If you are wanting to get a good time at your next Gran Fondo, then here are three tips that can help you ride more efficiency.
Get yourself into a good working bunch
It’s a well-known fact that riding in a bunch is more efficient than riding on your own. You can save around 30% of your energy doing so. That means for the same energy expended; you can be sitting in a bunch that’s riding much faster than if you were trying to ride on your own.
But if you want to ride even faster, you can help share the load at the front of the bunch, and as a result, the bunch can ride even faster again than a solo rider.
If you aren’t a strong rider then by just sitting in some of the bigger bunches that form during an event will provide you with a heap of free speed if you can hang on.
So, if you get yourself in a good working bunch then put in a little extra energy when going over slight inclines to make sure that you don’t get dropped. Going a little into the red when things momentarily get a little tough so you hang on to the bunch will give you a dramatic improvement in your overall time for the event.
So, when you are out riding practice riding in the faster bunches in your local area and learn how to efficiently sit in a bunch so you can save energy and learn the art of not getting dropped.
If you do get dropped then instead of wasting energy riding solo, ease up and wait for the next bunch to roll through. The chances are that it will be riding a little slower than the bunch that you just got dropped from and you can stick with them for much longer and save a heap of energy while improving your chances of a better overall time.
This doesn’t only apply to riding in bunches on the flat. A bunch can descend down a hill faster than a solo rider too!
Get aero on the descent
When you are descending down a hill, get into the drops to make yourself more aero on the bike. You’ll go faster. It’s free speed. Improving your cornering and descending skills will also help with your overall time too so check out the article we have published here for you on the seven pro tips for cornering and descending.
Keep your rest stops to a minimum
If you get yourself into a good working bunch, then you’ll want to stay with them for as long as possible to help improve your overall ride time. This may mean riding through a rest stop or two. If you are prepared for this beforehand by making sure you have a good supply of food and water, you can take advantage of this massive improvement to your overall ride time. When you do stop, keep it brief. The faster bunches are always at the head of the event so sticking with them will help your overall time.
Where to next
We have produced an online bunch riding video masterclass course that will help you master the fifteen fundamental bunch riding skills. These fifteen modules will help you rapidly get up to speed and give you a better comprehension of the way in which bunch riding works. You can download and keep each of the fifteen modules in this masterclass. I’m certain that you will get a great deal out of this online video masterclass course and be riding in bunches more securely and with greater certainty. Click here to check it out.
Other items of interest
Pacelines, overlapping wheels and aerobars, what could possibly go wrong…
The fifteen essential bunch riding skills to help you keep safe and ride with greater confidence
How to become a powerful bunch rider
Safe bunch riding skills – How to overtake a cycling bunch safely
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