Ride Saturday, August 29

Saturday, we’ll be heading north to St. Paul and Minneapolis. We’ll follow our Minneapolis Greenway route counter clockwise. This 55-mile route has a bit of everything: climbs, straight flat roads and trails, and rivers and lakes. The heat is going to break, so we will have cooler temps of 61 to 70 degrees, with sunny skies and a moderate wind from the northwest.

I rarely comment on the previous-week’s ride, but there was a problem that I want to address about that ride. I don’t like conflict, so I didn’t address the issue early in the ride and it got worse on Revenna Trail. I will try to do better going forward.

Sunday’s ride was faster and less cohesive than normal and that’s not acceptable. It wasn’t fun for me and our group rides are supposed to be no-drop rides that anyone who’s fit can ride and enjoy. We do not race so, for the first 90% of the ride, everyone needs to ensure that we do not drop riders. If you notice someone getting dropped, spread the word forward, so we can slow the group down and let them catch on. This is especially important for new riders that are dropped, because they may never come back.

When I’m at the front of the group, I look back frequently to ensure that we are all together. You should do the same when you are at the front for a length of time. We must group up when we change direction or get to a traffic light or stop sign to ensure that we all stay together and travel safely. This has been a problem several times this year and we have to do better.

We should be able to converse and enjoy the rides. Again, we need to keep the group together for the first 90% for everyone’s enjoyment and safety. Over the last few miles of our rides, you may push it as hard as you wish.

If you think the group is too slow, and go to the front and attempt to surge the group forward, you should expect to hear from me. If you aren’t willing to ride at the group’s pace, please ride elsewhere.

Please share your feedback with me about this or any concern about our rides.