B/B+, Maple Arch Farms, 48 mi
If you've been riding with Carol/Jenn, but still have some left in the tank, this may be for you. Want to work on group riding skills and not just speed? Read on. Basic group riding experience and skills are a prerequisite (see notes about fitness below). This ride will focus on more advanced group skills such as:
Riding in a single paceline (see GIF below).
Short pulls in the front, rotating all the way to the back.
Maintaining consistent group effort without surging or braking.
Maintaining a tight, but safe, group formation.
We are now riding with
high B / low B+ effort. While there are no notable hills on this route, there is enough up and down that you can expect
2,700+ ft of climbing. Expect a
group pace of 15.5+ mph. If you're not sure that you can maintain that effort, I recommend you seek some advice first - we've had riders suffer and fall off the last 2 weeks.
Our goal is to get everyone back with the same speed. If your goal is more individual speed/effort, you will not enjoy this ride.
I really appreciate all the positive attitudes from past weeks. This is a learning experience and everyone has bought in. This week expect to break into
2 groups pretty much the whole time. But there won't be a "fast" and "slow" group - we will frequently switch up so everyone will ride with everyone. We will also intro rotating paceline concepts. Pacelining is easier and more fluid in small groups.
I am unlikely to increase the # of available slots as 10 (2x5) seems just right for what we are doing.
Gameday decisions by 7:00a.