5 Cycling Tips to Stick with the Fast Group ( B )

Conversation
Sometimes if you spark up a conversation especially it's like what are your thoughts on the current political system, it's in depth on that topic and their conversational pace. Because we have to talk they can't go super hard might be your Mac space. Then you'll both be able to ride together and you don't have to say hey can you slow down, hey can you wait for me, because we don't like to do that. But if you spark up a conversation and you lean into a more one-sided fight, you let them do a lot of the talking. You can focus more on your riding and then it will sort of handicap them and so they're having a good time. Because they're not thinking that they're just waiting for you. And then you might have a great conversation. I don't know. It's honestly a tactic. I've used a lot when guys are saying hey I want to go slow, I want to take it easy maybe even my fitness is better than the person I'm riding with. But my training program zone 1 and zone 2 on this climb maybe go really hard. I'll spark up a conversation with them as to make sure that we're kind of both on the same page and that were riding at the same pace. Now don't get in depth in the conservation because your conversational pace is definitely not their conversational pace. If your fitness is not equally matched. So bring up some heavy topics like what do you think about the vegan cycle is kind of crazy and then let them shatter your ear off while you're suffering internally and they're not. Guys will be side-by-side.



Data
The more data, the better your life is going to be. So this might be Power Meter. Heart rate doesn't even have to be that. It can be information on the climb on the route how big is the route, how long is the route, where are the points on the route that everyone attacks how long are the climbs, where the rest stops. This will help you out huge because maybe you are on the brink of just complete explosion, your red light. But if you know that there's a gas station one mile up the road, two miles up the road. Master everyone's going to stop. You can sort of force yourself and bait yourself into going a little bit harder for a little bit longer. Because you know that you're going to get a rest. If you have no data on how big the ride is, where the climbs are, most likely you're going to go way too hard or that when I've been on a climb. I've never known what the climb was the first time I'm gonna fly. And it's like every turn where's the finish. It's gotta be around here somewhere. It never comes so knowing around, knowing the guys are riding with. Check out there strava how strong are they sort of getting a good gauge of if you're even able to hang with those guys at all and again power meters, heart rates with enough time using a power meter you'll ba able to map out a really clear projection of what you are capable of doing. So you've never done 200 watts for three hours before and you're 10 minutes into the ride and your average 300 watts and obviously, you know that stuff's gonna have to start slowing down when you hit a client. If you just manage 250, that's going to be your best overall shot at staying with their group even if they drop you instantly even if they're totally gone. Your overall time from bottom to top is going to be shorter than if you stay with him halfway and then explode and have to stop and puke, they're gonna be waiting for you for much longer and then you've got way too in the red way too deep and then the rest of the ride you're just relaxed. So with the right data, you can stay within your own zone, within your level of fitness and you arrived for, you will be much more enjoyable. So look, it's super simple. Manager energy, think about position, alternate your muscles and standing position, seating position cadence that sort of thing. Spark up a conversation if you need and obviously know as much about what you're getting into, what your performances as possible. These things will a hundred percent help you stick with people on the ride that are much faster. But don't get intimidated with those guys that are faster than you. Getting dropped is not a bad thing. It's not getting dropped will help you increase your ability to suffer. It will help your fitness because when you're getting dropped your being forced to increase your performance circular creature fitness. And if your fitness level is much lower than some of the other guys and you never really even make it to the big climb or it's not just like start somewhere else. If the route comes through and there's a lot of flats and then the climb start, maybe start right before the climbs. So you're really fresh and everyone else isn't that might help you get to kind of see and ride right next to guys that you look up to or admire. I mean I've done it. Whatever you can to ride with guys faster than you and you're going to get better but sometimes there's so much faster than so start 20 minutes in the ride an hour another ride, whatever it's, find a different location to hook up with them or an exit location. That's all the way to the back so that your overall ride. An amount of energy is much less than you can go to a much higher level intensity. You're not worrying about doing four hours. That'd be another way bonus.