gotta think about pace

 

Last Wednesday, I did a Team Social Security ride, and couldn't keep up with the fast folks. Then, on my last two solo rides, I turned the GPS so I couldn't see time or speed, and came in slower than I thought.

When I posted today's ride, I didn't think I'd get miles in yesterday (although it turned out I did), so I posted one of my most demanding routes - about 1700' of elevation, which is not huge, but some of it is steep and nasty. Much of the group that came out are riders who are faster than I (most of the time).

Three of 'em planned to meet us along the way, and I told the starting group that. We were mostly together as we picked up Madhu A, the first rider-in. The group got ahead, and then I caught 'em on the hills.

Apparently, I'm a good hill-rider, and not a good flats rider. Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either.

And that's how we went for most of the ride: the group would get ahead until the hills, and then I'd catch up, or even pull ahead. But my average on the ride page shows I was faster than I want to bring this ride in usually, although this group was certainly up to the pace.

So I gotta think about pacing and my rides.

The picture at top was at Pretty Brook and Province Line. More:

We stopped at the Boro Bean.

After the stop, Luis and Laura OLPH (both of whom we had also picked up along the route) rolled off, and then another rider complained he wasn't up to completing, so he would shorten the route and find his own way. The group got ahead of me again a couple of times, partly because one other rider was also a straggler. But we all got back safely.

So here's the deal: I clearly can't keep up with the faster riders who come on my rides. But I'm also clearly capable of bringing in the ride at a pace at which I want to ride.

I need to think about this.