Tripleshot Cycling

I did not ride this morning, but I understand that the numbers were big once again.
  
On the Bearded One's Strava feed, someone made this suggestion: "Since we don't know ahead of time how many to expect, it gets tricky. If it helps, I (i.e. CTM) can always take a group if we decide to split (when I'm there). I'm sure a lot of the regulars know enough trails to slap something together. Maybe just designate a coffee time and place at the beginning and, ideally, regroup there to share trail tales".

My feeling is that this suggestion is a good start to deeper conversation that I think we should have. There are a limited number of people who are willing and able to put together a proper ride beforehand, and then guide it.  It is also often the case that we prearrange to meet others en route, and set things up so folks can conveniently cut off early if need be. For these reasons, I don't think we've found the ultimate solution quite yet.

Please weigh-in with your ideas, or forever hold your pees.

I'm not sure about the other weekdays, but next Friday we could try it out. If there are more than 8 riders, divide into 2 groups, agree on routes and a final meetup. Perhaps we could even post 2 routes on the forum for that day?

Assuming there are leaders for both groups, splitting is a good idea. It’s more fun for everyone when groups are smaller and speeds more closely matched. I don’t think there needs to be different routes, just a lag between departures or keep groups separate.

I know I don’t ride with the cross cru as often as others but there’s a few things that I think should be held sacred:

1. The methodology for splitting the groups needs to make as much logical sense as riding cross bikes.
Divide the group up by hair colour, bike colour (you and me, Mashby!!), shoe make, favourite ice cream flavour, etc.

2. Everyone sticks together and supports each other.
Hammering on the trails is a hoot but gotta regroup early and often (SO true in places like Bow trail, Colquitz, etc)

3. Coffee need not be down at a Mocha.
Pure Vanilla, for instance, is a great location after going thru UVic or Ten Mile.

4. If you have a rough idea for a route but you’re not savvy on the Strava or plucky on the PlotRoute, fret not.
Some of the best rides are very fluid: start with one persons idea, then another points out a cut-thru, and on and on.

5. Rolf needs to stop taking thumb wars so seriously, else he’ll never ride again.

Totally agree Greg. Except about the part of you not riding that often. What's up with that? Its like you only go for super epic, multi-day, single track adventures. Sheesh, high maintenance! You're like the Sally Albright of CX.

I don't purport to have any answers, but I do feel moved to respond to some of Greg's numbered comments:

1. Splitting for these reasons is perfectly valid (save hair colour, because that just reminds JT of all those dusty combs and brushes in his bathroom drawer.) However, I know for a fact that some people don't come out regularly for weekday TS CX rides because the pace is not consistently high enough, given our regular riders' varying levels of fitness and comfort with technical riding. With that in mind, splitting in the parking lot on the basis of Rippers and Pokers may actually be welcome, and increase our aggregate ride satisfaction.

2. Re-groupings are the essence of these rides. Riding at the average speed of the slowest rider is sacrosanct. TSCX rides are just as much a Tripleshot ride as every road ride (save the A's!) and woe be to the ride leader who fails to stop at all ambiguous turns or at the end of technical segments to do the count before continuing. (But wait, I hear you say: isn't this coming from the mouth of that jerk who has so often ridden off out of sight and occasionally lost the odd duckling to the wilderness? Yes, yes, but I never MEAN to! )

3. Yes, just as we are creative with our ride routes, we have the benefit and flexibility of picking different coffee spots, if we like. HOWEVER, rides organized through the forum remain Tripleshot rides. And post-ride coffee—Tripleshot coffee—remains an essential element of our Club culture. This is particularly important for those of us who enjoy road seasons of three months a year, or less. I think it's important to consistently make coffee at Shoal Point, else we risk creating an actual rupture or schism in our dear Club's makeup. But my heart still bleeds a little for our poor Gordon Head denizens, and their 12K post-coffee slog to get home. So PV, Kofi, and even Township should definitely be on the menu some days.

4. From experience, rides work much better when there is unambiguously one ride leader at any given point and everyone follows that leader (this remains true EVEN IF said leader is a raving lunatic who has no idea what he or she is doing!) You simply can't figure out a route, turn-by-turn, with any sort of communal, or democratic process. At least not if you want to avoid a whole lot of time chatting with your foot down.

The ride ambassadors idea is an excellent way to shake up routes and leaders; but there too, the best experiences come when someone has taken the time the night before to map something out, memorized the turns etc. If flow is the goal, preparation will usually be key. The more people who take the time to learn some of our more common routes, the more potential ride leaders we have and the more flexibility we have to engage in spontaneous ride splitting etc. So the key to facilitating splits may be to continue regular ride ambassador days and share around leader opportunities.

That's all for now. Off to do some thumb pilates...

Hugs & kisses, Rolf.

Just want to say one thing about the speed and splitting issue. If people aren't coming out to CX rides b/c the pace isn't high enough I am completely fine with that. CX rides aren't road rides. It makes absolutely no sense to be bleeding from the eye balls on skinny tires racing through the forest over slippy roots and rocks in the dark with dog walkers/runners etc around every possible blind corner. They are fun, mentally stimulating rides with a social aspect that have punchy bits requiring fitness. If what you're after is fitness, then stick to the road.

The perfect weekday ride for me is like the one that Geoff posted and led on Thursday. The night before, he called the start and end points and a general sketch of the in-between. There were eight of us on the ride, and we ended at Pure Vanilla.

Geoff, like Rolf, does his homework, and because of this his rides are always flowy, athletic, social, and above all fun. The question is how to replicate that experience when there are 15+ riders over a wide range of abilities?  I like Rolf's idea of two groups based on speed/ability. I also agree with Rolf, that someone in each group has to take responsibly for leading - and this means doing their homework beforehand (which can actually be quite fun).

p.s. Louise, if you don't like "bleeding eyeballs", then why do I so often find myself trying to catch up to you, especially on the technical bits? Maybe the group names, "Rippers" and "Pokers" are not quite right - but the idea is (at least in my view). And so to you, Rolf,

Well, however this shakes out, please keep silly names and plenty of gifs.

I agree JT, the Thursday ride was mint. It was flowy,, steady with re-groups a real feel of cohesiveness in the group. If we can achieve this for most weekday rides, I’m happy. I guess the question is can we, with the big groups that have been coming out. Or how can we...