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What makes an "A" rider: a beginners point of view

With the launch of our new website, I thought I'd take a stab at an article for this month’s Hammer Times. As a "new" rider (I began riding last July) I've learned a lot about what it takes to be an A rider, or be a B rider and ride with the A's.

An A rider is able to average 18+ mph, whereas a B rider averages about 16+ mph. Additionally, A rides will cover longer distances that involve more difficult terrains i.e. hills!

Ride! Ride! Ride!

If you are just starting out, try to ride 2-3 times per week, and try to get in 75-100 miles per week. Go as fast as you can ... always ride at a level of discomfort so that you can improve. You need to build your speed and endurance.

Be consistent

Once you do find a cycling group, ride with them regularly. One thing I've noticed is that the riders that are riding at an "A" level show up consistently. They may not ride with CycleClub Kingston all 3 days per week, but they are showing up for at least 2 if not 3 of our rides, and/or they are riding that many days on their own or with others. You can't expect to become an "A" rider by riding one day per week. Also, cross training WILL help, but if you want to be a great cyclist, you have to put the time in consistently on the bike.

Take a risk

Ride with people better/faster than you. Don't be afraid to be the slowest rider in the group. This will challenge you to ride faster. There are "tricks of the trade" that you can employ (see roll off below) in order to ride with the big dogs.

Roll off

There is no shame in "rolling off." In fact, the rest of the group wants you to. It will keep the average speed of the group up, as well as keep you from getting dropped. What does this mean and how do you do this?

One of the beautiful things about group cycling is the paceline. A paceline is a single-file line of riders in which the leader "pulls" in the front for a certain interval of time, then drops back, or "rolls off", to the back of the line and begins to rotate through to the front of the line again. This allows riders to conserve energy by riding in the draft of others.

In a paceline, because of the draft, the 1st rider is at 100% power. The 2nd rider is at 28% less and the 3rd and every person back is at 33% less power. (If we had power meters, we could see that.) If the 1st rider is at 90% of max HR, rider #2 is 5 beats less, and rider #3 and back are 10 beats less, resting. If we switch every 1-2 minutes it means we hump 2 minutes and rest 14 minutes. Overall this allows the entire group to go faster for longer periods of time.

When riding with a group that is slightly faster than you are, you will want to "roll off." As you make your way up the paceline to position #2, roll off after 30 seconds. Don't even make your way up to position #1. If you do this while your riding improves, you’ll eventually be able to “pull” later in the season. You may feel that you are not pulling your weight, but the group will actually thank you. If you try to pull beyond what you are capable of, you will slow the group down, and possibly get "dropped" anyway when you make your way to the back of the line.

Get dropped

Getting dropped means you get left behind the group, usually because you cannot sustain the speed of the group. When you are dropped, you are alone without the advantage of drafting and resting.

Yes it sucks. And you may cry. (yes, I hate to admit it, but I have). But it happens to us all at one point or another. We all end up riding with someone better than us sooner or later, and chances are, they got dropped and then swore to get better!

Stay on

Do whatever you have to do to stay on the wheel in front of you. Sometimes this will involve a hard dose of yelling at yourself. Yes, it is a mind game. If you stay on, you can keep up. But once you drop back a bike wheel length, and then a bike length, and then another, it gets harder and harder to “close” and ultimately, you get dropped.

Join CycleClub Kingston

You didn’t think I’d finish the article without a plug for CycleClub Kingston, did you? All the riders who rode with us during the indoor season came out 3-5 MPH faster in the outdoor season! Visit our indoor page to find out more! And for all those ski bunnies out there, yes skiing will keep you in great shape throughout the winter. But try to work in some cycling as well!

Thanks for reading! If you have any comments or feedback about this artcile, the website, or CycleClub Kingston in general, drop me a line at lori@cycleclubkingston.com

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