The group ride vs IM training ride.
3799
Member
1496 days
kylie posted 40 weeks ago.
glad you had fun :)
Now that IM training is done for me for a while, I've been having more fun on the mountain bike!
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292 days
blavelle posted 40 weeks ago.
kkocan;80977 wrote:
I keep telling the roadies in our area that slow and steady up the hills and hit it on the flats is the way to go, bu they just won't listen....
when will they learn?:confused: its always fun to ride in a group and just mess around (breakaways, hammering up climbs) it takes some of the boringness away from training. Its nice to chat with other riders, discuss riding and techniques instead of thinking "man this ride is taking sooo long" after all we're all doing this for fun right?
"now I only have good days and great days."
3283
Member
1264 days
RV posted 40 weeks ago.
blavelle;81151 wrote:
... instead of thinking "man this ride is taking sooo long" after all we're all doing this for fun right?
But the long solo ride IS fun! :)
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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367 days
jasonm posted 39 weeks ago.
The roadies aren't wrong, they just race a different event that requires different elements of fitness and tactics.
Wow, what a difference!
Over the last year I have only gone for 2-3 group rides with a local group of 6-10 guys that ride two nights a week. I rode with them all the time 15-16 years ago and a few times last year.
Each time this year though it was unintentional as I usually ran into them on one of my rides. I would chug along with them, usually lead on the flats in my aero position, let them race on the hills and just spin up them to keep my HR within the prescribed IM training plan then go along steady again. Never really participated in the sprints or raced the hills, usually kept HR down in zone 3 at the max and so on. Often I would have been riding for an hour or more before I met up with them or keep riding afterwards, so I was never really into the group dynamic.
Two nights ago I took the road bike out and went out for a short (23 mile) but fun group ride! Man, it was fun to 'race' again. Said "F*** the heart rate" and did my best to stay with every break (I did), answer every attack (I did) and on one long (7-10 minute) steady climb got to the front and didn't let anyone by me and tried to split up the group (dropped 3 of the 6 guys). The results, one stretch where my HR was 195 or above for over 7 minutes, three climbs where I was over 195, one sprint where I was over 195 and a max on a short but steep climb of 198!
My legs didn't have the 'pop' they used to and I could answer most attacks but not counter attack. And on the short steep hills I could hang with each attack but again could not counter. The one long hill I felt great on and felt like I could have gone another 10 minutes, and I noticed I was the one staying strong as the ride got longer (Thank you IM training). It was a blast though to just go out and have fun!
The only 'downside' was, and this is where the steady IM pacing shows up, the average speed was 19+mph and my avg HR was 175. (I stopped my watch each time we waited for stragglers). I rode the exact loop 3 weeks before IMWI and averaged 21 mph with an avg HR of 152.
I keep telling the roadies in our area that slow and steady up the hills and hit it on the flats is the way to go, bu they just won't listen....
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2008 Main Races:
VA Beach Shamrock Marathon
Desoto TTT
WV Mountaineer HIM
IM Wisconsin