jbm blog

First Team Ride

Based on the time trials last week we went out in groups of about 7 riders plus a coach. I was thrilled and a little surprised to find myself in the fastest group. There are other riders participating that certainly look faster than me (or at least, they have better looking bikes) but perhaps they are simply smarter than me. They know that to last 100+ miles you can’t go super fast.

This was the first time we really got going in a group, using the pace line, and it was wonderful. I have never ridden in a group before and I found the cameraderie inspiring and the whole process of mainting the line, keeping the gaps tight, focusing on the pedalling and breathing to be liberating. The ride itself was easy since I’m already doing 30-40 miles with hills on my weekday training sessions, though I was rightly chastised for riding too fast when at the front and setting the pace for everyone else. Our coach, Tom, knows a thing or two about endurance rides (plus he has the coolest matt black bike I’ve ever seen) and he warns we won’t do well at the pace I was setting. Crucially, he explained that although your muscles might make it, you lose focus and your riding gets sloppy. That puts other members of the team at risk. We ride as a team, and I’m having to learn to put the team ahead of every thing else. It’s the team that wins.

 I also setup my fund raising site. If you’d like to make a contribution and support this excellent cause, there’s a quick and easy form setup for the purpose.