Stronger, Safer, Faster

In the light of the unfortunate accident last week, we have re-evaluated our safety protocols and added two more:

- Cap max speed limit to 40 kph


- No sprinting unless pre-specified

The key is to keep to groups (even in twos or threes) for safety reasons. Of course it feels good to be fast, and that drives much of any cycling group dynamics. (This is the reason why coach wasn't too keen on group cycling - we tend to push each other a little too much).

I think we need a max speed cap to avoid endangering ourselves needlessly. We'll have sprint points to keep the speedsters happy, but other than the specified sprint stretches, we should adhere to the limit. Those who like more speedwork would be able to find many faster groups.

From my persepective, there's no reason to be fast all the time. In fact, I enjoy being the default sweeper on most of our rides as that allows me to pull almost all the time. I'd rather be able to pull consistently at 30kph then draft at 40kph. That way, I'll know that I can shave off at least 20 min on the 90km aviva event next year. I still get to my interval trainings on sprint points and on the trainer!

Hence the title: Stronger, Safer and Faster. Speed will come as an outcome, but safety comes before speed.

Guidelines for safe group riding

These are some guidelines that FOTR adopted (subject to fine tuning):

• Use verbal cues and hand signals - car back, hazards, etc. ANZA cycling has very good guidelines.
• Accelerate smoothly and gradually from stationary starts and away from corners. More so when the train is long and at higher speeds, to allows rear riders to stay with the group.
• On undulating terrain, front riders should ease up when climbing, especially if the train is long. 
• Designate certain stretches as no surge zones and sprint zones where riders can rev their engines with designated rv points
• Pre-ride briefing to emphasize ride route, stop points for re-grouping
• Pre-ride route sent out via email 
• Let the group know if tired or not feeling well
• For inclusivity, we should have shorter options for riders who are not out to do endurance riding
• Commitment to riding as a group for safety. Sometimes we may split up into two sub-groups - the speedy and steady sub-groups. Each sub-gorup should have a sweeper. Those who are dropped from the speedy group, please slow down and join the steady group. We should also stick together as a group when traffic builds up. We should have at least two or three riders sticking together, especially when peeling off.
• Organize the 2 groups such that the group taking the shorter route could rv with the group taking the longer route at a designated point at a later time. This way we could all end together, have breakfast and live up to the name of the group - fellowship!
• Rolling off - pull for a specified time/distance and then roll off. This way, everyone takes turn pulling at a good speed

Cycling: How fast is fast?

The start of our back-to-back long rides to prepare for Mersing double century was a 86km on Sat followed by 66km on Sun. We hooked up with another group of strong riders, and they, together with CS and MH set a blazing pace. More often than not, we were above 30 kph up till LCK.

After a rest stop along the westcoast highway, the action got even faster and more furious. We were rolling along at more than 35 kph along, and the speed went above 40 kph subsequently. This was the first time I hit above 40 kph (42 to be precise) over a single km on flats. I got dropped along the Keppel viaduct after a traffic light and slowed to join the steady group. Average speed: 28.3 kph over 86 km (the rest were faster!).

On Sunday, we tried taking turns to pull. The first part went quite well as we rode the Braddell viaduct, with speed between 25 to 30 kph on undulating terrain. RV with HP and WL for the second loop, and also RV with Jodan. Kept the pace to a comfortable 25 - 28 kph. And went up Hendon Road, a 400m climb that was sufficiently challenging but doable.

Then we decided to take turn pulling along CCR. We sped along at 32 to 38 kph and realized that we had to fine tune our technique to switching / rolling over.

At higher speed (above 30 kph), the first rider has to slow down to peel off, but the second rider should not speed up too much. Just enough to maintain the speed, otherwise the first rider would not be able to catch up at the back. Also, three lamp-posts appeared too short a distance to pull. Perhaps 1 km is a better distance. The other thing to note is that once the lead rider drops below a specified speed, he should switch back. 

For a better perspective on Sunday's ride, please see Jodan's account.

Personally I thought last weekend's rides set a new milestone for FOTR. We could now sustain above 34 kph and we achieved new highs (as a group).

But the question is how fast is fast? I had asked myself this question before, and my answer then was 35 kph is fast enough for me. Sure, it feels good to hit new highs to improve. Yes, it is wonderful to be stronger. However, we should never do so at the expense of safety.

One of the key learning points for me is to accelerate gradually. Surging from a stationary start or after cornering would mean that the riders at the back would have to accelerate even more to keep up. The same applies for going upslopes. This becomes more critical when the speed goes above 30 kph.

Why is this important? Safety. Riders tend to get dropped if the pack surges, and it is certainly safer to ride with the pack.

We have been mulling over some guidelines for safe riding, especially as our group gets bigger. Certainly need to fine tune our guidelines as we go along.

But hey, it feels great to hit 42!