thirdcrank wrote:All I was trying to say is to keep your understandable exuberance in check at the start. It's a mistake most of us have made
Yep, we've all been there and it's common for people who take up other endurance sports, like marathon running. Start too fast and pay the price later, when a slower start would ultimately result in a quicker overall time. Often people start too fast because of nerves, adrenaline, excitement and/or a desire to get nearer the front to avoid the log jams of riders that can occur on the road in the first miles of the event.
Being self-disciplined enough not to do that and having the confidence and determination to ride at your own pace - regardless of what speed everyone else around you is doing and whether everyone seems to be overtaking you - is one of the key skills of riding these events successfully and enjoying them.
You've realised just how much physical energy you can save riding in a group or behind another rider. Being in such a group can also save mental energy and reduce stress, since it takes your mind off worries about speed, navigation etc. etc. (being anxious about the ride while riding is itself tiring).
However, as thirdcrank says, the classic mistake is to try to stick with a group that is just fractionally faster than you are comfortable with, especially at the start, because you think it will save you energy. Unfortunately the energy saving in that situation is not worth it, because you will eventually 'blow up' and then find that you are reduced to crawling along at a very slow speed for the rest of the ride.
The other thing to bear in mind with group riding on such events, is that you do not know how safe the riders around you are. Some of them will be much more experienced riders, some will be very safe and careful riders, and some will be dangerous because they will at some point behave unpredictably, e.g. crossing too close in front of you or braking in front of you. Group riding is also a skill and requires discipline: experienced riders can do it in close formation at higher speeds not only because they are fitter and faster, but also because they all behave predictably and in the same way. It's one of those skills you learn by doing - just like when driving you don't consciously think about changing gear etc., so experienced group riders don't consciously think all the time about how close their front wheel is to the rider in front. For inexperienced riders, cycling in close formation and especially at speed requires active concentration, and is mentally tiring.
What all that means for you is that you are safer riding in a group at slower speeds, and that even then you should keep a good distance between you and other riders to give you a margin of safety, and always be prepared to react quickly to someone behaving unpredictably.
All this becomes more important as you go further and get more tired, and the riders around you get more tired. The last hour or two hours of the ride is when people, including you, are most likely to make a mistake or do something daft, especially if they are inexperienced and/or unfit riders. So I would make a point of keeping even bigger gaps between me and other riders at that time, rather than trying to ride in close formation.
A couple of other suggestions:
1. If you haven't already got them or tried them, get some cycling mitts, e.g. http://www.halfords.com/cycling/cycling-clothing/cycling-gloves?type=Mitts&pageNo=1&pageSize=21&sort=we_recommend. The advantages of these are:
- they provide a bit of extra cushioning for you hands,
- they will probably help to prevent blisters etc. as a result of gripping the handlebar grips for long periods
- if you fall or have a crash, you tend automatically to put your hand out to protect yourself as you go down. The mitts can make a huge difference between a low speed fall being trivial and no bother vs. you badly cutting and grazing your hands and palms.
2. You've been doing largely non-stop rides so far. Even if you plan to do L2B with only very short stops, you might find it helps you to increase your stamina in the run up to the event by doing some rides with a longer stop midway, e.g. ride for 20 miles then stop for coffee and a cake or lunch in a pub, then ride another 20 miles home. As well as being an easier/quicker way to build up stamina to do 40 miles, this will also give you the experience of what it's like getting back on the bike after a longer stop and eating something, i.e. you will initially feel stiff and it will seem hard to get going again, but that feeling will ease a short while after getting back on the bike.
