Topic Title

As per suggestion in a previous thread, I'm planning on the training ride heading down to Bishopwood for some faster-pace work on Saturday. What worked fairly well last year was to ride down as one group, on arrival probably split into a couple of groups based on fitness/speed (or maybe just stick as one larger group), and then do (say) five laps at something approaching race speed with the riders in each group working together as far as possible. The aim being to try to bridge that gap between the 20-21mph training rides to date and the 25mph everyone will need to do when they get a number on their back in a few weeks time. 9:00am in the square.

Two related points:-

I know Muzzy has suggested that doing the Malton-Terrington route would be more useful and, given his experience, I'd suggest this as an alternative for anyone who wants to do it instead, especially if Muzzy's happy to front it up. Muzzy?

Mudguards... ...a (ahem) discussion about this cropped up following last week's ride. Since I don't own a winter bike (and am probably prime candidate in Darren's "expensive box on the bars" comments) I'm clearly relaxed about what everyone turns up on and how much tyre is visible. I know other people see it differently. Let's just try to have a good, safe ride - etiquette and looking after each other takes many forms...

Sounds good to me. I did the race at Croft circuit last week which was reasonably quick - made me realise that I could do with increasing my pace a bit.

Unfortunately, my mudguard got bent when I crammed my bike into the back of the car for the drive up so I may be mudguardless on Sat! Apologies in advance.

Be good if the club, and leaders of the rides at least encouraged the use of mudguards in winter. Contrary to what willhub says, if everyone had a decent rear guard on it would be a much drier, warmer and more pleasant ride for everyone.

Having said that, of course everyone is most welcome, whatever bike you're riding, I'll just go looking for the best mudflap to follow.

the way u r going there wont be one!

Sounds good, I should be back this weekend!!

Can't make it this Saturday...Have a good ride.

Re: mudflaps...Thanks to G. for the tip earlier in the week, on another thread...I can only fit blades on my bike and had attached a rudimentary flap made out of a piece of cream carton. I shall be discarding this and (keeping with the theme of recycling dairy cartons!) replacing with a (bigger and longer!) piece of plastic made from a milk carton...Will see how that works out...
Best mud flap I have seen this winter is on Kit's bike. Big enough to paddle a canoe with

Yes Cam, a good mud flap should be like a drogue chute..I'm sure Kit will go about 4mph faster when he takes his off.

I think I'm going to be out Sunday morning this weekend. But I wouldn't want to turn up on Saturday mornings on the off chance someone elses fancies going upto Malton and Terrington - we either do it as a group or we don't? I still don't think laps round Bishops Wood is going to be much benefit - races are won and more importantly lost on the hills - What about that circuit at Westow we were going to use for the LVRC race Phil - lumpy but not too hard 5 mile circuit, quiet roads, not that far away - Ideal?

Be good if the club, and leaders of the rides at least encouraged the use of mudguards in winter. Contrary to what willhub says, if everyone had a decent rear guard on it would be a much drier, warmer and more pleasant ride for everyone.

Having said that, of course everyone is most welcome, whatever bike you're riding, I'll just go looking for the best mudflap to follow.

Industrial hair dryer or shield technology from StarTrek?

"I still don't think laps round Bishops Wood is going to be much benefit - races are won and more importantly lost on the hills - What about that circuit at Westow we were going to use for the LVRC race Phil - lumpy but not too hard 5 mile circuit, quiet roads, not that far away - Ideal?"

I kind of partly agree (and therefore suggest doing laps of Westow next week) but also reckon...

-A lot of the circuits that a lot of the people on the Saturday rides (and especially race newcomers) will be doing will be substantially flat to rolling, and..
-Whilst races are won and lost on hills you've still got to be able to ride fast and efficiently on the flat in order to have enough left in your legs to do anything on the hills, and..
-Hills immediately split up groups - it's where small differences in ability make a big difference, so group rides end up fragmented or compromised, and so..
-People can get out on their own and hammer the hills but they can't get out on their own and get experience working in a fast-moving bunch, and until the chaingang kicks off this is the only weekly opportunity.

Rightly or wrongly I'm not trying to replicate race conditions in the training rides, but to try to ensure that people get the opportunity to work at every aspect of race skills - some of which can be done alone, some of which needs to be in groups. What seems to catch a lot of people out in early season races is that big jump in pace, so - dull tho Bishopwood is - it's good for working on this; even 3rds/4ths races will be doing 25/26mph average. (Coach Jim Sampson seems to take a similar approach with his training rides over in the east, despite there being plenty of hilly circuits he could use). Aiming at something approaching that (given we'll have a much smaller group than a race-sized bunch) is at least a big step in that direction. Does that sound logical?

Just to add to Phils note about the sessions Jim does over in Hull. I've done them off and on for 20 years including last week when a snapped chain spoilt the fun after 6 miles. We used hilly circuits a few times but it quickly scattered into groups of twos and threes and everyone ended up training for 2up time trails rather than road races. Hard for sure but groups of 6-10 all working for an hour flat out tended to bring the standard of the whole group up.

One thing we did do was always make it exciting on the last lap by trying to cross the line first. Not a race but nobody wanted to give an inch so they were always super hard. Quite often the races were easier because you don't volunteer to sit on the front of a race as much! Those that want to, and can! Could always try harder on the last lap.....

Anyway, out tomorrow, see you then.

I've no doubt regular blasts around Malton Terrington make you strong, and maybe 5 or 6 of the regulars could ride hard and stay together...but like Phil says it's just carnage behind.

Simultaneous posting and watching of Het Nieuwsblad being attempted here, so apologies for any consequent mistakes...

Good numbers out in the square again this morning, and bone-dry roads made discussion of mudguards irrelevant (apart from a puddle under the Naburn railway bridge. Tim, following me:- "Oh nooo - I'll need to have a bath when I get home now"). At Bishopwood we split into a faster and slower group and set off for five laps.

I went off with the steadier group which had a rather fraught first lap or so before Rich T and I eventually took off on a two-up breakaway and the rest of the group got organised behind. Fairly solid numbers for power (240W+) but average speed of 21.5mph show we've both still got work to do if we're planning on hitting the front in races.

The faster group looked like it worked well together - how was it?

Your thoughts please, ladies and gents, on next week. More of this, or more of this on hillier roads, or Malton-Terrington? We don't have to all do the same stuff, as long as there's enough people to make group rides work as a group.

Good ride today, thought i would risk the faster group, felt real good for the first three laps, the group worked really well together, nice and tidy. Alas!, my legs gave up when over the two flyovers in the fourth lap.

Kept on going, when i hit the meeting point at the end of the fourth i figured i would keep going, and knowing that there was a group was behind me i carried on. Amused by the fact that trying to stay ahead of the group behind, made me feel i was in the remains of a lingering breakaway, i pressed a little harder on the pedals, i didn't go much faster, but it made my legs hurt

I must say, i was a little dissapointed to find that the other group had either overtook without me noticing, or just not done the last lap
After the 'breakaway' effort i couldn't keep up with the group on the way back and enjoyed a gentle plod home, with what may be my bikes last training ride.

A good effort to top off a solid week of training.

Cheers

Set off in group one or was suposed to as i was day dreaming so my training ride started with a chase to not get dropped before we even started .Eventually got there Any way the group lost a couple straight away but settled into a good rythmn.Containing Damien Andy RichD Mike .Sewell Brother Toby one other still dont know your name sorry and self.Worked pretty well together. but we still need to work out how to deal with the wind and what direction it is blowing and adapt.Kept it smooth until a lap to go and gaps appeared.Got dropped into the last lap again into the wind.A good eye opener of the differance between the last few weeks and today.Good time to start the faster stuff.cheers.