My LBS is starting up their group rides again and I’m psyched to join. They have a B & C groups and both rides are no drop. I can do the average pace and distance of the B group (16.5-18 mph average, 30 miles), but I’m a bigger rider so I’m slow up the climbs.
Is it bad form to ride with the B group if they may have to wait on climbs? Everyone’s generally friendly but I don’t want to always be the last one up the hill. I’m hoping to drop some weight and stronger (aren’t we all haha).
Would you recommend starting with C and treating it as an easy ride, or B knowing I can keep the pace generally except when climbing?
I don’t think its bad etiquette on a non drop ride its expected. I one of those lighter climbers and on a non drop ride I wouldn’t worry, beside I would always prefer one more person to draft behind/ share the work load into a head wind. Its just a sign I can go harder into the red up a climb as I may have longer recover. That said if you can manage 16.5-18mph on your own you’ll easily manage it a group and might surprise yourself up a climb. Give the B group a go and after a few rides judge (not the first I always got dropped on my first ride when I started) and maybe reevaluate, you probably won’t have to though. Good luck
I’d say it’s okay to a point. I don’t think anyone can say what that point is because it depends on the culture of the ride, the temperament of the ride leader and who shows up that week. I would suggest that most no drop rides will be patient if there are a couple/few hills where the group needs to regroup, but if there are a lot more hills you may want to find a group ride with a flatter route or a C group until you are able to minimize the number of times this happens on a ride.
Another tactic you may try is to try to get a head of the group before the climb so you can sag back to the group as they climb. Perhaps that will minimize the regrouping required.
Surely if everyone knows it’s a no drop ride, they will expect to have to wait for people at times. Or to put it another way, if they don’t want to have to wait they shouldn’t be in a no drop group!
Having said that, I’d start with the C just to get back in the rhythm of a group ride again.
Depends hugely on the context. In my area “no drop” normally means exactly that - group climbs at close to the pace of the slowest climbers. Otherwise it’s billed as “climb at own pace and then regroup”. But that’s going to vary a lot by region and club. On either type of ride it’s fine being the slowest climber (somebody has to be!) but not by too big a margin. I.e. if you’re dropped but are still in sight of the tail of the group and can easily latch back on just by them sitting up on the descent and you keeping the power on that’s fine. If you’re the slowest rider by a significant margin on every climb and the rest of the group has to stop and wait for you for a minute or more, that can be frustrating for them and miserable for you feeling you’re holding everybody up.
In your favour is that LBS rides are normally pretty forgiving of slower riders - not good business to abandon a potential customer halfway through a ride or make them feel unwelcome! Going against you is that the existence of a C ride means that if you are the slowest climber by a margin then people are more inclined to question why you’re not on the slower ride. Speaking of which, do both rides follow the same route? In which case can you just start with B and then if you find you’re out of your depth you can sit up or pedal back to join C?
Lots of good info here (and from everyone else in this thread). Thanks!!
The routes are different…the C group is 13.5-15 mph and roughly 18 miles, the B group is 16.5-18 mph and 30 miles. Considering I haven’t ridden with more than 1 other person since COVID, I think I’ll go with the C group first. Best case scenario, it’s an easy ride and doesn’t impact my training plan much.
Chances are you’re going to go downhill like a bullet. Get dropped on the climb then catch back up on the downhill. So long as you’re back on the line by the time it starts getting up to speed on the next flat, you’re good.
Live outside your comfort zone. The worst that can happen is you pull off and drop yourself and then what? You get to ride at whatever pace you want and enjoy being on your bike. There’s lots worse in life.
If they say its a “no drop” ride then I wouldn’t worry about it, chances are everyone will wait to regroup at the top anyway. Now if you’re constantly lagging behind and making the group wait up for you the entire ride, that’s a different story. But I wouldn’t worry about it if you can otherwise keep the pace.
This. We have Tuesday night Worlds where the A group beats each other up, no holds barred, 23-25 mph avg, more if flatter route. The B group same thing. Benefit is that if you get shelled out the back on the A ride, B is 5 minutes behind at start. Thursday night beer ride is tempo pace, usually 20-21 +/- mph avg, with easing up on climbs (hills really for this ride). If it’s too much for first time/new rider, they just float back to B which starts 5 minutes later and is usually 17-18 +/- mph avg. When all done, beer…
94kg rider here. Go with the B group and murder yourself to hang on up the climbs. Get dropped. You’ll earn the respect of faster riders if you show that you’re willing to hurt.
Shoot, I did this with our shop ride A group after a few months of getting killed by the B riders. They were happy to have me though skeptical until I showed I was willing to ride to total failure. I could contribute on flats and would bleed through the mouth every time the road turned up even a percent or two. Made me fitter, quickly, and I’m now a welcome group member at A group rides, even though I still get dropped on longer climbs.
This is effectively how it goes at my LBS and it’s great for the big guys (like me). Hang on until you can’t and get picked up by the group behind. It grants lower fitness folks like me a great opportunity to ride hard/fast and have zero concern for failure.
If you’re not punching above your weight class for the general pace, go for it! If you’re a bigger guy, take some pulls at the front and people will love you for it. As you approach the climbs, be at the front and stay to the right. People will come around as everyone climbs at a different pace and with a different style. You’ll flush back through the pack but the gap at the top won’t be as high as if you started at the back because you figure you’re going to be the slowest anyway. Most of the guys and gals who want to hammer welcome a rest at the top anyway, and the best group riders will swing back around and shepherd folks at the back up the rest of the climb. Have fun!
I’m not much of a group ride person, so my advice should be taken with a shaker of salt. But I am usually one of the faster guys in whatever group I am in, especially in the climbing department. Normally the “no drop” rides were more of a regroup thing. I might take off and do a repeat of a climb while the slower climbers are coming up. I didn’t mind the extra work, and we all just went out own pace to the top.
