Stijn Amundsen :: Blog :: How to control training intensity on group rides

Many people like myself enjoy group rides, but it can also interfere with structured training and lead to over training or some cases under training, depending on your level of fitness and the group you ride with.

Here's some different ideas and tips to use to manage intensity during group rides. Usually distance or duration isn't the issue, but that might be too, you'll just need to make a call before hand if you think the ride is going to be too long for you.

To reduce intensity

1. Usually in group rides, climbing on hills and break aways or friendly competition is where you end up amping up the intensity more then you may want. So you'll just need to discipline yourself to not respond to attacks on days where you're trying to ride easy.

2. Draft off other riders and stay away from the front, hang in the back, when a climb approaches move towards the front so that you can take your time climbing and let the other rides pass you as they climb faster, so hopefully your either at the back of the pack, or not too far behind that you can't catch back up on the downhill or flat after.

3. Climb within yourself, avoid going anaerobic on the hills, pick a gear you're comfortable with and can spin aerobically up the hill, most likely you'll be able to regroup at the top of the hill.

4. If the group is really riding fast and hammering that day, you may just want to drop out and ride by yourself at your own pace. There's no sense pushing hard on one of your light days as this can throw off your whole weeks riding schedule and make you unnecessarily tired and not make you faster.


How to increase intensity on group rides. This usually is much easier to do then to reduce intensity.

1. Ride in the front so that you have to break the wind and aren't drafting off other riders.

2. Drift from the front to the back and then sprint back up to the front.

3. Ride back down a hill and repeat it while the slower riders are still climbing.

4. Attack and challenge the other riders in your group on climbs and flats etc. Lead a break away

5. Either ride at a high or low RPM to work on either pedal stroke and cardio, or strength and power.

6. Stay in the big ring the whole time

7. Carry extra weight on the bike, like water, or touring bags loaded with extra water or gear, or rear bike rack, first aid kit.