as the club develops we are finding that the training rides have needed to develop with it. as the seasons change we are also finding we need to adapt a little more.
as such the tuesday and thursday development group (novice) training rides have moved their starting point to under the narrows at 6:00am. there may be other groups starting there as well, but if you see a big group of testosteroned filled angry looking riders, there is a pretty good chance that it is not our group. look for the smaller group with a lot less testosterone. the reason for the location change is that heading into winter, it is just too damn dark inside kings park. there is little street lighting and the ones that they have on fraisers ave only seem to be on in the evening. that coupled with the amount of branches etc that can be blown onto the road at night makes for an unsafe riding environment. the group will be doing laps around the outside of kings park instead where it is double lane and well lit.
the main and fast groups on tuesday and thursday are also in need of a change. these are the ones that start at 5:30 and will remain at this time. at the moment, the thursday group works, because people know what to expect and deal with it accordingly. the main group that follows the fast group should also head the same way through cott so that they can sweep up any of the riders that may fall off the back. basically there doesn’t seem to be a transitional group that leaves from there now. most of the riders have progressed to the main 2 group if not the main 1 group. as such, the fast group will be fast, and the second group will be main 2 speed. this allows any main 1 riders an opportunity to test themselves a bit with the faster group, but can be picked up if they get dropped.
tuesday, i want to run under the same format. when we first started the tuesday ride, it was aimed towards the intermediate/main group. nice and easy and just giving them a chance to get a weekday ride in. we started with one or two riders and progressed from there (a couple of lonely rides by myself). however, since then, it has grown quite a lot and as such a lot of the fast group riders now use that as an extra ride during the week. i asked some people the last few rides whether we should split the group or not. the consensus was not to split as it seemed to be going ok. however, most of the people i asked were going ok. it was the others that were spat out the back after the regroup point at mosman park that i am concerned about. last tuesday i think we had about 8 or so off the back by the time we hit raffles. that is pretty much a group in itself.
so, as i said, i would like to run the tuesday the same as the thursday. both groups do the same course through mosman and peppy grove and the main starts 30 sec after the fast group. expect the fast group to be fast and as such, this may mean that the main group is much bigger than the original 8 or so. the group in general has been getting faster and faster. we kept putting rules in place that kept getting broken. first it was no attacks, then it was attack on mosman hill then regroup. then it was no roll throughs, soon it became a standard to roll through on burke drive. i have been getting comments over the last few weeks/months about the pace and lack of control, so lets just split the ride and see how we go.
you are on your own tomorrow as i am out with a cold, so decide whether you will split this week or give it a week. feedback would be appreciated via the comments.
peter
Bugger it I’m out of bed I’m still going keep doing the ride even if I get dropped. Like you have said a 100 times before Peter you only get better riding with those that are faster. Seems tubby Tuesday dissolved a couple months ago.
Wey Hey, I am allowed out on a Tuesday morning 🙂
sounds so confusing….tues is tempo with two regroups and thurs is fast is about all my brain has picked up on at 5 in the morning…plus…omg I’ve gotta get to work on time and let my students in the door or I’m toast!!!!
Great to hear the later start time.. it means I might actually join the group ride rather than go it alone 🙂
ok. here is the breakdown.
6:00am is the novice group. they usually start in kings park but it is too dark.
5:30am on tues and thur is now a fast group and a main group.
So is the Tue 530am group or the other Tue 6am group the testosterone filled angry looking riders? Nice to have options 🙂
Paul, SPR riders do not have testosterone….
we have epo
6.00 am Tues / Thurs is the traditional Narrows ride – they used to kick off at 40 kph and hit 50 by the Brewery to drop the unwarey and wannabees. Definately no eye contact; no prisoners and many pre-madonnas on that ride. Tried it once a couple of years ago and made it as far as UWA before the backdoor called.
Another time they overtook me just before the roundabout by Christchurch heading towards Stirling Hwy. Aside from nearly wiping me out; a quarter of the pack went around the wrong side of the roundabout – focused only on ‘winning’ and nothing else . . . .
I think the 5:30 ride is great… I know I keep getting dropped but im getting there.. as long as it doesnt p**s anyone off id like to keep going on this one ??? Love the regroup at top of mosie hill but not too worried either way, i know the way home. Have a few shortcuts up my sleeve to get me back in time for coffee .. The slower speed on Tuesday was noted 🙂
Apologies for the East Freo attack on Tuesday morning…I was baited. I didnt expect a ‘chase’ would follow and was happy to hang out to dry until the bunch came and swallowed us up. However, I can make up for it with credits for the slower pace overall…yes, it was me on the front commenting on how we always seem to ride in the middle of the road with room for 2 bikes in between the lines.
Must agree with Mark, the 6:00 AM Narrows group (not our Developmental group) has been going a long time and is a very aggressive ride (though Matty and some of our other A graders partake reasonably regularly). They may have what Ryan calls testosterone, but they also have a lot of crashes resulting in a fair few broken collarbones and irreparable carbon frames. And nobody stops to call the ambulance. I don’t think they go out to lunch together either.
Zac, is this an admission or do you have your suspicions?
I do believe it’s actually Evening Primrose Oil that Zak has been using 🙂
BTW, pre-madonna’s…is that before the 1980’s queen of pop? 😀
(sorry, I’m in a silly mood! Maybe one day I’ll get out of bed early enough to join you boys at 5.30am!)
I would hope its not an admission, because if I am only as good as I am on epo I would be wondering why so many people are on it!
Peter, the pace on Tuesday seemed OK, and although we did not lose anyone, it did string out several times after we hit Preston Point Road. Having said that, with all of the discussion back-and-forth over the past month, it can’t hurt to try splitting the groups on Tuesday for a while. My 2c.
Actually Daniel we lost quite a few. The pace picked up on Preston Pt Rd which is usual and people are prepared for; but then on the undulations after-wards it continued and those expecting to get back on didn’t. I dropped back and helped pace a group back while Ronny went ahead to slow the group. We got back on by Point Walter Rd but a few didn’t.
Agree though two groups if we continue to get big numbers.
ps very well controlled after that.