Some recent commentary on being afraid of “not having the fitness” to participate in group rides (along with some comments that I was a little critical of group rides in my last podcast) has inspired this week's podcast. This week I'll be discussing the skills necessary to succeed in group rides, even if the group happens to be stronger than you.
I'll be discussing some techniques and skills that will help give novice group riders and riders with lesser amounts of fitness a fighting chance of hanging with the group and accomplishing their group ride training goals.
I'll cover the following:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (19.7MB)
Proper warm up:
- neuromuscular, aerobic, muscular endurance warmup (in sequence)
- Spin fast (don't just pedal)
- Add tension slowly (to prevent burning out too quickly)
Using the group to your advantage:
- Get aero, stay low, use the draft
- Save 20-30% energy by drafting (particularly larger riders)
- Wind resistance uses energy, so minimize time in the wind
Controlling your cadence:
- +/- 10-15 RPM at minimum
- Cadence control is the ability to accelerate or decelerate your leg speed in a controlled fashion, in any given gear, in any terrain
- Must be able to do this to stay with group accelerations
- Accelerate cadence first, THEN shift
- Use the “singlespeed workout” to practice cadence control
VO2 max repeatability:
- 3-8 minute efforts
- Zone 5 efforts
- Use leg speed cadence control to bring you into zone 5 first, then shift as necessary
- How many matches do you have?
- Repeating with high zone 3 or zone 4 recoveries to simulate on your own.
Ride smart:
- Take short pulls (30 seconds)
- Warm up by lollygagging and hiding within the group: don't burn matches early
- Use the group to hide and stay with faster riders
- Use energy only when it matters to you (climb, sprint, break up the group, etc.)
Questions or comments?
