The benefits of being a larger rider, when to add extra recovery, staying competitive after an upgrade to cat 2 and more will be discussed in Episode 235 of The Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast. Join us live on YouTube this Thursday, December 5 at 8 am Pacific!
as a bigger rider’s last ditch effort to stay with the little 'uns up that last part of the climb you can always whore out your draft. ‘Don’t attack me over the top and I’ll work with you through that crosswind section.’ Bigger riders have big drafts.
Also, on those rollers what goes up must come down. My capacious posterior can lag off the back a little over the top and then still blast past the little 'uns in the first quarter of the next roller. Then sag back through the group while they have to go around. This is referred to locally as ‘revenge of the lard butt’.
@Nate_Pearson I asked about the donut (from the XC race) because it looked so dang good!!! I lack good donut shops and am trying to live out my donut fantasies through you!
Thanks Pete Morris! I’m a larger rider (181cm 95kg) and have always been called out on group rides for pushing the pace on flats and descents. I’ve only been riding for a year so I thought I was being a jerk. But if the light guys can drop us on climbs why can we heavy guys drop them on the descents/flats? Why is it OK to drop people on climbs but not OK to drop people any other time?
Every ride has a set of rules/customs, even if that means there are no rules. If you’re new to the ride, I’d figure those out. On many rides there are places to be competitive and places to work together to get to the next competitive part.
When there’s a natural ‘finish line’ and ‘regrouping point’ I think it’s more accepted to turn it into a hammer fest. It’s easy to shout ‘regroup at the top’ or ‘ease up at the town sign’, or hammer away on the downhill so things don’t bunch up.
Wishlist: I told my relatives they could get me packs of gels, sports drinks or recovery drinks. That way I can fill up my nutrition drawer again. Feels like being a kid that’s getting candy ;p
No not really. More like the competitive parts go ahead and go nuts, on the in between sections lets all work together and make it smooth and fast. I live in Chicago, even the hilly stuff is not that hilly.
Everyone is happy to drop the big guys on the climbs but then complain about when the train is too fast on the flats/descents…
Coming from an MTB background and still mixing up, that defines the story of all my road rides. Too heavy for the climbs, but then have to hold back on the descents/technical stuff…
This is actually the way of a good teammate. Once (if I ever) get to be a cat 1 I’d like to join a masters race team and pull back breaks, cover moves and do leadouts. I could also deliver the good watt/kg peeps to climbs without a hint of wind hitting them .
These could be cool race analysis videos. I don’t see many online of people in a pure teammate scenario.
This is actually the way of a good teammate. Once (if I ever) get to be a cat 1 I’d like to join a masters race team and pull back breaks, cover moves and do leadouts. I could also deliver the good watt/kg peeps to climbs without a hint of wind hitting them 
Whooooo boy that’s so true. Chicago area is not a good place to be a small rider. Come race Intelli,