tombeej

If i was racing properly, my own target would be in the 2:30's for the 94.7. So I'm not thinking of me, but of the team's time.

Last year I had my worst race in years (arrived injured and then had full leg cramps forcing me to get off my bike twice in the last 5 climbs) and came in at 2:58. I got to the top of Witkoppen in 2:16 already deep in trouble (after having to get off my bike for a bit on that climb) and then doddled along from there to the finish. So if the group gets to the top of Witkoppen in around 2:16 - 2:17, there's still an excellent chance for someone who's completely blown to make it inside the 3 hr cut-off. It will be a breeze for anyone else who still had OK legs. I think a time of 2:23 would require a relatively strong finish. You'd need to still be feeling relatively fresh at that stage and the team will have to stay together. Edit: My target time for the group at the top of Witkoppen is 2:20.

Which is why my thinking is still on the Witkoppen climb being a good point to see if we're on track or not (I normally forget to ever look down at my Garmin in a race, and I get confused if I've got too many milestones to try and remember. One point in the race is good for me). The top of that climb is 74.5 km into the race, i.e. almost exactly 20 km to the finish. Do you have a time for the top of the Witkoppen climb that equates to a 3 hr pace?

What I said earlier about surging: I think I need to clarify something in case there's any misconception. My pet hate with regards to riders who pull too hard on the front is aimed only at those people who think they need to accelerate when they get to to the front. That's where the problem comes in. For the naturally strong riders who are holding a steady pace for the group, but some find they are just not able to hang on behind - these guys have done nothing wrong. So don't get upset with a strong guy who's just going too fast at his/her steady pace. Just ask them to please slow down for you a bit (they probably don't realise what they're doing and will be only too happy to drop their speed slightly for you). But you're welcome to rain all manner of hellfire down on the chop who thinks they need to accelerate when they get to the front to show how good they are, go on a mad tear-away for 200m, stuff up the bunch, and then sit up because now they're blown and want to come in a sit in the group again.

There can be no stopping at all if we want a sub-3. What you've got on you at the start is what you take with you to the finish line.

Agreed, my pet hate in bunch riding is the rider who thinks they need to show everyone how 'pro' they are when it's their turn on the front by pushing too hard and forcing the bunch to try and chase. Their stupidity causes surges in the bunch, first stretching everyone out and forcing people to chase hard to close the gaps. Then as everyone frantically tries to close those gaps (now all going at different speeds as they react at different times), they are forced to brake as the gaps close again. This concertina effect of stretching and contracting breaks up the cohesion of the bunch. It tires everyone out, messes up the pace of the bunch, causes dangerous riding conditions from the constant accelerations and braking, and the group inevitably splits. It's fine in a race when people are actively attacking the bunch to try and force splits, but for the bunch that's trying to stay together it's fatal. The worst of the worst is the outsider who gets into a private training/racing group who are working together and then starts doing this. I will absolutely strip my bolt if this happens at the 94.7 and the sorry chop will know all about it. If we have individuals pulling too hard on the front then please tell them to "stop surging". If you get this warning it means you're pulling too hard during your turn. The best way to avoid this if you're not familiar with pace-setting, is to watch your speed just before it becomes your turn, then try and keep to that pace when you find yourself on the front.

Precisely. We must wait for each other at the top of the climbs, especially the Wilds, Republic Rd, etc. The group will always be faster than the individual so it helps no-one to go racing off on their own because they think the group is too slow for them. Anyway, that's not what the ethos of the I-Team is all about. We joined this team to work for each other. The moment we lose our cohesion we're finished as a project. If there are riders who believe they're too strong for the group, the simple solution is for them to do longer sessions on the front. Tell people in the line that you're going to the front to do a long pull, give people a chance to settle into a pace line, and then go to the front and do some work. Once you've blown off some steam and you're feeling a bit shattered from the effort, you can then be thankful you've got teammates around you to get your much deserved rest.

We mustn't be shy to communicate with each other. There should be lots of that. If people fall off in the early part of the race, folks must shout to the front to slow down. As soon as everyone is back together then another shout to the front 'Go!'. And so on.

I wouldn't stress to much - especially if you keep reminding yourself that we're going to be there to help each other. So in the first 70km we wait for each other at the top of hills if people fall off, then when everyone is together we start motoring again. There won't be any mad accelerations - we'll increase the pace steadily on the flats to allow everyone the chance to settle in to a nice draft. We look out for each other and the stronger riders will just take up more of the workload. If there are just 5 strong riders rolling turns on the front while everyone else sits in a line behind, that's fine too. Setting the pace on the road is determined by what the group as a whole finds comfortable. We'll soon settle into a pace that everyone finds ok. You just go with it and don't overthink things too much and everything starts to work, and people settle into a rhythm that suites them. Re. outsiders: my own suggestion is that if 'outsiders' want to tag along, they must ASK if they can join us. Then they can either contribute on the front or sit right at the back and not get in our way. If someone is getting in the way and messing things up then I would just get StevieL to ask them politely to 'step off'. But really, this shouldn't be intimidating. We are not pros and no-one is pretending to be. There's no exam anyone has to pass - just a fun day out .

Nah, we're all teammates. So we say, *@%#! off please

Rolling through / Rolling turns ('Swapping off') & Pace lines OK, so let's talk about the techniques of bunch riding and the best way to ride in order to achieve our goals. I'm sure you all know about the terms 'pace line' and 'rolling turns'. In the racing bunches these are well known concepts and the riders there generally know how to roll through correctly. But for the rest of the field, folks are generally used to riding along at their own pace, kinda pottering along in what can very loosely be described as a bunch (more like a long loose stream of individuals doing their own thing), and certainly with no co-ordinated effort. The I-Team will need to run a tight ship if we're going to get as many people as possible across the line in a great time. Some of us know how to move effectively in tight racing bunches, while others have only really seen it on TV. But we'll all need to get involved on race day, so it's time we start to have a look at the technique of rolling turns. If we get it right we are going to absolutely fly. There's nothing more exhilarating than being in a tight bunch that's really motoring and everyone is rolling through properly, lots of communication (yelling ) going on, everyone working together and taking their turn. The kilometres just fly by because you're concentrating the whole time, watching for your turn, making sure you don't create a gap in the line, and so on. If we don't work together, then it will just become another loose string of individuals doing their own thing with a few exasperated strong riders trying to get people onto their wheel and doing their best to pull as long as possible. Things will fall apart very quickly and we may as well just go our own way. We will need to keep our cohesion and our form. There is a way to pull out of a rolling pace line and sit just behind (you'll read about that below), but then once you've had enough of a rest, you then get back into rolling turns up front to help out again. So let's start with some articles to get you up to speed. I'll then follow up the theory with actual videos. Read these articles and feel free to post any questions you might have. I'll give it a day or two for people to read, and then post the videos. Here's an excellent start (has a video to go with it): http://www.cycling-secrets.com/category/cycling-training-tips/page/4/ Article #2 on Rolling Through: http://cyclingtips.com.au/2010/11/rolling-through/ Article #3: http://cyclingtips.com.au/2009/02/rolling-turns-pacelining-echeloning/

We could leave for the start a little earlier than 06h30 if you like. Meet at 6am and leave for the start at 06h15...

Corrected my error

Oh heck, I thought the I Batch start time was 07h30. In fact, I see that we start at 07h05! So I suggest meeting at point D from 06h15 and leave promptly for the start pen at 06h30. Start+List+2015.pdf

I see there's the JOC (Joint Ops Centre) at meeting point D. We could meet in front of that. Time suggestion: meet from 6h45 and the group leaves promptly at 07h00 for the start pen. Some of us will have our cable ties and yellow tags on the backs of our helmets already, so it won't be hard to miss us. The rest who need these attached, we'll have extras available there to hand out.

Done

I was thinking we could meet somewhere in Fourways, like the parking lot of Fourways Crossing, then we ride in from there. Much easier that way.

Yip. We get there very early so we can meet up beforehand, then into the front of the batch pen.

Done

At this rate the organisers are not going to know what hit them, with one batch being mysteriously huge and the rest half empty .

Cadre and BarefootDave added to the list.

My hope is that we'll all work together well enough in the first 70 km that most of us are there-and-thereabouts on the 3 hr pace by the time we reach Witkoppen. The more we work together, with the stronger riders doing the long pulls in the pace line, the fresher everyone will be for the finale. Witkoppen is where I expect the group to start fracturing. That climb will tell us who's still up for 3 hrs. The ones who've had enough will make their own way home at their pace. I'm certain that with the help of the large bunch in the first 70 km, they should beat their original target times comfortably. For those who are still up for the 3 hr target, I hope to be there to help with pacing over those last climbs.

From what I understand (and I stand to be corrected), it doesn't matter what batch the original entry was for. They will seed you according to your own official seeding index on the system.

Agreed, like the idea too.

Done