[New!] Monday Night Group Riding Skills Ride (5:45PM @ GBS Portland)

We at Downeast Racing love the community to which belong. There are so many people involved in Portland Cycling that I personally can't name them all and I there are too many names to remember everyone I've met. Many of us began our riding here and many of us have been welcomed with open arms.

We have also noticed the trend of the group ride scene and so have many of our other friends in the biz. That trend? Harder, Faster, Stronger is Better.

Is it though? It definitely makes riding fun, exciting, race-like, and a good opportunity for growth in performance metrics (which are not to be dismissed). Those rides expect you to have developed many comforts that come with growth as a cyclist: group ride etiquette and skills. These are principles that were core to clubs and club rides. More recently, many rides can be smashfests that you're allowed to ride in if you can keep up. It is simply assumed you've been guided along "how" to group ride without ever having been given the time to learn. There is some time for instruction on all group rides - and many of the local riders will give you a helping word (how I learned a lot of what I know), but for the most part group rides are for just enjoying the ride itself.

If you want to jump ahead to the ride specifics: click here

A much longer article detailing the change over time in behavior of group rides can be found at CyclingTips: The Lost Art of the Group Ride. It's a strong opinion article, but many of the points are more than valid.

So, what are the "basics" and "group ride etiquette"?

The 'very' basics: Two wide, drafting close, following a wheel, not overlapping or halfwheeling, pace lining, standing up smoothly, riding predictably. Calling out obstacles/hand signals. Communication.

The basics: Riding tight, steady pedaling/pacing on up/down hills, bumping, how to properly sit out a pull, pulling through close and not creating gaps, keeping the group together.

GCN has some 'funner' content here and here to check out.

These are the things that many experienced cyclists do as second nature. We all have skill gaps. I will be the first to admit I have skill gaps. But without these basics, riding is erratic, unpredictable, and can very quickly get dangerous. A crash should not happen on a group ride due to the cyclists in the group. We saw a manifestation of riders not adhering to or correctly understanding group ride principles last Saturday (July 16th) on the local SMR. A crash took out many riders; leaving one with a broken clavicle, another with a broken bike, and many with a whole lot of road rash and other injuries.

The Ride:

At DER we asked ourselves, "What can we do to give back to this community?" One of those options is to create a group ride focused on skills and etiquette, things I only had because of patient mentors who realized I had strength, but not skill.

Who's this ride for anyway? Anyone and everyone. It'd be good to have some comfort in riding with others (if you are nervous being with other cyclists, contact me - below). Whether you're an elite racer or a new weekend warrior, you can improve the way you ride. The only way to do that is to ride with others who have the same goals - and going 45kph on the TNR makes practicing the basics a little tough!

Meet: 5:45PM Sharp @ Gorham Bike and Ski (593 Congress St, Portland), please do not show up late as pertinent ride info will be discussed and you might miss the roll out.

Route: Will change week to week. First couple will be flatter and on roads best suited for riding 2 wide. Expect to be back at GBS by 7:15-7:30. Route #1 is: https://www.strava.com/routes/5869738 (35K/22mi) or https://www.strava.com/routes/5869737 (37K/23mi)

Requirements: Signing a waiver, a bike (no TT or Triathlon bikes please!), an open mind, and desire to learn/improve as a rider.

Pace: No drop. Even for mechanicals (that are fixable in a short time frame). Pace is comfortable for the entire group, this is a skills/etiquette focused. My thought is this will be a nice recovery-level ride for racers and an endurance ride for others. Everyone is encouraged to contribute in pace-lining.

Questions about the ride? Contact me (Travis) at travis.b.kroot@gmail.com (or find me on Facebook) - if you'd like to chat on the phone we can also do that.

See you on Mondays!