Todd Brilliant's ride

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12 replies [Last post]
Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

Todd, thanks for leading a great ride today. Hope you do it again.

Anonymous's picture
todd brilliant (not verified)
thanks for the thanks, but...

thanks for your generous comment, but i still wonder if the folks who were expecting an A18ish (whatever that means) ride feel the same. the ride went faster than i had hoped and maybe there were things i could have done to keep it more in check.

there were several variables at work on today's ride that made it faster than advertised. some things i might have been able to control. i apologize to anyone who felt cheated out of a ride that was posted as A18ish which turned into something more like A20-21.

i'll try again next sunday. hopefully i'll get as good of a turn-out as today. it was fun.

todd

Anonymous's picture
Carol Wood (not verified)
Trivia question

Todd, you asked what was Woody Allen's given name. It was Allan (Stewart) Konigsberg, b. Brooklyn 1 Dec. 1935. Encyclopedia of New York City.

Anonymous's picture
Yogi (not verified)
A-18 ish

"Todd:

Glad to see you leading rides again, I hope to join you sometime this winter

It’s hard leading a slow A-ride solo. That’s why so few people do it (?), especially if it’s not in conjunction with a faster group. (Or if it’s the only A ride that day)

As you know, A-rides are more competitive by nature, and some people ride it like a race. I recently co-led a slow A/B-ride (15+ riders). After the pit at mile 25, I asked the group if anybody thought the pace was too slow and NOBODY said anything. But when I pulled off after we got to up to cruising speed, all h*ll broke loose up at the front. People were staring each other down, jockeying for position and the speed went up at least 2mph. The group immediately got stretched out and the tail end could not keep up.

>""the ride went faster than i had hoped""

At that point, I think the leader(s) has to decide how fast he/she wants the ride to go. Do you let people ride off the front or do you break the group into 2. I guess there is no right answer. You can’t control the ride if you’re not up front, and nobody wants to be up front all day.

Because so few people lead A-rides, Most people know the difference between a Hank /Tim A-19 and a Robert / Russ A-19. All excellent leaders BTW.

People will just have try and find out what a Todd ""A-18ish"" is like.


"

Anonymous's picture
Rob M (not verified)

I think I was at least partially (perhaps primarily) responsible for the increase in pace, and if anyone was inconvenienced then I sincerely apologise. I was under the impression that the ~18 was really an average speed, faster on flats and down hills, slower on the climbs. According to my computer we did average under 18 Mph.

It was not my intention to hijack the ride, and I promise I will be better behaved next week. On the positive side we didn’t drop anyone after the GWB.

Anonymous's picture
Yogi (not verified)
It’s fun to go fast.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no problems with people riding off the front. I’ve done it on occasions when I’ve felt bottled up in a group. We are have our different comfort level of exertion. I guess my point (if there is one) is that the leader list a ride pace for a reason (too many to go into here), and they have to decide what that translates to on the road. An A/B18 can easily cruise into the low 20’s without change in effort.

Maybe the more experienced A leaders can give us better insight on this.

Anonymous's picture
Tom Laskey (not verified)
For Shame!!

"""I was under the impression that the ~18 was really an average speed, faster on flats and down hills, slower on the climbs.""

Read a bulletin why doncha'! It's all in the ""Please Read Before Your First Ride"" section. The gist is:

The listed pace is the cruising speed on flat terrain. Your average for the day should be around 3 mph slower than the cruising pace taking into account hills, traffic, etc."

Anonymous's picture
Rob M (not verified)

Can't read.

Anonymous's picture
todd brilliant (not verified)

"""On the positive side we didn’t drop anyone after the GWB.""

-well, actually the ride split somewhere on 9w before state line hill. when we made the right turn at the light (oak tree), we had split off from at least 4 or 5 others, bob gray, our a-rides coordinator, amongst them (sorry bob).

from that point on, we had our group and everyone stayed together without a problem. only one gal with us, but she was a hoot. loved her accent. sounded like natasha from the rocky and bullwinkle cartoons.

anyway, what was great was getting back to the bridge by 1:00 pm, even after a long route to rockland lake and at least a 1/2 hour hogwich break.

can't wait to see how it pans out this sunday!

todd







"

Anonymous's picture
Robert Gray (not verified)
A18-21

All of Steinberg's rides are multi speed and I think that is just the right idea for A rides.
There is really a demand for a fast, quick out and back ride like that.
I thought the ride was fine; I would just suggest that when a large group like that has shown up, you say that you expect there will be those who want to go faster and just let the group naturally break as happened Sunday. The only problem was that the group off the back did not know where the ride was going so we just did Bradley and Tweed.
Good show!
Robert Gray

Anonymous's picture
m diczok (not verified)

man from oz on the merckx gimme a shout

Anonymous's picture
Debbie Rothschild (not verified)
A rides

I am a bit concerned that this thread will confirm the impression that non A-riders have of A rides. Yes, many are competitve and fast, fun for those who are up to it, and provide a place for the strongest riders in our club. However, as our resident Yogi says, people tend to choose rides by the leaders. It is pretty well known that Todd is a very strong rider, so he attracts a more aggressive crowd. Robert Grey, Russ, Fred and others lead true A 18/19s where nobody races. And then of course there are the many wonderful rides designed to be split into two. I believe there are many strong riders in this club who avoid A rides because they are afraid of just the competitive atmosphere described here. If more people know there are also less competitive rides, perhaps more will feel comfortable trying A rides and even become leaders themselves.

Anonymous's picture
Hajo Thiele (not verified)
Alternative A ride

There is always the alternative A17-19 ride starting at the Larchmont train station at 8.30 am every Sunday. Nobody will get dropped. But, you have to be honest to yourself whether you are an A17-19 rider or not. We ride a steady pace for ca. 60 miles, with no planned stops. Beginning a little bit slower, towards the middle and end a little bit faster.
If interested, call me until 9 pm on Saturday (914 833 1456) or send an e-mail to [email protected]
Important: I will not show up at the trainstation, if I don't hear from anybody.
Hajo Thiele

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