Tripleshot Cycling

in celebration of Roland's birthday (well a day late) we went out and slit his (and everyone's) throat in the fast ride. What a crowd at the meetting spot - great to see.

I would like to hear how people in the other 2 groups found the ride. I am hoping it was fun etc for all. I would really hate for us to become the victims of our own success/popularity. The TS way is to be friendly and have fun and help each other out etc. Also if you are new to the group introduce yourself to as many people that are dressed as Easter Eggs as you can. That will also "encourage" the "old timers" to give you a few pointers about how we ride etc.

Anyway here are my stats from the throat slitting: http://connect.garmin.com/player/36157509

Here are my stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36167080

Also, don't forget to kick in some $$$ for the coffee every once and a while.

I had a great ride this morning, and for the first time I can remember, I was actually able to refrain from joining in the sprints, as it was supposed to be a recovery ride for me for Caleb tomorrow. I've tried this many times in the past, but I always end up racing at least once.

It didn't start out well, as Peter made me and Gavin go with the "slit your friends' throats" group, but I managed to keep it nice and mellow. I had one momentary lapse when peter looked over at me (like he was just daring me to follow him!) around the duck pond and then started to attack around the outside, but for the most part, I kept it nice and easy, and managed to keep the heartrate below 163 for the whole ride.

Well, by the time the normal As had left the parking lot, there were only 3 of us Bs left, so we decided to do a little warm-up sprint and catch the As. We lost Bow in that process (sorry for that!). So we ended up with one rather big A group. I think what we should do in the future when we have so many riders is to just split the normal As randomly into 2 groups. I think Peter should elect somebody just before the start who will then count 10-14 riders who will leave the parking lot first and then that person should make sure that there will be a 30sec gap before the second group leaves. I really do think that you need to have one person being responsible for the split, otherwise it won't happen. Otherwise it was a great ride

Josh.E wrote:managed to keep the heartrate below 163 for the whole ride.

Quality discipline right there. I hit 190/192/195 in the three sprints, not planning to race tomorrow. Although I guess I will if it's semi-dry, which looks unlikely now.

'A' group was pretty giant-sized, I guess, although it seemed manageable. There were a couple of good long soft-pedals after the two Cedar Hill sprints to let everybody get back together. Comparing Peter's stats to mine, the Hammerhead Throat-Slitters did 18'33, 40.0 km/h from Lansdowne to Oswego and the friendly and mellow A's did 20:12, 36.7 km/h. That makes it perfect for someone like me to take a few pulls and still hang for the sprint instead of barely clinging cross-eyed to the bunch.

I agree Rita, we need to keep the groups manageable. I wil try to split things up next week but perhaps pthers that have been around a while can take charge of it as well?

On a second note I think its really imporant that people not try to "punch above their weight".

I want to be clear before I start the next bit that I am not referring to any specific people here. This is general advice for everyone. I also have to say that I really get how cool/important it is to move "up" a group. However when we have big groups like we did this morning we also really need to be sure that we are being safe. I know the last thing I want to do is cause my friends to crash ..... I cant imagine how bad I would feel if, because I wanted a "better" workout, I put a bunch of my friends on the deck....

A few thoughts on the A+ ride this am:

First, riding with the A+ group is not just about strength. In fact its more about having the experience and skills to ride well in a group. Person X in particular was all over the place today. I am not sure if Person X has the experience to be let loose in the group without more group riding practice at this time.

In general, people need to remember that they need to keep their pace consistent in the pace line - no surging at the front, communicate any obstacles and keep their line while cornering. If you are in the A+ ride and really on the rivet you probably shouldnt be there - or have the sense of self awareness (self-preservation??) to know that maybe its better to sit at the back rather than struggle to go through a paceline that is a touch too fast for you.

I saw people get partway up the line then "stall" and try to get into the right lane. I saw people try to come around stalled riders and I saw people get to the front and then hammer a few pedal strokes (too fast) pull over sharply (too sharp) and then sit up (too slow). The key to a ride like this am is to be super duper smooth.

I hope this isnt a rant and I really mean that I have no individual in mind (heck, some days the Person X is me!) but we all have a responsibility to our friends to not get ourselves - and them into situations where bad things can happen. If you are wondering if its you or if you can improve (and lets be honest, who among us cant improve...) why not ask? We have people with great skills and experience here - use them. Talk to Lister (our very own EuroPro), Bill, Dylan, Sarah, gosh - just about anyone - JUST ASK!!

Peter

I know I'm often guilty of going too hard for a few pedal strokes after moving over. I found myself with a gap off the front one time this morning, but (my perception, anyway) was that in this particular instance I didn't feel like I accelerated as much as the decelerating line was slowing down too much when riders would move over to the right.

What I've been taught about pacelines is to remember that the overall speed of the group is dictated by the speed of the slower moving line, and it's the partial responsibility of the lead rider on the decelerating line to
1) not slow down more than 1mph, and
2) not let the speed differential between you and the accelerating line rider become high enough that a gap forms.

As soon as your nose hits the wind, your perceived effort should go up about 30% to maintain the same speed. When you come around and move to the slow line, your effort should only drop around 5% to allow the next rider around, but remember that you are still one of the two breaking wind, and doing the work for the group to keep the group moving. Once the next rider comes around you, and you are on his wheel and in his draft, THAT is when your work is done, adn your effort should go down 30%. If you sit up as soon as you reach the front of the slow line, the group speed advantage of the paceline gets lost.

some good tips here
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=we ... 37GCTZdbtg

Pete, thanks for highlighting the fitness vs. skills issue. It was VERY noticeable this morning as there were at least 3 rider X's within the first A group. Many of us come from running, swimming, triathlon or ?? backgrounds and have amazing fitness. Fitness, however, does not equate to skills, and in order for everyone to have a safe ride, we need to recognize our individual skill limitations.

If you are fit, but haven't had much time riding in group situations before, please be cognizant of this lack of time on the bike for the welfare of other riders.

Thanks everyone and ride safely.

Dylan

That was a fantastic ride this morning. Finally some decent weather, a huge turnout and a lot of fun. I rode with the A group and here are a few things that I noticed...

It made a huge difference to have an A+ group. Our pace was high and the group rode pretty well together, but the biggest treat for me was being able to actually contest the sprints rather than watching as Gavin, Josh, Peter, Dylan et al disappear into the distance. Sprinting is fun if you are near the front. Who knew?

It's really clear that the fittest among us continue to get faster, so the establishment of an A+ group make a lot of sense. Those folks get to continue to develop and those of us a step slower can get pushed, but do so in a way that is safe. It also gives us options depending on how you feel on the day.

I've noticed that there is a bit of an erosion of group riding etiquette in our rides. I ride through a big hole at least once each ride. On Saturday Alec hit a big rock along the Pat Bay highway and blew out a tire - he was lucky to not go down in the worst possible spot. I don't think we are paying as much attention as we need to to road hazards (don't ride through them) or using our signals throughout the group. If we can all be a bit more conscious of that it would be helpful. It might be an idea to review these prior to the start of the ride especially when there are so many people there, some of whom we have never seen before, some of whom have little group experience.

As we went around Hollywood a guy opened his door and very nearly took out the lead rider and all of us - a good reminder to be aware of where you are in the road. As I was yelling at the guy Brian reminded me that we are at least half to blame for an incident like that.

Thanks for a great morning.

I have to echo what has been said about the second A group. Really fun, still got a great workout in, etc.

Similar to what others have said, both today and in the past, it seems like we (myself included!) get too involved with going fast and forget a few basic safety things:

- the car door incident has been discussed, no sense in beating a dead horse
- group riding etiquette (again, already been discussed)
- during one of the Cedar Hill X sprints, a car coming from behind had to get all the way into the oncoming lane to get past us. While part of it was the driver being impatient, the presence of the car was called to the rest of the group, and we still took up the whole lane. Now being a bit of a newbie still, I'm not sure on what the etiquette on this is. Anybody fill me in??

Overall, though, I'm still learning a lot and having a ton of fun. Thanks for a great ride this morning!

A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite and a little less bark
A little less fight and a little more spark
Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me
Satisfy me baby

This was my second ride on Tuesdays and I think my 5th group ride overall. This week the A- group was definitely faster than last week's B train which although it was just as much fun ate up the improvement in my fitness level. Thanks Steve for helping me get back at least to King George. I don't think you need to change anything really other than perhaps trying to keep the group sizes more similar. Also I don't mind riding in the B train because that's where I belong but using the B word may discourage those who might not otherwise feel compelled to ride with the throatslitters.

JohnT wrote:A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite and a little less bark
A little less fight and a little more spark
Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me
Satisfy me baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqUfzJACijU
you go John!

one final point. A few people have been in touch wondering iof they were Person X. What say we all assume that each of us was Person X and pay more attention to how we ride and make sure we dont lose sight of the fun factor that seems to me to be why we can get so many awesome people out at an otherwise ungodly hour!

Peter