I typically don’t ride at the local fast group weekly ride, mostly due to work/family constraints. But I did last night and it kicked my ass. It was a much different and harder type of riding than I am used to.
Pulls were hard and staying on the back was harder after pulling, but easy enough to sit in middle of pace line.
Training for my second full in September and just wondering people’s thoughts on incorporating this as a weekly training session (if I can make it work). I imagine this will make me a better/faster/stronger rider but I think there may be some who don’t think this is a great way to train for tri.
Typically group rides are great for making you tired, but they’re not very good physical training. They can be fun though, which is nice, and as a road racer they’re invaluable for practicing some of the skills of bike racing. I wouldn’t expect the group ride to result in improved ironman cycling performance at all
sam long does the shoot out bike ride… seems to work for him. It is great interval training if you continue to take pulls and work to catch up to the pack when about to be dropped
??? Are you saying pro bike racers are a bunch of weak physical specimens? Group rides can absolutely get you in great riding shape, it is only in recent history that some folks ride alone all the time. They were a staple for almost everyone back in the day, and many top riders still pop them in once a week. Pretty sure Wurf probably does 3 to 5 a week, and he seems to be in pretty good physical shape for an old guy… (-;
Yes, because the group rides those guys go on are exactly the same as a bunch of middle aged guys randomly going as hard as they can. Also, group rides are appropriate for the demands of their sport, i.e. riding really hard in a big group. Only appropriate for triathlon if you’re doing IM texas.
If the choice is a group ride or no riding, than yes, the group ride is better. If the choice is a weekly group ride or an interval session that actually works on the things that are appropriate for your sport, than the interval session will make you faster. Ffs, throw one in every once in a while, they’re fun. Just don’t do it every week and expect your bike time in an ironman to have improved.
Watching the bike handling in tris makes me wish all triathletes did this. I’m guessing the move to so much indoor training is only going to make this worse.
It’s a different stimulus but it’s not automatically bad. If the option is 2h easy spin or 2h group ride that resembles a race then the group ride is probably better. Not so much if you skip 2h of targeted IM training.
But it all depends how it fits into a larger training plan. I’m a low level pro triathlete who used to be a pro cyclist. I do group rides often but have an idea of what I’m looking for out of the session. Sometimes you want to do a hard effort and get the push of others around to help dig. Sometimes you just want to z2 and not be bored.
It’s a little tougher for AG’s, especially those without a cycling background. A lot of times these group rides will become a struggle to stay in the group that ends in a maximal effort. If you’ve maximized your tri-cycling ability then it could be a net loss, but as long as you have room to grow as a cyclist it’s unlikely to make you any worse.
Are you kidding me? Group rides with hard surges are GREAT for bike training, any type. Sure, if it’s the ONLY thing you’re doing and you omit all the long ride base building, and you don’t have the volume, sure, it’s not great, but that’s not the fault of the group ride, it’s the fault of your own hapazard training.
Group rides are a great way to get in some good hard intervals, sometimes pushing you to that next level, and even if you don’t hammer all of them, riding with others in nature is often the mental boost you need to keep your season going, especially if you’re otherwise a heavy indoor trainer person that’s always alone. Group rides are definitely inspiring for me, whether I’m on the pointy end trying to keep my edge, or the back end trying to pull myself up! Alas, due to scheduling I rarely get more than 1 per week. But that’s perfect for triathlon training.
How did you feel in the next couple of days after the ride? If it doesn’t derail your training, then I say do them. Group rides will/should make you a better bike handler, which I think saves you time and energy during a crowded IM race. I’d day keep doing them until about mid-July and then get specific to your IM pace demands.
I’m nearly 50 and only got into tris a few years ago after numerous years off of all sports, so yeah, I have room to grow as a cyclist. I am competitive in my AG, I finished 6th in my AG on the bike at IMChoo last year strictly following my plan. But on a grand scale, I am new and plenty of room for improvement.
There were times last night when I felt like it was getting close to maximal effort.
I felt pretty awful after the ride last night for a while. Feel totally fine today. Fortunately today was a recovery day. (sauna, stretch, light weights)
Mid-July seems about right with my race in September and how that timing coincides with longer IM effort rides. Doing a few more of these wont probably wont result in a tremendous positive change for me on the bike, but even a little helps and plus it’ll be “fun”
You get faster over a long Ironman build simply by doing work, everyday, every week, every month (and ideally over multiple years)
Of course you can just screw around for that entire time, but based on your previous posts that is not you
My opinion is you should incorporate training that is fun and keeps you interested. At the margin, nothing you do on ONE specific day is going to matter much over a long build. It’s a wash so long as it’s not so hard you can’t move the next day, or too easy you don’t get a workout.
I’d argue that most triathletes would get faster and more confident on the bike if they incorporated fast group rides.
Being a better cyclist (not just being more fit) will make you go faster. Doing group rides or even races will all help with that. There’s so many little things other than watts where guys lose time. In a group you can see in real time how the things you do gain or lose meters compared to those around you.
Cornering. So bad at cornering. I’d actually argue that I am middle to FOP against many triathletes when it comes to cornering. However, like you said in real time seeing how many meters the cyclists get ahead of me when they corner so much better is astonishing to me.
A ride that makes you work hard and put you out of your comfort zone? Duh of course that’s gunna be good for you. Don’t overthink this. Just bc it’s not specific to one zone of training doesnt mean it’s bad.
I do hard group rides once a week and I feel it’s the best training stimulus I have ever had!
Go have fun, skewer yourself and you’ll be a stronger and more well rounded bike rider. End of discussion.