on 4/27/10 10:25 AM, Darin G. at dbg...@mac.com wrote: > Okay, many great suggestions here and I appreciate the attention to > the topic. I think many of the observations about obsessing less with > how long it takes and enjoying the activity are appropriate. I > typically don't ride with others. Its usually just me out there > listening to the meadowlarks, feeling the wind and carrying on an > intense internal conversation with my multiple personalities. Speed on > such a journey is irrelevant. When the opportunity to ride with > others does come up, however, no one wants to be the heel that makes > everyone wait or blows up trying to keep up, especially when you're > ostensibly the stronger rider.
The other point which I didn't see addressed is whether you can stay "stuck" with these riders if you tuck in behind and enjoy their draft. Riding with faster riders (or riding with more technically skilled riders) can be a great tool for moving up a bit, speed wise. Here's the thing: Your body (like almost everyone else's) is basically lazy - it will adapt to the stress you put on it. So, if you ride at 73 rpms and 15.6 mph, the body will strengthen itself just to that point and maybe a smidgen extra. So, if you go riding with friends who ride much _shorter_ distances than you tend to, but ride at even slightly higher speeds, it will be very tough for you to ride, say at 90 rpms and 17 mph. You will probably find that you recover your breath much more quickly than your quicker friends, but can't necessarily match the short term efforts. Here's where the Primal/Grok thing comes into play - or, the thing you read in training manuals - about going either slow or fast. If you tend to mosey along at a middling pace, you aren't really building up fast twitch "fast" muscles or slow twitch "endurance" muscles. (And I'm not saying not to do so, but try a different approach for a couple weeks). Try really stomping up any hill or incline you encounter on a ride. Try riding a quarter of the distance you normally go, but with twice as much effort. Make a deal with your buddies that they won't drop you - stay stuck to their wheels no matter what so you ride at a slightly uncomfortably higher pace. What will happen is your body will react to offset this and you'll gain some speed. Now. Here's the disclaimer: Do Not Do This if you have physical restrictions, feel pain or haven't had a recent medical check up. Make sure you fully recover from this harder riding. This can be hard work, and for those of use who won't see 40 again, you should be careful, OK? > I did receive a phone call from my ride companion last night saying > that he was completely wasted from our recent sluggish and casual ride > and wondering how I could go that far. Smug satisfaction taken. There are always those partners who can just bury themselves on a ride. Best to avoid them, or learn how to ask them questions requiring complex answers on topics they like to expound. - J -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." Mahatma Gandhi -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
