If you are on cycling holiday Then you’re faced with this issue: the difference in levels. Whether with a group of friends or girlfriends, with your husband or wife, with strangers or, for example, with your club—it doesn’t matter. Especially the men among us sometimes want to be busy with their own goals (read: board sprints, training schedules, intervals, or ‘just going hard’) while that can ruin the fun for the whole group. Fair enough, after a few drinks that’s all forgiven, but still. Now this is easy to prevent. Below are 6 tips to avoid irritation. This way you can make a weekend or longer period a success for everyone.
Waiting for the slowest is not fun for anyone.
Share the group
If you’re in a group of six, then splitting up might be a bit too harsh, but once your group consists of 10 or more people, then splitting up into levels is a good way to take the initial irritation away. Are you normally the strongest of all? Then make sure you’re in the fast group. Are you just stuck at the border between two groups? Then think carefully about what you’re doing to yourself and how you feel. If you’re feeling a bit less than great, then join the slow group; you’re in top shape and have good legs? Then join the fast group. Be honest about that. If you’re always in the fast group, then you really must have had a really bad day; you don’t want to be left behind. No one will like putting yourself in the slow group. So either do all the work or go for a recovery run.
Take the head
Are you in extremely good shape? But the rest of you are not feeling quite so enthusiastic? Then do the most work. It sounds so simple, but if you’re feeling less motivated than the rest of the group, you can use your energy and the rest of the group can benefit from it too. However, always be careful that the rest of the group doesn’t get left behind. If you have an absolutely great day, you might want to consider our next tip: ride an extra lap.
Extra round
As you’ll soon see: if you ride in a group, you have incredibly good legs. It’s so comfortable that you don’t really feel the effort. To add a little bit of tension to the legs, you just pedal along for a while, while everyone behind you is licking their lips. Not funny, if you’re sitting behind. Therefore, ride socially in the group and if you want to torture yourself a little more: Add a small extra loop and then join in. Or if you’re sure you’re riding above the rest (read: you’re racing on the podium in amateur races; the rest is from the cycling club ‘the fat guy’), do yourself a favor: go for a little extra loop at the start of your shared ride. You’re tired, the rest is happy. Everybody happy. And you have a great story to tell.
The variation on this: if you have bad legs and you’re ready to give it up: choose the short route home. There’s always someone who wants to go with you, and that way everyone has a great day.
Bordj sprints are really 2019
As fun as it is for the fastest in the group, no one sprints with you all the time. In retrospect, no one even cares whether you were first in Roelofarendsveen or Ijzendijke. No one really does. Not even the one who finished behind you. That’s the least of anyone’s interest. If board sprints are the norm in your group: fine. If not, leave it out. After all, you’re out for fun.
(c) A Swiss With A Pulse/Alain Rumpf
Take it easy
Did you know that pros usually don’t look at their speed meter? But only at wattages? And that they don’t afterwards say to their fellow riders: ‘well, let’s still cycle at a nice 45 for a while’. Strange, that we do that together. When you’re riding in a group, it’s much more important that everyone can get along, rather than having to meet a certain average. After all, no one is keeping track of your time, and no one at Strava cares either. The rankings are nice, but even in that, there’s one rule that applies: no one cares about it at all.
In the same vein: if you’re out and about with your partner and you have more power? Then do an extra round or adjust your training schedule to suit the other person. If necessary, do strength training so that you can drive at 60 RPM instead of 90. Or do cadanstraining instead and try to drive at 115 RPM. Better for everyone!
Listen to each other
This is perhaps the most important tip, especially for the men among us. If someone says they can’t keep it up, there’s a reason for it. They really can’t keep it up. You can deal with this in various ways, but for the fun of it, take advantage of one of the tips above. If you’re only playing with a few (less than 6), then let them go at it. If you’re playing with more than 6, then split up or make sure they can turn around sooner. This is a task for the group leader. Or create a small loop from a terrace so that the other person can still join in. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Are you still missing cool tips? Or do you have the golden tip for a great ride with your friends/colleagues/etc? Let us know in the comments!
Questions & tips
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