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Silent Sports Column

As a triathlete, I do most of my training alone. After all, if you ride your bike too close to someone during a race, you get penalized. But group rides offer a different angle to the sport and training that benefits everyone from the seasoned triathlete to the recreational cyclist.

The obvious benefit is in the social atmosphere provided by working out with others. While many use their workouts as quiet time alone, boredom can easily set in. Riding with others gives you an opportunity to socialize and catch up on the latest news. Last week, it was a way for everyone to share storm recovery stories and somehow ventured into troubles crossing the Canadian border.

But beyond a social vehicle, group rides demand a unique type of fitness. Riding in a group takes advantage of drafting in the wind. By riding directly behind others, there is less wind resistance, making it easier to go fast. The rider at the front of the group, however, serves as the windbreaker and takes the brunt of the gusts. To share the load and ensure the group can keep cycling at a quick pace, the group rotates in a circle to trade off the harder front position.

Depending on the group’s size or goals, these turns at the front usually last anywhere from one to three minutes. The front rider then pulls off to the side, lets the group move ahead, and hops on the back of the pack in a pocket void of wind resistance.

On a fitness level, this amounts to a couple minutes of hard effort at the front and then recovery at the back. This type of workout, with short bouts of high intensity and a longer recovery, serves to increase your lactate threshold, or the time you can hold off lactic acid buildup in your legs.

The other primary benefit in riding with a group is the incentive to push yourself harder than you otherwise would. While riding on a rural road in the middle of the county, you want to stay with the group so you don’t have to face the wind alone. Mentally, having others set the pace boils the workout down to a simple goal: keep up. During the Tour de France, the top contending athletes always want a teammate going up the mountains with them to set the pace. Keeping up is easier than pushing yourself.

In Door County, we are lucky to have these group rides every week that vary in distance and intensity. Tuesday nights, the group leaves from Market Square in Sturgeon Bay at 5:30 pm. Wednesday night rides leave from the Door County Brewing Company at 5:30 pm and Thursday night leaves from the parking lot at Stella Maris church in Fish Creek at 5:30 pm. Bring your road bike and be prepared to ride anywhere from 20 to 50 miles depending on which group you ride with.