[BVC-CHAT] [Riders] tnp

[Kevin Baker]

maddogwillie2002 at yahoo.com wrote:

 >Hence, i have swiftonian modest proposal - at the grassbar 
intersection true tnp'ers turn left and ride their hearts and lungs out 
and their legs off while the lollygaggers continue straight on Elmo 
Weedon and ride the Weedon loop at whatever pace they chose.
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if  we had a larger group with many more riders with moderate speed, I 
might agree with you. As it is, it's a struggle to keep the tnp from 
rapidly evolving into a boring team time trial. If we started attacking 
right after the Grassbur turn the group would likely be in bits before 
we got to Riley.

How many new riders are going to keep coming out if they get popped in 
the first two miles? In my opinion, the only reason this ride is still 
viable is that we've made it at least somewhat accessible to different 
levels (and allowed some talented riders a chance to develop and catch 
the bug). Turn too many people off and you'll be reduced to four guys 
doing intervals together east of town.

Given the likely outcome of what you're advocating, I'm not sure what it 
is that you want to get from this ride. If it's just fitness, there are 
plenty of ways to get a better workout without putting undue pressure on 
newer/weaker riders, e.g. start late and TT back to the group on Elmo, 
take a hard pull on a downhill or into a headwind, do a few off-the-back 
intervals. Otherwise, I think the current guidelines are a reasonable 
compromise between hard and inclusive/fun.