group riding Archives - Tailwind Coaching

Motivation Monday: Getting Dropped By The Group
Motivation Monday: Getting Dropped By The Group

group riding skills and tips, Motivation

Motivation Monday: Getting Dropped By The Group

If you've been following any of my previous Motivation Monday posts, you'll know that I had a big date with Monkey Knife Fight 9 earlier this year. Suffice to say, the northeast winter put the damper on most of my training and I ended up bailing out on my first goal of the season after only about 55 of the 72 miles.

That was a bummer. A big bummer. And it kind of tanked my motivation for the next couple months.

However, if you've been looking at my Strava profile recently, you'll have noticed a big bump in the amount of riding I've been doing. That's because I've been through “the reckoning” that most of us have been through in the past. I've suffered at the hands of others. There are times I've looked down at my legs and wondered why.

I've been dropped out of the group.

Click through the jump and let's figure out why getting dropped out of a group is such a motivating experience.

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Tags: group riding, Motivation, motivation monday, narrative, skills|

Is Zwift Killing Cycling?
Is Zwift Killing Cycling?

Indoor Training, Training discussion, Zwift

Is Zwift Killing Cycling?

There's no doubt that the online training platform Zwift has experienced exponential growth in the last few years. In fact, Zwift users have managed to rack up more than 200 million kilometers in 2017. That's a LOT of miles, and probably a lot of fun too.

There's also little doubt that Zwift is an amazing training tool. In fact, I've relied on it for much of the past two winter seasons to both build fitness and maintain motivation. What seems to have risen recently, however, is the concept of Zwift racing. More than once, I've seen people comment about the validity of these competitions. Are people using the online format to easily cheat? Is it even racing if you're not in the same room with someone else?

There are even plenty of people on various Zwift Facebook groups that eschew outdoor riding completely in favor of a virtual riding platform.

A few years back, I wrote about how Strava had the potential to be a fitness wrecker. Now, hearing that people are turning to Zwift instead of the outdoors, I'm wondering, “Is Zwift Killing Cycling?”

Click through to explore the pros and cons of this burgeoning platform:

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Tags: group riding, indoor training, training, zwift|

Lost Art of the Group Ride – Podcast #45
Lost Art of the Group Ride – Podcast #45

beginner training resources, Coaching discussion, group riding skills and tips, Motivation, Skills and techniques, Tailwind Coaching Podcast, Training discussion

Lost Art of the Group Ride – Podcast #45

Everyone loves a group ride, right? Group rides are chances to catch up with friends, get in a good workout, chase a few stronger riders or tear the legs off your riding buddies. But a group ride is as much a dance as it is a ride, and there are a number of things you SHOULD have learned along your journey as a cyclist. Whether you are a group riding sage or a newly minted rookie, you should observe the rules, the etiquette and the sanctity of the holiest of Sunday cycling practices (aside from watching the pros on Eurosport, of course…)

In today's episode of the Tailwind Coaching Podcast, I'll wax poetic on those things that you need to have learned in order to execute the perfect group ride, and I'll cover a couple of things in the cycling news sphere that caught my attention.

That said, today's podcast will include:

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Tags: beginner, Coaching, group riding, podcast, training|

Being Honest With Yourself

Here in the northeast, we've been blessed with about 10 days of "good" weather; "good" being in quotes because good winter weather is essentially anything that isn't snow, ice or hail and temperatures above 38 degrees (the point at which I prefer to sit on the trainer in front of the TV.) While the sun hasn't shone often and the roads aren't often dry, warmer temperatures create the itch to imbibe fresh air and feel the road slip by under 23mm tires.

Since motivation is high on these rare gems of days, it's only right that we get out, rain or shine. And let's be honest, when it's 45 degrees and you've HTFUed (Hardened The F*** Up, for the uninitiated, or see rule 5) you're not going to do a 10 mile round trip to the coffee shop and then call it a day. No, you'll seek out climbs, descents and (if you're anything like the classics lover that I am) dirt and gravel roads. Basically, the gnarlier and more "Belgian" the route (and the weather) the harder you'll push yourself.

There's only one problem with that line of thinking….

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Tags: Coaching, group riding, Motivation, training|