A taste of the bigger group- Thanks to TSr's helping out
Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 10:02 am
Thanks to Eric, John T. and Mike Lawless (and any others I missed) who variously dropped back, paced, coached and encouraged the girls when their faster groups went past the girls group today. Good reaction from the girls; they got a taste of the group ride thing, and thought it was fun.
The only reason we're not full-on into the B ride is to try to keep a group that works for the newest riders while they get some smaller-group skills. For example, Emma Watt, who should be named Emma mega-Watt, can ride forever 10 metres off the back, but is still getting the hang of the drafting thing. Plus she has to deal with her dad's older downtube shifting bike.
Note to file: down-tube shifting may be good for old guys to show off their years of previous training, but for riders new to group riding, not so much. Emma has to move her hands to the middle of the bars (an excellent instinct by the way- madison riders do this when slinging their partner to avoid too much leverage on the bars http://www.dvcc.co.uk/Gallery/Gallery4/ ... 0SLING.jpg), then move one hand down to shift, then back up to the tops, then back out to the hoods, all while wondering if she's going to hit that guy in front or wobble into that person beside. Four steps to everyone else's, er, NONE. But she already has character!
The only reason we're not full-on into the B ride is to try to keep a group that works for the newest riders while they get some smaller-group skills. For example, Emma Watt, who should be named Emma mega-Watt, can ride forever 10 metres off the back, but is still getting the hang of the drafting thing. Plus she has to deal with her dad's older downtube shifting bike.
Note to file: down-tube shifting may be good for old guys to show off their years of previous training, but for riders new to group riding, not so much. Emma has to move her hands to the middle of the bars (an excellent instinct by the way- madison riders do this when slinging their partner to avoid too much leverage on the bars http://www.dvcc.co.uk/Gallery/Gallery4/ ... 0SLING.jpg), then move one hand down to shift, then back up to the tops, then back out to the hoods, all while wondering if she's going to hit that guy in front or wobble into that person beside. Four steps to everyone else's, er, NONE. But she already has character!
