A few of us were having lunch the other day. We were discussing, among other things, the level of fitness of the current Firestone and Summit peloton. We all recognized that the group emerged from the winter chill into the warmth of Spring with the speed of a cheetah as compared to the lumbering of the rhino of last Fall. For whatever reason, the peloton is so much stronger this year than it was just 6 months ago. Generally speaking, there's just too much horsepower for it's own good. On any given Saturday ride, you could observe the paceline at 20-22mph moving along comfortably. Then the lead rider moves over and the next rider pulls through at 23mph, then the next at 24mph...it usually maxes out at 26 to 28mph, if there's no tailwind. I say, "if" because if there's a Tailwind Express all bets are off.
We have expressed before in this Blogazoidal and perhaps in the mass emails sent out, that there are two major factors that contribute to the demise of a cycling group. I have seen this time and again as I have been a member of several clubs and one racing team throughout my 35+ years in cycling. The two factors, and it hasn't yet appeared as one is more prevalent than the other, are Speed (pace) and Ego(s). Every occasion that I have observed a club explode or implode was due to one or both of these issues.
Speed is a delicate issue. If you hold the stronger riders back, they won't feel challenged and therefore will most likely leave for a stronger group where they can improve. However, if you continue to let the animals hammer away to the exhaustion of the rest of the peloton, the slower riders will began to get discouraged and leave as well. This is an age old problem that has been dealt with in many ways throughout the years. Some solutions have worked and some fail.
Ego or pride on the other hand is much more difficult to resolve. Speed is an external problem, on the outside so to speak, where as pride is on the inside, in the heart. I have never seen the ego issue resolved without one or another leaving the group and joining another group where it seems, after some time, the issue appears again. I have even seen groups completely split apart because of somebody's ego. Pride is very difficult to deal with because we all are infected with it. Who's to say who is right?! The group must have a standard or guidelines outside of the rule of ego to express what is acceptable behavior within a given setting. Thus, as an example, we have speed limits along our highways.
Now here is the rub, in fact, here is the very issue that we are dealing with today in our group: Who sets the standard, the rule, the guidelines that express what is acceptable behavior for a given setting?
Are we a democracy or are we controlled by just the strongest among us? As we mused upon this the other day at lunch, it was generally agreed that we are a group where everyone should have a voice in the decisions made for the group as a whole. We are not controlled by one or two or even half a dozen of us that are stronger than the rest, (this year), and therefore make the others to suffer for our egos. We should be ruled by a standard or guidelines. And, we concurred that those standards should reflect what the majority of us would find acceptable.
Firestone and Summit Cycling Group is a middle of the paceline peloton. In other words, for the most part, we enjoy Saturday morning rides that are 35 to 55 miles long at a moderate pace, (17 to 20mph, please see Pace Chart). However, on occasion we offer rides that are longer for those who would enjoy that type of challenge. For those who enjoy faster rides, we already offer the Wednesday evening WERAD, which has no speed limit.
We all understand that you can't be all things to all people. F&S would not appeal to those who could not keep up with a minimum 17mph pace and those who want to hammer down the road at sustained speeds of 23+ would probably find our group frustrating. However, for those who on Saturday mornings enjoy a moderate length ride at a moderate speed with a bunch of characters, that is what F&S is all about.
Now, I say all that to say, we will continue to schedule rides of moderate length on Saturday morning's with occasional shorter and longer routes. We will also offer, as we did last Saturday a longer option on a shorter route, therefore giving those who want more miles the option to ride more.
Also, in terms of speed, the group will appoint a Ride Captain before each ride who will police the speed of the ride for the entire group. What the Ride Captain says is what the group agrees to do as we travel along the road. For example, if someone is getting dropped at 20mph, then the RC will express to those at the front to back it down to 18mph or perhaps soft pedal until the struggling rider latches back onto the peloton. Or, if the group is strong and no one is in difficulty, the RC may check with all riders for a faster pace to be implemented. Regardless, the RC will watch over the group as a whole for that particular ride and make real time decisions to it's overall benefit. The group appoints the RC and therefore agrees to abide by the RC's decisions on the ride. (The RC will also keep the egos in check...unless of course the RC has an ego at which point there will be a mutiny and a new RC appointed.) Any questions? Comments?
It is our sincere hope that this will help clarify the expectations for Saturday morning rides as we move into the Summer riding season with our much stronger F&S peloton. It has already been an amazing transformation from last year that brings to light new adjustments needing tweaking within our group. (I just love this kind of stuff! Don't you? It shows we're growing.) I wonder what the next issue will be?! Hey, wait a minute...where's that jersey I ordered?
See you out on the road,
Bob
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