Being a Wednesday, I would normally ride the Wobble Cycling Club’s Bandy Dandy group ride at 19:00 hrs.
However, as I’d somehow missed lunch, I was feeling that a trip to Harvester was in order so needed to get a ride in earlier.
16:30 BST
Veterans Mid-Week ride hosted by Invictus Games Foundation
Group Ride
EVENT DESCRIPTION
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This is a 1-2 w/kg weekly group ride, with the goal of keeping the group together. This event is open to riders of any ability, including those who ride upright bikes, and we especially welcome those who use handcycles, recumbent trikes, trikes, or tandems in real life.
Follow the ride leader’s instructions and stay as close to the beacon as possible. If you’re feeling strong, please use your abilities to help pull fellow riders back to the pack. If you are feeling weak, join the lantern rouge at the back for a more leisurely ride
This is a social ride, not a race. Use the draft, take a coffee break.
Looking at the upcoming group rides, I spotted the Veterans Mid-Week ride. The description looked like the sort I thing I was looking for and with minutes to the start, began to get ready – drink, kit, wake up and pair the trainer etc.
I was all ready but missed the start by seconds so had some catching up to do.
It took me about a quarter of an hour of frantic pedalling to catch the yellow beacon with whom I stayed for about ten more minutes.
With little regard for keeping the ‘group’ together, the beacon put the hammer down and shot off, leaving me in their wake.
I did leave a slightly sarcastic comment about this being a group ride but had nothing back for the beacon. However, a kind soul by the name of T4Turves (Rhino) messaged me to hang on as he would drop back for me.
When T4Turves reached me, I tucked in behind (to benefit from the draft) and we headed off in pursuit of the yellow beacon.
Around thirty minutes into the ride, the beacon was around fifteen seconds ahead and we seemed to be making little progress.
I suggested that I drop back and complete the course as a solo ride but my savour told me to hang on it there for another five minutes. “I’ll try,” I replied.
At the thirty five minute mark, we caught the beacon and with T4Turves help stayed with the small, four bike, group.
Strangely, with about fifteen minutes to go, the beacon eased off and began to fall back, eventually finishing nearly two minutes behind. Not very consistent pacing !
I stuck with T4Turves until about five minutes to go and then he was gone. I kept the pace up and covered just over thirty kilometres in the short hour, averaging 149 Watts or 1.7 Watts/kg – higher than usual.
This Wednesday ride was a lot harder than the normal Wobble ride but I had a good workout. T4Turves and I are now following each other.
It was an odd group ride as the beacon made no attempt to keep the riders together and we were quite spread out – not sure if I’ll repeat this event, perhaps if I’m not chasing from the start I could better keep up – we’ll see.