GROUP rides
ROAD
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Organized group rides and targeted events every Saturday morning from late March through October.
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Ride plans are often longer routes that start out together to maximize team-building, but that also have escalating stages of pacing and one-or-more planned turnaround points along the way to accommodate varying levels of riders and schedules (i.e. one large group starts, three groups finish)
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During the weekdays and off-season, individual training targets and plans can vary wildly, so it's ad hoc. You and other team members post their individual or small-group ride plans (including virtual/Zwift and Fatbike) to our Facebook group, using it like a Ride Board. This provides a variety of weekday ride opportunities for everyone, including "Ladies Only" rides.
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On Saturdays where we have targeted an event or race, those who are not going are encouraged to plan a ride and open it up to team members by posting to our Facebook Group.
MTB
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Weekly Mountain group rides are on Wednesdays, and most often include participation at the Mid Week MTB Series
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As with Road, during other days of the week training is ad hoc, as individual training targets and plans vary. You and other Mountain team members post their individual or small-group ride plans to our Facebook group and use it like a Ride Board, providing a variety of Mountain ride options.
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Many who ride Mountain also join the Road rides and events on Saturday mornings.
VIRTUAL
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Virtual riding, group rides, group workouts and racing are all a part of the incredible rise of Zwift. Quite simply, it is a game-changer: immersive and engaging, weather-agnostic, time-efficient and highly effective at building fitness for group rides and events.
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Individual team members leverage these constantly, and so if you enable notifications in your Zwift settings, a virtual team-up ride is a phone notification away: "[EPIC team member you follow] just started Zwifting."
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Our leadership group have been aggressive adopters and explorers of smart trainers and digital adventure, and can help you get set up if you're not already. EPIC sponsors also have team-only smart-trainer discount options.
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Team members are encouraged to create an account at www.ZwiftPower.com (follow the process there to also connect your Strava account), and to choose EPIC Cycling Team at Zwift Power as your team. As you do group workouts and events, these will sync in the background and you'll be able to track results.
GROUp RIDE PHILOSOPHY
Let's just get this out of the way at the start: EVERY healthy rider can start EVERY group ride, schedule permitting.
However, as good as any ride leaders organize and plan, not all will finish with a planned group.
The thought of this can sometimes throw the deep fight-or-flight limbic portions of your brain into panic-mode. This is no doubt echoes of fears from ancient times when being separated from the group truly meant the possibility of being eaten by something.
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We've all been dropped. It happens to every rider. Don't be embarrassed in the least. EMBRACE IT.
Just turn around and ride home with any riders that are in the same boat, or by yourself. Add some miles and terrain on the way home if you want, and ride your pace. Keep training, keep pushing, and continue to start every group ride possible with the team. If you are consistent, your fitness, skills and speed gains will soon surprise you.
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THAT BEING SAID, EPIC approaches group rides with
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plans and routes that maximize team-building and accommodate varying levels of riders (i.e. one large group starts, three groups finish). We adapt on group rides and to individual riders' needs as possible, including re-group points on any rides, or portions of them, that are designated as no-drop.
But for the love of all that is velo, if you do get dropped, there is nothing to sweat. You've been on solo rides before, enjoy it! You got to be out on a challenging ride, it was an awesome day. You rode with a group for part of the ride and then you rode the rest of it with a small group or by yourself. No big deal. Who's to say you didn't plan it that way?
Consistent training stress, sometimes to near-failure, is at the heart of sports training and fitness. "Epic fail" is a good thing. It's often the indicator of personal breakthroughs that are about to come rolling into your life.
The decision to come back and start with the team again every week is literally the key. The trick. The hack.
Ride on!
