how do you solve a problem like the main group??? well really the question is, what is the problem with the saturday ride at the moment. the answer is pretty simple – we are getting too big. gone are the days of when we first started spr and there were about 30 people turning up and i knew all their names. don’t get me wrong, i love the fact that we have so many people wanting to ride with us, it’s just that we need to start changing the way we do things to accommodate them all.
i tried to solve 2 problems last week. both the main group and the transitional groups have been getting too big so we needed to split them both. by all accounts, the splitting of the transitional group worked well, but even then we had issues working out who went in which group. however, the reduction in group size and a different course for the T2 group made it more enjoyable for all involved.
splitting of the main group was totally arbitrary. i saw the size and split it down the middle. the reason for this was that the previous week there were 5 riders in main 2 and about 50 in main 1. i thought that the small amount of riders from main2 scattered across the group would be looked after by the rest of the group. unfortunately both groups splintered quite a lot down towards jandakot. a few people struggled with the wind and small rises and fell off the pace. in the group i was in, a number of the stronger riders fell back to help out, but the group was still in about three pieces.
so, what we are going to do is re-establish the main 2 group. there are a number of riders that definitely benefit from the easier pace and more control over the group. things like regroup points help keep it together and make the ride more enjoyable. so, who should go in this group??? well if you were on the ride last week and were off the back of either main group then you should consider riding main 2. russell will look after the group and set the pace so that it stays together well. the ride route will be the same as the main group, but starting a bit behind so that it can pick up any dropped riders.
now the main group itself should not really exceed 25 riders. this allows a decent roll through to happen but also is big enough for riders to hide in if they can’t do any turns. it is also small enough to not get caught at every set of lights. so, we will look at the size of the main group after we take out main 2 riders and just split it in half if we need to. make sure you are standing next to your friends before we start.
something else that helps the main group numbers is the size of the fast group. the last couple of weeks has had fewer riders in the fast group as people were saving their legs for sunday racing. hopefully this shouldn’t be the problem for a few weeks and we can get this group back up to a decent level. the more we have in the fast group, the easier it is to hide in the pack and not get dropped.
so, this coming saturday we should have the following:
fast group – high 30’s, no regroups, self managed. group size – 25.
main group – mid 30’s, self managed by experienced riders to ease the pace if needed, same route as fast group, roll throughs and sprints, split into 2 groups if needed. group size – 25.
main 2 – low 30’s, ride leader present, regroups at certain points, same route as above. group size – 15.
transitional 1 – 30ish, ride leaders present, slightly shorter route, learn to roll through, regroups and slower sections. group size – 15.
transitional 2 – high 20’s, ride leaders present, slightly shorter route, learn group riding skills, group should always stay together. group size – 10.
development group – mid 20’s, ride leader present, shorter, safer course. learn where to position your bike in a group and how to roll through. group size – 7.
juniors – must ride with a family member. set course mostly on bike paths.
i have been sent a number of suggestions to how we need to run the group and some i have implemented in this blog. if you have any others, add to the comments so we can get some feedback on how you would like the saturdays to be run.
My suggestion: Please let your ability decide which group you go into on Saturday morning not your ego.
Also to all those in the Main 1 group, have a go in the Fast group. You will never get better if you just ride comfortably. Put yourself outside your comfort zone, and you will get better and we can have a bigger fast group, and maybe down the track 2 fast groups. There is no greater reward than being able to go fast. (if that is your thing Baby)
I will be in the fast from now on (as long as there are more than 4 going.)
When i get around to writing up last weeks fast group ride, i was going to address this also.
I understand that the past few weeks he been exceptions due to racing and what-not, but realistically, i believe (correct me if i’m wrong) that the fast group has been waning of late. One of the factors i’m sure is fear of getting dropped, but that’s what the main group is there for, to sweep up. I think another is the thought that the fast group is a free for all, when in reality, it’s still just a training ride, which really should mean a 10km’s brisk warm up, 30-odd km’s of hard(ish) rolling through (this is the bit which gets lost in translation) with around the final 10km’s a little more opened up.
Pretty much anyone who raced last week should be making the jump to the fast group if not already and perhaps others too, and don’t worry about getting dropped (i.e. please participate in the rolling through), as the usual Main-guys-and-girls will come around to help you out. You’ll enjoy pushing yourself, and will findyou’ll gain strength quickly.
Please also forgive my spelling, as there seems to be issues with missing letters here (internet vs. something issue).
Sounds good in theory, but there weren’t many people rolling through during the middle 30kms last Saturday. Strangely enough, some the people who had been sitting on were the most aggressive in the “glory” kilometres. Not surprising then that people have been loath to step up.
Although I agree in principle (except that bit where the Main 2 does low 30’s and the T1 does 30ish 🙂 LOL…
As much as we would all love the perfect group ride, where everyone is in perfect tune with each other – I think, sometimes we just need to be happy that we are out there on the bike!
agree with pete that the controlling the *actual* number per group is the best way to go. once a ‘group’ turns into a ‘crowd’, things can seem to get a tad unruly.
🙂
Thanks Pete for continuing to find ways to give people what they want/need from our rides. Your right, Saturday did not work that well so we can change it. I like your proposal and I promise not to have another tantrum. Sorry Kym, after all your good work you happened to be on the front when I had my dummy spit. you deserved it least of all.
I’m happy to lead main 2. Our intention will be to ride firm but to get the vast majority of the group into the last 5 to 10 km together and then let people do what they can or want. We will achieve this by the front riders checking that they are not pulling the group apart, by having a ‘sweeper’ at the back, by having regroup points if we need them, and with stronger riders helping those that sometimes struggle at certain points. Everybody is welcome to particpate in roll throughs but not required to participate. If you are struggling, just sit in a while. Experince has shown that we will typically average 32-33 kph for the ride and you will get the opportunity to work hard. But it is a group ride.
And maybe we should have a club rule that if blokes have shaved legs they must ride with the fast group…..