Cycling speed, group vs individual

[SFDT]

hi

I recently bought a roadbike but have been mountainbiking for 3 years. I would like to know what the approximate speed difference on tar will be from an individual training session and riding in a group in a roadrace for example?

doing first roadrace at die burger and just trying to establish some kind of time goal for it.

cheers

[Trubie]

difficult to answer, depends on the group

might even be slower than what you would ride by yourself

 

you can ride at 30 k's by yourself and in a bunch at 40

 

route, weather etc all major contributors

I would say if you can ride 30 k'h ave on yr own, anything from 36 upwards is possible to maintain in a group over a 100k's

 

might be totally wrong though

[SFDT]

Thanks for the reply!

[The Saint]

The answer is really based on your own fitness. The longer you can maintain riding at your limit will determine your individual average.

 

Generally riding in groups yields a higher average as there are more people helping in the front and there is more time for recovery - many hands make light work.

 

On a 3 hour or 100km ride I think your individual difference may be as much as 6 - 10km's in favor of bunch riding.

[SFDT]

The answer is really based on your own fitness. The longer you can maintain riding at your limit will determine your individual average.

 

Generally riding in groups yields a higher average as there are more people helping in the front and there is more time for recovery - many hands make light work.

 

On a 3 hour or 100km ride I think your individual difference may be as much as 6 - 10km's in favor of bunch riding.

 

thanks, that makes sense!

[The Saint]

Having said that training on your own will make you stronger and endure more but bunch riding is also essential to hone the skills.

 

Training in bunches allows you to determine exactly where you are and improve on performance - you don't want to become one paced, you need to see how you perform against others. Good bunch riding skills are also necessary as this is what the race environment is like.

 

Both forms of training are a necessary evil and should form part of your program.

 

By the sounds of things you are new to road riding so a few tips to help you in the bunch.

 

1) Never overlap the wheel in front of you

2) Never look behind you

3) Always ride in a straight line - don't weave or make sudden turns

4) Stick to the outside of the bunch until you get more confident.

5) Keep both hands on the hoods and close to the brakes - feather the brakes don't grab a handful

 

Hope this helps

Edited November 15, 2010 by The Saint

[Gumpole]

it also depends on your position in the group:

• 
   
  
• in the front you end up doing a lot of work (but still quicker than by yourself)
  
• near the front you do a lot less work but struggle to hold this position with everybody trying to get here
  
• near the back you save a lot of energy when the pack is going at a steady pace, but normally the group accelerates and decelerates and you work very hard when this happens. If the group splits you get stuck in the second half (the weak and exhausted guys)
  
• right at the back is even worse than above
  

[Minion]

An individual training session also tends to include stops for traffic lights, intersections etc. which also reduce your average speed.

[SFDT]

Having said that training on your own will make you stronger and endure more but bunch riding is also essential to hone the skills.

 

Training in bunches allows you to determine exactly where you are and improve on performance - you don't want to become one paced, you need to see how you perform against others. Good bunch riding skills are also necessary as this is what the race environment is like.

 

Both forms of training are a necessary evil and should form part of your program.

 

By the sounds of things you are new to road riding so a few tips to help you in the bunch.

 

1) Never overlap the wheel in front of you

2) Never look behind you

3) Always ride in a straight line - don't weave or make sudden turns

4) Stick to the outside of the bunch until you get more confident.

5) Keep both hands on the hoods and close to the brakes - feather the brakes don't grab a handful

 

Hope this helps

 

 

thanks a lot for informative reply. I will definitely stick to the side at first and remember your other points here!

cheers