ride report by peter.
december already and there is a lot of things on the plate. christmas, christmas parties, spr christmas breakfast, new kit to be ordered, oh, and a new baby needs to be scheduled in there at sometime. it looks to be a busy few weeks. in keeping with the season of giving, i am giving you guys the chance to step up and take control of the group. when #2 son appears, it is unknown how much time i will be able to spend in the saddle but we need to keep a tight reign on the group or it will just become another group ride.
to that end, i devised a cunning plan. in the words of the great blackadder, “as cunning as a fox who’s just been appointed professor of cunning at oxford university”. i needed to split the group up to protect the weaker riders from the pace of the stronger ones. then while the fast boys are smashing themselves apart, the rest of the group can build to a more sustainable pace. as riders progress in their ability, they can then step up to the faster group, or if the stronger guys have been brought down by illness or injury, they can use the second group as a recovery ride.
now how this helps me, is that when the stronger riders are self flagellating at the front, the only guys that they will be hurting are those that have volunteered to go in group one. if they get dropped, they are usually strong enough to make their way back without me having to worry about them. with group two, the natural order of things will find a few guys and girls that will step up and take control of the group to keep it together and help the struggling riders. russell was that person today and i thank him for it as it makes my life easier.
so, how to make the split. how do you tell someone which group they are in. well i didn’t have to. i put a bloody great hill in the middle of the ride and that made the decision for me. gooseberry hill is long and steep. not as long as some of the sunday hills nor as steep as some of the others, but definitely a new thing for the saturday ride. for many it was the extra incentive to say “group 2 for me” for others it would be a long painful morning.
about 40 were willing to ride this morning and we set out on a fairly new route. a zig-zag course through belmont and maida vale found us on hawtin rd which is the last stretch of the hale rd route. this gave us and easier approach to gooseberry than i had originally mapped out as we could cross kalamunda rd at the lights. the selection point was the roundabout and i barked orders as we approached and then watched the group split fairly well in two with about 20 heading straight up gooseberry and the other 20 turning left via ridgehill rd.
as i had slid back through the group to let everyone know what was going on, i started the climb well down in the placings and had a lot of ground to make up. i was surprised at the amount of traffic that this road gets and we had to go single file at the start which allowed a few of the boys a fair gap up ahead. i stuck on hugh’s wheel for as long as i could and we picked up a number of riders before the road flattened out slightly. knowing that this was the calm before the storm, i tried to pick up as much ground as i could before the steepest part of the hill started. as the gradient sapped the strength from my legs, i was past by judd and a couple of others, including julian who is climbing exceptionally well lately (note to drug testers). ryan was well ahead and i have a feeling that hugh was also up the road. as the grade finally settled to the point where you could actually see the finish, i accelerated around judd and the others since i could now measure the effort to the line. i managed to hold julian’s wheel, but was in no state to try to come around.
we waited and watched the riders come up one by one in many a state of emotional and physical disrepair. the last rider was rob, an old mate from work who was back on break from liberia in west africa. not much riding going on there and i was surprised to see him volunteer fro group one. the look on his face at the top of the hill said it may have surprised him too.
a nice descent down the zig-zag complete with a view of the city made it all worthwhile and provided a good reprieve for the legs. a regroup at the top of ridgehill rd provided us with an indication of just how far ahead the second group would be. a looooong way. it took us ages to get up gooseberry, then the zig-zag is not the most direct route to the bottom, so we were at least 15 min behind with about 45 min of riding to go. the group splintered on the descent and quite a bit of organisation was needed to get it back together for the run into town. once we were complete, the boys on the front lit the fuse and were off.
i expected that we may roll through, or even half the group roll through, but the front few were keen to just power through the wind running single file until the pace slackened. another rider would then come to the front and take the strain. the tailwind combined with the diesel motors of judd and nick along with the turbo of ryan and the rotory engines in james and ben, kept us humming along at around 50 kph for most of helana valley rd. by the time we hit great eastern hwy it was clear that there was a group 1 and a group 1.5 due to the pace.
we had picked up another rider on the way and i spent most of helena valley rd chatting to sean o’neil who has been one of, if not “the”, top triathlete in perth the last few years. he was a handy asset to have on the return journey and did a lot of work on the front as we came through the rollers in mt lawley.
every time we regrouped at the lights, the pace would be on so that only the strongest survived to the end. if we discount gooseberry hill, as we did regroup three times after the climb, then it is actually pace that determined who should be in group 1 and 2. as far as i was concerned, it was the best and hardest saturday ride i had been on in ages.
we rolled into the coffee shop about 10 min after the first group had landed and they all had their coffee’s
and sustenance on the table as we arrived. there was no way we were going to catch them, but it had them worried and they were trying to stay away for the rest of the ride. the important thing was that they stayed together.
as for the saturday ride from now on, am keen to get feedback on whether this is the way to go. i think that people will eventually fall into the group that they feel comfortable with and it should make the ride more pleasant for all. if we do proceed down this path of two routes, it will not always be a hill that will be added, but usually a extra lap to give the group two riders a head start for the ride home. however, expect the pace to be high in group one as the chase begins.
in other non-riding type news, just a reminder that the ride on the 20th of dec will be the christmas breakfast in which we will not (as tradition dictates) be riding hard and you will all be encouraged not to be too serious and either dress up or decorate your bike. the breakfast will be held at jerry’s palace in city beach so just be aware that the ride home will be a bit longer that usual and it may pay to organise some small groups to ride home together.
the next run of team kit will be underway soon and i will be posting details on the blog just as soon as i bolt down some of the finer points. like price. there will be the standard kit plus potentially some extras, like undergarments and t-shirts, as long as we get enough orders to reach the minimum required per style. keep an eye on the blog as well as look for the signup sheet circulating around the coffee shop.
i forgot to mention that ryan fell off and hurt his bottom on the way to the ride this morning. luckily it wasn’t his spr kit that he got a hole in.
Oi! Who in the picture is drinking a strawberry pink shake? I’ll have to swap to banana!
Hope you had fun guys!
All, I reckon the group 1 chasing group 2 was a great success. As Pete mentioned I volunteered to help “steer” group two home as living in the hills I know the way well. As expected, group two split going up Ridge Hill Rd but we cycled easy and regrouped after the bottom. The group stuck together really well all through Helena Valley, Guildford and Bassendean – good cooperative riding guys. The little hills from Garrett Rd through Mt Lawley splintered the group a bit and I think a couple dropped off here. A couple of times the group strung our with some enthusiastic people riding off the front, but with some yelling they eased up and allowed the group to reform. We still had a core group of about 15 or so all the way past the subway, over the Polly Farmer and to the base of the Plain St hill. The hill split us up and 4 of us made the lights at the top and the remained had to wait – and the gap stayed there all the way to the coffee shop. Everybody worked as hard as they could in Group 2 – some took longer turns and some just held on – but everybody was keen to stay away from the wolves of group 1.
Like Pete, I also found it one of the hardest but most satisfying Saturday rides for a while.
Pete, I think its a great concept – try and keep the whole group sticks together for the first half so everybody can warm up and have a chat, and then set it up for a competitive ride home. Either chuck in a hill, or extra few Km’s etc and if we take note of the gap, with some experince we should be able to handicap it such that its closer at the finish.
I’m not sure it needs to be set up that way for every saturday ride, and it may not suit some of the routes, but I think it certainly worked well today. Some rides work really well with the fast sections and regroups (we just need the discipline to stick to it) and its great fun going along Mt Bay Road with a big bunch timing their run for the line.
But today was a great way to get the group 1 and group 2 to work to their capacity, and there could be in the future a group 3 that wants to cycle home at their own pace (and pick up the discards along the way). I think it will also polish team riding skills of working for the team good, tempering of enthusiasm at the front and some controlled rolling through.
I am on leave for the next 3 weeks so Saturday was my last group ride until the new year.
Best wishes for Christmas – Christmas ride, birth of babies, staying upright on the bike and we should buy ourselves something for the bike. Russell
And how come my Avatar has changed? I have bigger legs in this one, but have bunny ears – i guess i did ride in group 2
your avatar is randomly generated from your e-mail address. you usually comment via the work one. thanks for the feedback russell, and have a good christmas.
Sorry Melvin the milkshake was mine – since last week when I tried it I cant seem to go past it – its sooo gooooood!!!
I will have chocolate next week to make sure I am different 😉
I agree with Russell that the format doesn’t need to be used every week (perhaps once a fortnight at best). Although I wasn’t there to experience the wonderment, there does seem to be a danger in making the Saturday rides too competitive, putting undue pressure on some to keep up. Several other group rides have degenerated (and stopped for periods of time) because they have become surrogate races and hence very dangerous (in normal traffic) as riders have taken unnecessary risks, made mistakes due to fatigue etc.
If the hyper-competitive amongst us wish to smash things and hurt others for extended periods, there are races with closed roads for that sort of thing. Cycling WA would appreciate more presence there.
Amping up the Saturday ride may also have an impact on the Sunday ride. There is already an effective points competition running there and a harder Saturday ride may lead to less riders wanting to back up (think Col de Gooseberry Saturday, Feckenburg et. al. Sunday). Guys and girls who want to impress their wares on others need to consider the coming out on Sunday for an extended examination if they are that frisky.
From a training/racing point of view, those who do often race in the Sunday crits, road events or Sunday ride would not benefit from a hard Saturday where peer pressure may not allow them to take it as steadily as they would like.
So as a Sunday hard day person, I would opt for a more social, medium intensity ride for most Saturdays.
Fantastic ride Pete, I really enjoyed it, Gooseberry hill was just enough give the legs a bit of a wake up call but still have enough in the tank for a good run home. Didn’t have too much left for the sprint 😉 along Riverside Drive though.. Don’t suppose anyone knew what the average pace was on the way back?
About the only thing I discovered on Saturday was that riding with 80 psi in your rear tyre thanks to an unknown slow leak is like riding in a tub of glue. I had a crap ride so packed up my bat and ball and went home in a huff 🙁
Michael, I wouldn’t say that the ride was too competitive, no more than usual anyway, the camaraderie was excellent, people working together, the stronger ones keeping the pace up and if you needed a break you peeled off and sat in. For me had more of a Thursday morning ride feel to it.
Whilst I really enjoy the Sunday rides as well, with a little one at home now and working away during the week, the more compact yet higher intensity format on a Saturday suits me well.
I just wanted to compare my avatars
Bonjour all, I found Sat to be an enjoyable ride. No more risks taken, just the reigns on myself and a few others were loosened a little earlier than normal. Although when we upped the pace early after coming down the Zig Zag, Pete was onto us to ease up as people were dropping out the back as the terrain was still a false flat.
I was sitting back trying to let the broken link in the chain link onto me when Sean O’Neill came past me and latched onto the group ahead. I then moved up and to the front where Sean and I did alot of work. Of course others helped to but not for sustained amounts of time. We were not really thinking about the rabbits up the road, more enjoying the little longer than usual hit out.
I had a crit on Sunday but only managed to bag 3rd but that was not due to tired legs, more due to fool cutting me off not once but twice in the sprint.. Incredulous I was.. I exchanged a few not so nice words with him after, him and his team mate took 1st and 2nd.. Grrr, another 1st place gone begging. This week will be last chance in B grade to get a top step finish..
I am easy either way with the rides.. I was amazed how many took the B group route but it was a good thing, as groups were then an even size….
I am still waiting for Lorraine to Blog her maiden sprint victory, she was labelling herself the Kimbo Crusher.. I have to say thanks to Judd for the lead out down riverside drive. It was an easy victory as it seemed noone had much gas to play with me.. No fuss for me as it makes my life easier..
Ahh yeah, and just for the record, Ben was second up Gooseberry (I hate that hill, just thankfully Mr Bonner was playing Ironman cyclist instead of whoopping me)..
i guess some more explaination from me in regards to the format. the formation of group 2 is not, as we discussed ages ago, to be for the weak, frail or beginner riders. in this case it it more the formation of the group 1 that is the difference. this group will be extending the hard section to probably double the normal distance in an effort to catch back up to group 2. this doens’t mean that the main group should do anything different than it currently does. it just means that when the pace steps up, it will not be quite as fast, as the boys usually responsible will be chasing. this means that the struggling riders may be able to hold onto the group for longer and therefore have a more enjoyable experience.
as for michaels comments about efforts, well if i was doing an important race on sunday, then i would probably opt for group 2 on the saturday. it all comes down to what you want from the ride.
as has always been the problem, it is hard to keep everyone happy and the fast boys have been somewhat neglected lately. hopefully the net result will be that everyone gets the riding experience that they would like.
They have been neglected as they have not been out on Thursdays.. Thursday is fast boy day.. There is group B on Thursday (yet to have a ride together from the start) for those fast but not quite as fast 😉
Hope to have a decent turn out of fast and fast but not so fast folk on Thursday am.. 5:30am, best time to be on the road..
meta comment: if you want to choose your own avatar you can go through the hoops of registering for a gravatar at http://en.gravatar.com/ and using the same email address to register there and comment here.
davidp.
Now for a proper comment: I think the occasional 2 group split can work quite well and keep the group appealing to a wider audience.
Group 2 (or Australia A as I prefer to call us 🙂 could do with some more practice at riding together, sharing the load and keeping in one lane – so we can only get better.
Psychologically getting dropped is not that great, and I know for me reduces the fun factor of a ride. So knowing that there is a gentler, but still taxiing option on a Saturday ride would be good thing.
davidp.
Enjoyed the ride, Group 2 (soon to be group 1)worked well together and gave riders a chance to work at the front when they may not on a normal Saturday ride. This will benefit all of us in future group rides. We did not take to many risks except when I cut across in front of Russell to catch a passing wheel Sorry Russell!
These Rabbits get to fight another day.
Nev
How about once a month for this type of ride?
I like the concept and only wish I could have joined the fun
I have had a little think about the concept and feel it is a good thing but we do not want to make it too competitive, perhaps more two seperate groups (a and b). The group is growing and as numbers swell, the ability gap will grow.
Our groups are fast but perhaps a fast and faster group will be more rewarding for all, no shame in going in either group, B group is still a good work out, probably not quite as intense at times and will give others a chance to do work at the front instead of the work load being hogged by certain culprits 😉
Just a thought, although then we need a chief for b group as well as a group when Pete goes into planned involuntary retirement for a little while..