Our tri club will be starting up group rides soon and they will feature a majority of riders that have never rode in groups. If a relatively new triathlete is going out for a 40 to 60k ride, it seems to me that riding in the draft, while it will help to develop focus, will also detract a great deal from the workload. Riding while keeping out of the draft zone and then passing appropriately when necessary will teach them tri specific skills. I’m considering whether to teach them to ride in a file (double and single) or not. Comments? I realize the social side of things will be limited when not in a double file.
My thoughts:
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Do teach them the basics of group riding. I think this is an important skill that a triathlete or any one who rides a bike for fitness should have. Clearly many triathletes don’t have this skill and they are the lesser for it.
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Group riding when done right can be a very potent elevator of fitness. You tend to push yourself harder for longer knowing that if you get dropped, it can be a long ride home on your own!
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All that being said, a triathlete does need to know how to push themselves on their own in a race - so either solo riding or spaced out group riding is helpful as well. In a race you will for the most part be pushing your own wind.
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As to that last point, I think that part of the problem in big triathlons with congested bike legs, is that very few people ever ride in exactly that type of situation - they either ride solo all the time or they group ride in the traditional way. Now all of a sudden they are faced with a very crowded and congested bike course and they need to ride within the no-drafting rules. I think that many are very confused and befuddled by this.
the future may involve more triathlons with drafting, so pack riding is a useful skill. if there is a problem with the difficulty of the workout, have the group ride faster, or have people take longer pulls at the front. you could also break up a riding group into an A group and B group, so more people get to pull more often. i would also require that all the folks in this riding group be on road bikes, or tri bikes set up with drop bars and conventional brake levers or sti levers.
I think this falls under the specificity rule. If you have someone training for Clearwater clearly they should be learning to draft on their tri bikes in huge groups. 
How about organizing a weekly time trial instead of a group ride? Seems to make more sense for triathletes.
If you have someone training for Clearwater clearly they should be learning to draft on their tri bikes in huge groups.
→ Or you have to learn them how to fall !! (so many Triathlete riding on the aerobarre while on a group…)
it seems to me that riding in the draft, while it will help to develop focus, will also detract a great deal from the workload.
Oh contraire - if done right, a group ride with drafting can result in a dramatically higher workload. The key is that the group setting can allow for a higher workload than a solo ride since the draft allows everyone to get a bit of rest. If done right, this turns the ride into a kind of interval session.
The first step is to get everyone comfortable riding in a pace line. This may take several weeks. Riders need to learn how to stay on someone’s wheel without killing themselves and others and learn how to rotate off the lead and go to the back of the line, again without killing themselves and others.
Then the fun begins. The group will be able to travel faster than any one individual. Set the pace by the faster riders, not the slower riders. By varying how long each person pulls, everyone can get pretty much the same level of work (assuming you don’t have real studs mixed in with beginners). The fast guys may end up pulling alot while the slower folks don’t pull much but as long you are using the draft to allow the slower riders to keep up and are not just slowing the group down to their non drafting pace, the workload will be similar to a solo ride for everyone. For at least part of the ride, have the stronger riders really push the pace up, pulling for no more than a minute or so and let the weaker riders just roll off the front right away. If there is too big a gap in abilities, a group ride may short change the stronger riders a bit (assuming they don’t just take off on their own but it will be a super workout for the weaker riders.
Rule number one - stay off the aero bars. Hopefully your members also have road bikes.
We have a roady group where about 1/3 are also triathletes, but we all ride road bikes for the group rides and if a tri bike does show up, there is no riding on the aero bars unless pulling at the front. When we’re not Cat 6 hammering we practise our single/double pace line skills.
IMO, these are basic skills that every triathlete should have, but it sounds like you’re starting at a kindergarten level. Stress that they’re there to learn how to group ride, not race. Good luck with it.
Why not vary the rides? Some rides geared to pace line, drafting, etc. And some with no drafting. Both skills are needed. There is something to be said about training how you race.
If you don’t allow drafting, you are stuck going at the pace of the slowest rider, who gets a great workout. Everyone else gets a not as great workout.
“they are faced with a very crowded and congested bike course and they need to ride within the no-drafting rules.”
Fleck,
With all due respect, there are no “no-drafting” rules, just definitions of what constitutes illegal drafting. I can’t figure out why people demonize drafting so much on this site. Done within the constraints of the rules, drafting is an effective way to improve your bike split. Legally.
With all due respect, there are no “no-drafting” rules, just definitions of what constitutes illegal drafting. I can’t figure out why people demonize drafting so much on this site. Done within the constraints of the rules, drafting is an effective way to improve your bike split.
I agree whole heartedly. When you see experienced triathletes who know what they are doing on the bike, in a triathlon race, they are sitting right on that legal edge - and yes that is drafting, by the gains are not as much as people get when they are really drafting - and you know what I mean by that. That is why certain race offcials don’t call them drafting penalties, they call them position fouls, which is really more appropriate - you were in the wrong *position *for X-period of time.
I followed both the men and the women Pos along on a Moto at IMH last fall and almost all the top men and women Pros knew exactly what a 10m gap looked like and they rode right on that edge. Smart racing.
In most smaller areas we have a hard time getting a group together. When we do it is usually 8-10 with the exceptional 20.
The pack sort of strings out then comes together to talk etc. If you do not draft and talk and enjoy the company people don’t come back. Never had a problem ,never mentioned anything about aero-bars, distance , no teaching, no rules . We just ride people learn by watching AND it is common sense stuff the learning curve is not that big. The newbies are at the back and as they get better they learn to move up.
We always post
distance
purpose
ave speed
time place
This way people sort of know what rides to show up for. Also it does not take long for them to learn by the poster what kind of ride it will be.
There is a free 8.4 mile time trial every Saturday morning in the summer in Philadelphia. While a bit short it is very useful for the triathlete who wants some speed, but doesn’t want to draft. Besides drafting on a real Tri bike is outright dangerous (aero bars with out brakes on them). I actually have a Hed third hand brake on my Hed aero bar for the rear wheel, but I would not want to rely to much on it. Of course a conventional road bike is a good idea for the huge packs at Clearwater. I can’t believe how big the groups were and NO ONE got caught for it. Tim
My thoughts:
- Group riding when done right can be a very potent elevator of fitness. You tend to push yourself harder for longer knowing that if you get dropped, it can be a long ride home on your own!
x2
Totally agree. You pick up some mental training too - digging deep to not get popped off the back. Fear of being dropped is a powerful motivator. It’s fun, too. That’s why we ride, run, swim, etc. Right? =)
I read Fleck’s post and thought to myself, enough said! Great points Fleck! Mark Lemmon’s comment about organizing a time trial has value, too! To the OPs interest, teach them as many bike handling skills as possible. In my opinion, safety first. During a race, they are going to need all of those skills including learning to hold their line. I don’t know any better way for them to hold their line than pacelining or drafting on another rider. Thought I’d share our club’s weekly club schedule which includes opportunities for group riding, drafting, pacelining, and time trials.
Monday:
Individual workout
Tuesday:
Individual workout
Wednesday:
BRICK Workout:
1 hour 15 minute ride
1 loop run around Rose Bowl (3.5 Mile Run).
Social gathering for dinner after workout.
During early part of the season, lessons (refresher) on group riding provided for all (new and experienced). First two or three loops of Rose Bowl (3.5 mile per loop) as group with speed increasing each loop. Focus is group riding skills. No aerobars. Pacelining occurs with the “locomotives” (i.e. first 10 riders in a double paceline). These are experienced and strong riders. Some members get a swim in before the BRICK.
Thursday:
Morning Run 3 to 7 mile run
Friday:
Time Trial: 1 1/2 loop warm up. 4 loop time trial.
Saturday:
Long Group Ride 35 to 40 miles early in season. Mix of flat, roller, and hilly, and mountain climb rides. Early part of season spent on double paceline instruction/workouts. 3 to 4 groups of 10 each. No aerobars. During the season, the groups naturally form and our able to use single and double pacelining techniques to increase speed. Some members throw a run in after this workout.
Sunday:
Recovery/Social Ride
Some of the workouts throughout the week attract between 30 and 40 club members. The combination of the club and individual workouts allow for increasing cycling riding and handling skills. Hope this helps.
And if you’re like me who gets spat out the back of every group ride on climbs, I have to TT my way back to the main group so I get the best of both worlds!