FLCC> Sunday Slow Rides vs. Moderate Rides

Sat Jul 21 11:46:44 EDT 2007

FLCCers,
I was in the frontish part of the moderate speed ride. My clock averaged
about 15.5 or so and I didn't feel completely wiped out like I did on a past
ride i did trying to keep up with the fasts.  It wasn't that long after I
stopped in marathon that the last of the moderates pulled in.  People
seemingly spread out, but in the end, everyone was within 5-10 minutes of
each other.  Within the moderates, there are different speeds. I think the
key is having a few more regrouping points and an awareness of the whole
group to make sure know one gets dropped.  Personally, i think that my
average speed (my comfort zone) tends to be 16+/- 1.5 depending on the
terrain, length of ride and my mood. If i'm averaging less than 14, I'm
often feeling a little too slow. If I'm averaging more than 17+, i'm
probably going to feel pushed (which is sometimes good!).
I think as more people feel like they won't be the only person on the ride
who can't maintain a 17+ pace, a larger range will come out and hopefully
more people will be able to participate in their comfort zone.

The other questions i have is the idea of group awareness. When I was in a
club in Iowa,  each weekend ride had a designated "leader" who made sure
people 'signed' the release form, had maps, knew the rules of riding in
groups and introduced newbies to the group.  During the peak of the season,
there were A,B, C rides. On A's the leader would stay with the slowest on
the way out and back,on Bs, they'd stay with the slowest on the way out, but
not necessarily on the way back. On Cs, no one was guaranteed that the group
would wait.   Maybe this is a little complicated but I think the important
thing is to set the expectations for the ride such that people have the
confidence to come out.

Marilyn

On 7/21/07, Steven Powell <sp35 at cornell.edu> wrote:
>
>  FLCCers,
>
> Here's an attempt to discuss the different groups that have evolved for
> our club Sunday ride so that people have a better idea of what to expect
> this week.
>
> For reference, last Sunday the moderate ride group averaged about 14 mph
> for the 65 mile ride from Ithaca.  There also was a slow/leisure group that
> did a shorter loop from Virgil -- I am not sure of their average speed, but
> I would expect 10-12 mph, typically.  The moderate group was started for
> people who wanted to do the longer Sunday club rides, but did not want to
> hammer to keep up with the lead group.  Also the moderate group will take
> more rest stops that the lead group, and will attempt to re-group at several
> places to allow everyone to catch up.
>
> *So what does this mean for this Sunday's ride?*
>
> If you want to the full 47 mile strenuous ride with lots of climbing (3950
> ft) then meet at East Hill at 9 am for the published Legge and Ford Hills
> ride.  Both the lead group which probably averages 18-20 mph and the
> moderate group which averages 13-15 mph will depart from here.
>
> Alternatively, Marcie Robinson will lead the slow/leisure group, departing
> from the Caroline Elementary School (east of Ithaca on state Rt. 79) at 9
> am.  Starting at Caroline will shorten the ride to about 31 miles, but it is
> still a very challenging ride because it still covers most of the hilly
> terrain.  Andrejs has made some excellent suggestions about shortening the
> ride further (see below), and this group might consider turning left to
> Speedsville after Legge Hill at the intersection of West Creek Rd.  This is
> an unmarked intersection, but there is a stop sign there.  This would reduce
> the ride by another 9 miles or so, bypass Ford Hill, but still cover Legge
> Hill with its spectacular views.
>
> I drove the full 47 mile ride yesterday and noted that there is a
> convenience store in Speedsville.  However, Speedsville is not on the
> published route, but can be reached with a couple of detours.  The first
> chance to go to Speedsville is by making a left at the stop sign at West
> Creek Rd at mile 20.7 on the published cue sheet.  This is a 1.2 mile
> detour.  The second chance for Speedsville is to make a left at another stop
> sign at Creek Rd at mile 29.0 on the published cue sheet.  This is a 0.5mile detour.  Everyone should keep these short detours in mind if they are
> running low on water or food.  The convenience store is open on Sunday (I
> checked).
>
> See you Sunday.
>
> --Steve Powell
>
>
> Dear FLCCers,
>
> There were some posts on the list about last Sunday's moderate ride and
> it's great to see news of people enjoying the Sunday rides. Makes me
> wonder, though -- was there a slower group, too? Did everyone not in the
> fastest group go with the moderate group? And, how fast *is* the
> moderate group? Could some of those who did that ride report their
> average speed? It would help others evaluate what they are in for.
>
> It looks like I'm not going to be able to join any FLCC rides for about
> another month -- off to ride slowly in other parts. So, if there remains
> any interest in the slower ride, I can offer route suggestions but not
> much help on the ground. But, I'm very interested to hear any plans or
> thoughts about such a ride. It looked for a while as though there was
> some demand for it, so it would be good to keep the option perking.
>
> This Sunday's scheduled ride is one that's pretty tough to adapt to a
> shorter or easier version. The great part of it is the two climbs --
> first up Old 76 and over Legge Hill Rd; and then over Ford Hill and back
> on Glenn Rd. As I recall, there was quite a bit of cussing and spitting
> after the first time we did this ride. I was thinking about abandoning
> it but, then, thought it deserved another try or two. The Legge Hill
> stretch has a lovely "lost world" kind of quality, it's so far from the
> prevailing landscapes of our region that you wouldn't guess you're
> within a short ride of Ithaca. So, it's on the schedule for this week.
>
> What to do for the slow riders? To get to see the "meat" of this ride,
> how about meeting in Caroline Center (park on Buffalo Rd just up from
> the intersection of Old 76). Follow the route from there to Legge Hill
>
> Rd and over the ridge to the West Creek Rd. If you're bushed, turn left
>
> to Speedsville and take Old 76 back to Caroline Center. If you have a
>
> bit of work left in you, continue on over Ford Hill and Glenn Rd to
> return via Old 76 to Caroline. If you take your time, it will be a ride
> worth taking. Or, it will make you cuss and spit. Either way, it will be
> a good story.
>
> Andrejs
>
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>
>
> --
>
> Steven Powell
> Cornell University
> School of Electrical & Computer Engineering
> 321 Rhodes Hall
> Ithaca, NY  14853
> Tel # 607-255-4551
> Fax # 607-255-6236
> e-mail: sp35 at cornell.edu
>
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