getting dropped!!

daludo

hi lads,our training group has recently started to up the pace(on a flat spin)from 30km ave to 32ishkm ave.this was due to the arrival of some a4 racing guys:ointo the group.so now im getting dropped every night with approx 7km to go.its a bit disheartening when you see newbies stayin the pace for longer!!this is going on for 3wks now and im wondering what i can do training wise outside of these training spins to improve my endurance??i presume endurance is the prob??or will this come naturally to me by just trying to stay with them that bit longer each night??very frustrated at the mo.by the way,dont have a prob staying with/close enough to them on hilly spins although these are 10km shorter...any decent advice appreciated:)

awec

Cycle more I think. It just sounds like you need to up your fitness level to be able to keep the pace to the end, and that'll come through more cycling

daludo

forgot to mention also have access to a gym if you think there is anything there that would benefit??

awec

The gym bikes?

Should point out that I'm no expert on these things!

bcmf

I would imagine that now it could be a physchological prob that you know the hardest part is coming up.
I found that with the Swords spin there was a small climb that I constantly got dropped.I decided one morn that I wasnt gonna be dropped.
I buried myself.Found a wheel that I could hold and just focused on that wheel.
Prob overcome.
As you are coming to the end of your spin maybe at about 10km get a gel inside you.Experiment with the various drinks/powders that are out there and see which one gives you the biggest 'hit'.Focus on a wheel and bury yourself.Do it once and you know you can do it and what is required to do it.

billyhead

Thats my fear aswell. I would like to train with the Swords CC racing group on Saturdays but fear I will be dropped early enough so plan to build up my speed each week before attempting to hang with them and join the club. As others have said its a matter of getting the miles and strength into the legs

bcmf

The only real way to get up to speed IMO is to join the group and do it.
Myself and RobFowl usually meet the group on the road and if one of us are not errrr feeling well we leave balrothery early with the aim of getting over the 3 sisters climb before the main group thus giving us breathing space and you will still get the speed in on the run towards Swords.

elchupanebrey

Something as simple as a shorter stint up front or skipping a go might help you to get home with the group if that's your goal. Of course if you do too much dodging you'll get a rep as a wheel sucker :-)

Inquitus

billyhead wrote: »

Thats my fear aswell. I would like to train with the Swords CC racing group on Saturdays but fear I will be dropped early enough so plan to build up my speed each week before attempting to hang with them and join the club. As others have said its a matter of getting the miles and strength into the legs

I started with that Sat morning spin last year. First time I got dropped going up the hill into Naul, 2nd and 3rd time I got dropped on the sisters, 4th time I made it round. No better way to bring yourself on imo then be stretched like that.

bcmf

Inquitus wrote: »

I started with that Sat morning spin last year. First time I got dropped going up the hill into Naul, 2nd and 3rd time I got dropped on the sisters, 4th time I made it round. No better way to bring yourself on imo then be stretched like that.

Yes bit most importantly How did you fare in the sprint at The Pavilions?:p

Lusk Doyle

bcmf wrote: »

Inquitus wrote: »

I started with that Sat morning spin last year. First time I got dropped going up the hill into Naul, 2nd and 3rd time I got dropped on the sisters, 4th time I made it round. No better way to bring yourself on imo then be stretched like that.

Yes bit most importantly How did you fare in the sprint at The Pavilions?:p

Sure, we all know that's a charity sprint for the weakest rider!!!

Lusk Doyle

Daludo, don't be scared to shout at the group to wait for you.

fat bloke

HTFU!

If it's a long ish spin it's a bit mean of lads to shag off and leave you with only 7k to go to home! If there's a group going up the hill then it's often fair enough to let lads with the legs, or in the mood, off to climb the hill as quick as they like but you'd usually then all re-group at the top.

You see lots of lads new to cycling who aren't really able to ride a wheel - they're not comfortable drafting other riders effectively, leaving too much of a gap and making more work for themselves to keep up. Would you say that could be an issue for you? -I'd say don't stress over it, maybe you just need to dig in and learn to suffer a bit

bcmf

fat bloke wrote: »

HTFU!


You see lots of lads new to cycling and triathlete's who aren't really able to ride a wheel - they're not comfortable drafting other riders effectively, leaving too much of a gap and making more work for themselves to keep up.

:P

opti0nal

daludo wrote: »

forgot to mention also have access to a gym if you think there is anything there that would benefit??

Build your core, learn stretching.

Outside of cardiac and muscular fitness, there are other factors such as bike position, road knowledge, psychology, choice of gears and general riding technique that play a role in the outcome of your ride.

billyhead

fat bloke wrote: »

HTFU!

If it's a long ish spin it's a bit mean of lads to shag off and leave you with only 7k to go to home! If there's a group going up the hill then it's often fair enough to let lads with the legs, or in the mood, off to climb the hill as quick as they like but you'd usually then all re-group at the top.

You see lots of lads new to cycling who aren't really able to ride a wheel - they're not comfortable drafting other riders effectively, leaving too much of a gap and making more work for themselves to keep up. Would you say that could be an issue for you? -I'd say don't stress over it, maybe you just need to dig in and learn to suffer a bit

I presume is your relatively new to cycling with a group you would be best off riding at the back in order tofobserve and take in the experience of it i.e you don't want to be in the middle of the group and suddenly swerve causing a crash. Also it might make it easier drafting cyclists in front:P

Esroh

You have maybe 6/7 weeks of evening spins left. Set the Goal of hanging in the whole way before the light runs out. Then you have the bar set for winter training .
Its 2 min a week of extra pain .
As the pace on the way home picks up concentrate on holding wheels. From experience I know that if you have not been there at the death the last few weeks the lads don't expect you be there and will happily work around you.
As BCMF says above you have to get your head around hanging on. Body can generally do alot more than the mind thinks

daludo

sorry lads,had to drop everything and rush off yest.thanks a lot for the advice,much appreciated.fitness is generally good,to be honest as bcmf says i think it could be a psychological thing,droppin out at the same spot each night!il work on it,watch this space!!!!!by the way,im going to do circuit training twice a week for the winter,i presume this benefits cycling also????

petethedrummer

daludo wrote: »

by the way,im going to do circuit training twice a week for the winter,i presume this benefits cycling also????

You'll get better a circuit training! :pac:

What cycling will you be doing?

FISMA

daludo,
Two things to do to get better.
1) In the gym - squats.
2) On the road - sprints.

If you do these for a bit, it will not be long before you're dropping them...

mcallaghan

I'd recommend doing 'fart legs'. I am not sure if thats the correct term for cycling (it is for runners!). Essentially, on your solo rides (wouldn't work so well in a group) pick a point to start sprinting, and go for maybe 80 yards. Hard as you can, biggest gear you can. Aim for a point 100 yards away. Then recover, get the breathing and heart rate back down, then do it again. And again. Multiple times on your ride. It'll boost your endurance and give you that extra kick at the end of the ride your describe. We'd do it in track (us long distance runners at least) to enable us to get that second wind so to speak.

monkeypants

I think it's fartleks, but I try the other one regularly enough.

ugsparky

Fartleks = Swedish training method used by marathon runners to improve overall speed.

10 minutes jogging - 1 minute fast pace - 10 minutes jogging/cool down/recovery - 1 minute fast pace ... to a set recommended programme. Basically jog - sprint - recover - jog - sprint. It's often referred to in the cycling mags as part of a training regime. They don't mention the explosion due to lack of air in your lungs or the burning sensation in your legs ... so I won't be a spoiler and mention ... errr ...

deandean

Next time put on your 'ANGRY FACE' and don't let the SOBs drop you. You'll have plenty of time to recover afterwards.