join, I know I will get dropped at some stage, but I try to stick every time for a few more minutes. I found that this actually improved my riding a lot. Saturday mornings are meant to be training rides, so people try to struggle... Don't feel guilty to "slow" people down.

Also join the A-ride on Sunday, the power is on average slightly lower than the Saturday group and you have the challenge of the distance.

Hey @Martine,
Thanks for this. If you think it's ok to slow the train down than it must be ok.

're encouragement, I think it's a new pair of legs I need :) it happened on two instances already where I had slowed the pack Down and I hate to do it so I thought it'd be more beneficial to organise a parallel training session for people like me, who aren't yet A but over B.

Thanks again,

A

Get stuck in.

if you get dropped in regents park, take a breather, wait for the group to come back round and latch back on and rinse and repeat.

I haven't seen you riding at Saturdays (often clashes with a race for me), but in general people think their role in 'slowing down' is much greater than it actually is.

Saturday is to my opinion the best place for a 'almost-A rider'. Try your best for i.e. 20-30 minutes, skip on ore two laps to catch some breath and join for another x minutes. Every time you increased the amount you were able to hold on, you can be proud of your self.

Cool, thanks @The_Other_Rob I appreciate your opinion and instead of slowing the pack I'll do as suggested, I'll drop and get back on next lap.

Hahaha, will do!

See you out there!

I agree with @Martine , riding with 7am Group has improved my cycling. There are quite a few people that tend to push the pace in the first 20 mins then disappear which I find perplexing.
I found riding with the Tuesday 6am group to also help. http://forum.islington.cc/conversations/261422/?offset=100#comment12268841

Thanks @Vic_ since you all confirmed, I won't feel guilty for slowing you down!

Normally for 7am laps the plan is try to stick together for a bit then start to increase it, I think @RichardM wrote a rough training plan in the Regents thread. If you want to increase your fitness I would suggest hanging on for as long as you can and if you get dropped just rejoin. 8am is meant to be more of a relaxed ride.

chain gangs should be ridden at a constant pace so when you take a turn on the font your shouldn't accelerate, just maintain the speed....unless your want to attack.

Practise holding a wheel will help if its done right you should be pulled along.

Hi @LukeW, good to hear from you, hope you are having a smashing time in Independent Republic of Scotland :)
this is exactly my point, this Saturday in particular the pace was around 24-26 mph(varience due to head wind) and every time it was my turn the pace was reduced to 21-23 mph. I felt bad as the guys made an effort to get up that early to train and I in a way spoiled it.
Thanks for pointing out Richard's notes. I'll check it out.

A

here is that comment: http://forum.islington.cc/comments/12127081/

Nah your not slowing anyone down, its not a team TT. Its certainly tough to take a turn on the front in a head wind after your already pooped. Your certainly not the slowest guy to come along to 7am, however there is always someone faster than you, and thats how you improve. Eventually the session thins out until there are only a few riders left as people have to go home or decide to take it easier with the 8am guys. Missing a lap can be quite fun as you have to time your sprint to rejoin the pack....also means you can take a breather.

Spot on +LukeW

It is so easy to put in too much effort at the front. It is quite a subtle bit of extra work and when done well, it is smooth and the group won't jerk and split. Once the groove is in place, any increases are whole group increases and evolve gently with no pushing or forcing needed.

Thanks @LukeW and everyone else for making this perfectly normal.
my verdict is, I'll try to be as fast as the group and drop out if pooped. If anyone will raise an eyebrow when I'm a bit slower then rest I'll point them in your direction ;) Case closed!

Cheers all.

@Anvar last Saturday was absolutely crazy and is normally a little easier as there are more people. With 4-5 of us and Mr Smith driving so hard it was difficult not to be dropped. Stick with the 7am is my advice.