Minuteman Road Club

My initial post had enough interest that I am going to put up the first ride!
The skill we will focus on for this ride will be a Rotating Pace-line.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9472

We will do 2 short loops at endurance to low tempo, focusing on maintaining a smooth and efficient rotating pace-line. This isn't a ride to flex your strength, but instead practice good group riding, so please stick to the pace of the group.

The route: clip in at 6 pm for 2 loops of a fairly flat circuit, the bends in the road are minimal, but there will be some traffic.
https://www.strava.com/routes/29039084

Pre-ride: 5:30 pm. For those who want to ride just a little longer, pace will still be easy.
https://www.strava.com/routes/29039254

And of course, MRC Covid-19 group ride policies are in place.

1. The ride will have no more than 10 people, which means if we get more than that we will split up into groups, mostly likely A and B (or more if necessary). I'd like to keep the groups between 6-8. Please listen to the ride captain for instructions (which will be me)
2. You must post up here, no lurking and don't invite people "off-board"
3. You must be an active MRC member to participate in these phase-2 rides so we can take extra precautions
4. Take the obvious step of excluding yourself if any of these pertain to you:

a) You have these symptoms: Cough OR at least TWO of these symptoms: Shortness of breath, Fever, Chills, Repeated shaking with chills, Muscle pain, Headache, Sore throat, New loss of taste or smell, Vomiting, Diarrhea
b) You've had contact with a person with Covid-19
c) You've traveled on a plane in the last 2 weeks

Remember to post up here and make sure your membership is active. Also remember you are responsible for your own choices and actions, and you must decide what is right for you.

Who is in?

Rees thanks for taking the initiative, I think these are valuable skills that everyone should have in abundance.

I’ll be there.

FYI: For this same reason is why I've tried to organize the WNR's as 'Hare and Hounds' rides to build team riding and pacelining skills.

I like the meeting spot, I will try to make it.

This is a pretty good course. 135 can be busy though so not sure we can run a double paceline there.

This is really close to my house so will try to make it - perhaps we can have a porch beer afterwards.

carlshimer wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 5:17 pm This is a pretty good course. 135 can be busy though so not sure we can run a double paceline there.

This is really close to my house so will try to make it - perhaps we can have a porch beer afterwards.

Good point, we may have to go single file there due to traffic, but the rest of the loop we should be able to ride 2 wide.

Hoping to make it.

Also, if cactus comes, maybe we should do some easy corners first?

just a thought, but Rt. 68 from Holden to Rt 62 in Hubbardston then turning east on 62 toward Princeton is nice, long stretch that I think would work nicely.

I am likely in for this. What is the actual location? Are we parking at Whitehall State Park? 300 Wood St, Hopkinton, MA?

jraguin wrote: ↑Sat Jul 11, 2020 4:42 pm I am likely in for this. What is the actual location? Are we parking at Whitehall State Park? 300 Wood St, Hopkinton, MA?

Yes, that address is correct. There is a parking lot there that the strava route starts and ends at.

I'm in.

In

In

I’ll be out of town unfortunately but I’ll offer up two observations that I’ve seen over and over. They are directly related too:

1) in a rotating paceline (unlike a single paceline) when you swing off and start retreating you can’t softpedal because if you do you will retreat too quickly and force everyone behind you in the retreating line to Also slow down. It will quickly devolve into a single paceline with only 1 or 2 riders in the retreating line and everyone else in the advancing line. That’s not what you want — you want roughly equal numbers of advancing and retreating riders. The way to get that is to still pedal at 80% in the retreating line. That will keep the speed differential between advancing and retreating in check. However, this leads to problem 2.

2) in a single paceline we’re used to the lead rider pulling off and quickly disappearing. In a rotating paceline the lead rider slides left but hangs around for a while (see point 1). This INEVITABLY (yes I used all caps ) leads to the second rider thinking he is not going fast enough and ratcheting up the pace to clear the retreating rider. That’s bad bad bad. Keep it steady and smooth and let the retreating rider clear naturally.

Good luck gents, have fun!

And when all goes wrong I will probably yell at you

This is actually a really good video, please watch. Note at minute 3 they go into rotating paceline which we will be focusing on thursday. Also note the funny comment about "getting yelled at" for surging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDxXRq5 ... &index=205

I think it will be helpful if the pace is kept reasonable until we get it right—and this may (probably) take more than one session—as opposed to trying to be the fastest paceline in history from the start. #CaptainObvious

KTeves wrote: ↑Tue Jul 14, 2020 12:27 pm I think it will be helpful if the pace is kept reasonable until we get it right—and this may (probably) take more than one session—as opposed to trying to be the fastest paceline in history from the start. #CaptainObvious

That is why this is the advertised pace:
"We will do 2 short loops at endurance to low tempo, focusing on maintaining a smooth and efficient rotating pace-line. This isn't a ride to flex your strength, but instead practice good group riding, so please stick to the pace of the group."

If anyone is going too fast or surging, we will ask them to slow down. The goal is to keep things smooth.

Also, we will go single file for 135, too much traffic to ride 2-wide.

KTeves wrote: ↑Sat Jul 11, 2020 2:27 pm just a thought, but Rt. 68 from Holden to Rt 62 in Hubbardston then turning east on 62 toward Princeton is nice, long stretch that I think would work nicely.

I will keep that in mind for future sessions. I am planning on having a different route each time.

in for pre-ride at 5:30 too

Thought I'd make it, but out. These are so fun when it's running smooth. Hope to catch the next one

I'm in. Very much in need of some skills.

Each lap passes my house, so I’m IN

In.