They Go Really Fast Downhill

I know I’ve said this before and while I don’t want to sound like a broken record, there are a lot of guys up here in Westchester who show up for group rides who I simply don’t understand.

This morning, I drove down to SUNY Purchase for a 44-mile B ride. You know what a B ride means? It means an average speed between 14.0 and 15.5 MPH so when the ride starts and almost half of the guys begin gunning it less than ten minutes later (and I know they’re gunning it because (a) I’ve been on more B+ rides than B rides and (b) I know what a B pace is supposed to do to my heart rate), I have to ask myself, Do these guys know how to read?

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe the guys I began riding with a year ago had it all wrong when they slowed down to let the group re-group after short to medium bursts of speed. Maybe waiting for people when they suffer a mechanical is bad etiquette. And maybe waiting for a guy or girl when they’re suffering from leg cramps is what you’re not supposed to do when out for a group spin.

But I don’t think so. I think a group ride is supposed to be exactly that: a GROUP ride, meaning everyone shows up to ride as a group. Sure, you put a few seconds between some people and that’s fine, but a few minutes? Are you kidding? I’ve led two rides up here with the WCC and I can tell you that it is one thankless job and one that I really don’t look forward to doing again.

I really shouldn’t bitch, but it is my blog and I get to bitch as much as what I want. (If you want to bitch, you’re welcome to start your own blogger, which is rather simple, actually.) My point is, though, if you show up for a B ride and can ride a B+ or A- pace, why ride with the B group? Why not go out with a B+ or A- ride? And if there isn’t a B+ thing scheduled the day you want to go out and do a B+ ride, why not set up your own ride and lead a bit yourself to see what it’s like? Go out and see just how much fun it is when a dozen other riders are your responsibility.

So again, maybe it’s just me, but when I think about my riding, I’m always thinking about how I’m going to train harder and ride faster. I think about what I have to do so I can start hanging with the A riders and what I have to do to sit at the front of an A group and set the pace. (That day is probably a long way off, but let me at least have my thoughts.) What I don’t do is show up for C rides as a B+ rider so I can feel good about myself by kicking off the front of the group.

Like I said, though, that’s just me.