Our long rides on the weekend form an important part of your winter training. These rides aim to improve your bike skills, endurance and strength. At the same time, safety is paramount to us and due to large numbers who are already attending our group rides this year we have fomulated a structured long ride program to help ensure the safety of athletes as well as ensuring everyone has an enjoyable and purposeful ride.
Riders will be placed in specific groups based on their ability and/or goals. This will also take into consideration where your bike fitness is currently at – so do not be concerned about riding in a ‘lower’ group until you are bike fit, becuase as with any training you need to build up first.
__________________________________________________________
TRI ALLIANCE GROUP RIDING RULES
ALL athletes must read the following information before they attend any further group rides. Whether you are new to the squad or have been around for years. By attending our group rides, you must have read the follwing:
Group Rides with Tri Alliance
Every group/squad/club have different rules they follow when riding in groups on the road. If you attend any of our Group Rides on Saturday’s or Sunday’s, you MUST read and be aware of the following Click here to continue reading…
Bunch Riding and Cycling Etiquette
Becoming a proficient bunch rider takes time and experience to achieve. The key to a safe ride is to always be aware of the conditions we find ourselves in, and to react accordingly. Most important is consideration of the riders around us: what they are doing at any given time, and their level of skill. And of course we need to be continually aware of the road and traffic conditions. Click here to continue reading….
Cycling Rules & Safety
When riding on roads involving traffic, other bikes and pedestrians, it is very important to have knowledge of the road rules and ways to decrease the chance of an accident. Even if you are following the law, it is still important to know what to look out for as others on the road might not be doing the right thing. Here are some tips to improve your safety on the road. Click here to read Road Cycling Rules.
__________________________________________________________
RIDE GROUPS FOR MAY & JUNE
GROUP 1 GROUP 2
Advanced Long Course Athletes Advanced Short Course Athletes
Strong riders Strong riders
Great road skills Great road skills
Confident in bunch riding & rolling turns Confident in bunch riding & rolling turns
Pace 30+kms/hr Pace 30+kms/hr
GROUP 3 GROUP 4
Intermediate Long Course Athletes Intermediate Short Course Athletes
Intermediate riders Intermediate riders
Good road skills Good road skills
Confident in bunch riding Confident in bunch riding
Pace 26-30km/hr Pace 26-30km/hr
GROUP 5
Beginner riders
New to road riding
Not confident on the road
Need monitoring and guidance
Pace – group dependant
When having trouble finding your riding group follow the below guidelines. Coaches will also use their discretion to ensure you are riding in the correct group:
Should I move up a group?
You were riding off the front of your group easily
You sat on the front of your group all day easily
Should I move down a group?
You are getting dropped from your group early in the ride
You are not as fit as you have been (due to time off/injury etc) and need to slowly build back up
*If you still have any doubts with which group you should be in please ask a Coach!
__________________________________________________________
WHAT TO BRING:
- Front and rear lights (no rider will be allowed to ride without lights)
- 2 x spare tubes (no less!)
- 2 x C02 canisters and valve OR hand pump
- Sufficient food/nutition (you should eat approx every half hour)
- 2 x water/hydration bottles
- Phone and money
- Dress according to the weather! So make sure you check the weather before leaving home
Safe Riding!
