# Irvine Coffee Crew ride ?'s



## cppike79 (Aug 25, 2009)

Hey guys, I'm a newbie here at RBR and was looking for some quick info.

I've been riding for about 3 months or so, and was interested in doing the early morning "Coffee Crew" group rides out of Irvine. 

First of all I wanted to make sure that they are still going, and still starting at 6:15 this time of year. Also I was hoping to get a feel for the type of ride/pace that I would be looking at. One website that I was looking at said it was a Medium/Fast pace ride, but I have no idea what that might mean. 

Background: I typically ride about 75 miles a week or so, some rides by myself and some with 2-3 other people. Short rides for me are about 20 miles, with longer rides being around 60 miles. On the shorter rides (20-30) miles we typically ride pretty hard (for us) and average (computer avg) around 20 mph. If the ride is longer than 30 miles, or we put some harder climbs in, then the avg usually will be more like 18-19 mph.

So my main questions for anyone that does these rides are: What will the pace be like, and is it a no-drop ride or not (I'm fine either way, and would prefer being dropped and riding in solo to being waited for)? Are the rides still going? Would the group mind if I spent a ride in the back of the paceline just to get the feel for a larger group ride? And any other information that might be helpful would be appreciated.

Thanks very much for the help,

Brian


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## Aerod79 (Sep 24, 2009)

This group is still on going.

I suggest joining the Occyclist group ride instead as your starting group rides. Once you become comfy being in a large group along with etiques..then try Coffee Crew. I started with Occyclist and they are pretty fast. Recently I switch between two groups at the same day (at the top of Newport Coast) or alternate on Tuesdays or Thursdays

Coffee Crew pace is fast! expect to be dropped and no one waits. And I still get dropped at the hills =(
Avg speed at flats are about 24-25mph.


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## patchito (Jun 30, 2005)

cppike79 said:


> Hey guys, I'm a newbie here at RBR and was looking for some quick info.
> 
> I've been riding for about 3 months or so, and was interested in doing the early morning "Coffee Crew" group rides out of Irvine.
> 
> ...


Still meets at the same time on University and Campus. If you average 20 mph for 30 miles, you ought to be able to hang for the most part. That ride consistently averages nearly 20 MPH on the button. Depending on the day and the time of year, there are fast surges on Irvine Blvd and hitting Ridgecrest, as well as when you make the right turn onto Barranca. By the time you hit Newport Coast, the ride is just about over anyway, so getting dropped isn't as much of a big deal. 

The bigger deal is being comfortable riding in a peloton and peloton etiquette. Newbies who are on the rivet and trying to sit in are what cause most of the crashes I've seen on that ride. Suck wheel, but stay near the back and out of trouble, even if the slinky effect leaves you behind. Watch and learn.

I'd recommend the Monday morning ride that starts at MacArthur and Avocado at 6:30. Slower pace, good way to practice paceline skills. The Saturday Queen Mary ride that starts at Rose's Donuts is another mellow one.


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## cppike79 (Aug 25, 2009)

*Thanks patchito*



patchito said:


> Still meets at the same time on University and Campus. If you average 20 mph for 30 miles, you ought to be able to hang for the most part. That ride consistently averages nearly 20 MPH on the button. Depending on the day and the time of year, there are fast surges on Irvine Blvd and hitting Ridgecrest, as well as when you make the right turn onto Barranca. By the time you hit Newport Coast, the ride is just about over anyway, so getting dropped isn't as much of a big deal.
> 
> The bigger deal is being comfortable riding in a peloton and peloton etiquette. Newbies who are on the rivet and trying to sit in are what cause most of the crashes I've seen on that ride. Suck wheel, but stay near the back and out of trouble, even if the slinky effect leaves you behind. Watch and learn.
> 
> I'd recommend the Monday morning ride that starts at MacArthur and Avocado at 6:30. Slower pace, good way to practice paceline skills. The Saturday Queen Mary ride that starts at Rose's Donuts is another mellow one.


Thanks for the constructive input. How many people usually come out for either the Monday ride, or the Tue/Thu ride this time of year? Also how far do they go on the Monday morning ride?

I think I'll take your advice and come out for one of the Monday rides pretty soon. I feel pretty comfortable riding on others wheels, as when we ride in our small groups we ride in a pretty tight formation, however, I agree that it would be nice to get the experience of riding in a larger group.

Also if anyone else is looking for people to ride with during the week (I have the luxury of time right now) let me know. I do a lot of riding on my own, and tend to enjoy having people to ride with.....I'm fairly new to the sport, but come from a mountain background, and am in decent shape.....to give you an idea of fitness, I just got back from a solo 58 mile ride with an 18.3 avg (few hills and light winds).

Thanks again for the help.


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