Riding with weaker/beginner riders (road) and patience

[rijndael]

I occasionally ride with folks who's pace could be matched by a runner. I don't view the outings as riding, but spending time with the them.

How you view the excursion can make all the difference.

[Butcher]

Drinking always makes things better. Try a few pints of beer before you go.

[Elrey]

or a long wheelie.

[kulivontot]

Give it up. You can't turn a non cyclist non-athlete into one. Forcing her to train is just going to make her resent you more. Find her a friend who's more appropriate of a skill level and she'll enjoy it more.

[kulivontot]

OR. Get a tandem.

[bombertodd]

Does she have friends that ride?

My wife was slow too when she first started. Then came along Strava. She has 3-4 friends on Strava that she tries to beat on almost any segment. I still wouldn't call her fast but her pace has picked up quite a bit with these Strava efforts. I also find it enjoyable helping her pace on some of the long flat segments.

[mattr]

Give it up. You can't turn a non cyclist non-athlete into one.

ahhahahahhhha. Rubbish. My missus went from a moderately sedate individual who saw a bike as a method of transport and no more, to a mile munching, elite beating, road rider in the space of two years. Then decided to switch to mtb and cross and was getting fairly regular age related podium finishes until early last year.

Now we have twins. So I doubt she'll be racing again until 2015, and probably not competitive until the year after.

You just have to be careful when she starts winning more than you do. And ends up with a better bike.

[wojchiech]

Time your hard training rides so that your recovery rides coincide with riding slower / more leisurely.

[aaric]

1) Ride with her after a hard workout.

2) find something about cycling she likes, and embrace it together. Be it the socialization at the coffee shop. spin classes at the gym, or a group she likes to socialize with. If she gets enthusiastic, she'll likely get faster with riding more.

3) Intervals can be done on hills, as long as you don't make her feel bad - I've had good luck chatting on the flats, and then going full tilt on the hills and coming back down.

[nathanong87]

give her the look and drop her like a bad habit

[Rick]

Seriously though:

Go do YOUR hard workout earlier, then come do an easy recovery ride with her, ride your mountain bike.
Most people don't do enough easy recovery anyway. This gives an excuse.

It also gives you an excuse to totally toast yourself on the hard portion, so that you won't be too eager to go fast during the recovery. A win-win situation!

[Johnny Rad]

Sounds like she's getting better and enjoying herself. Giant congrats on helping share cycling with her in a positive fashion.
(Many - make that some - of us would butcher the chance by over-coaching, sharing too much too soon, over-complicating it, etc.)

In my assessment, riding with her isn't for you - it's for her. This time, it's not all about you - the other rides are for you.

If you're bored, try talk to her. Put in ear buds. Count cars.

When you ride with folks that are 43x better than you, give pause and consider what they're thinking about. Comes around, goes around.

[Sjoerd]

It's more a lack of area knowledge that holds her back from riding on her own.

Get her a GPS enabled cycling computer and download / draw some nice routes for her. You can even draw two loops. You take the long one, she takes the shorter one. Part of the ride will be together and part of the ride you both ride solo.

[liam7020]

The bigger question is does your girlfriend realize you're decrying her sporting prowess on an internet forum! No doubt you'll correct me if I'm wrong (though I'm pretty sure I'm not..) but are you not the lad who recently pulled a sickie off work, went for a ride on your bike, logged the ride on Strava and then posted on WW looking for advice when you're boss found out?! Well I reckon the maelstrom of sh*t you faced back then will be nothing compared to what'll happen if your gf finds out about this post!!!!

[DanW]

Lighten up and don't be selfish!

I occasionally ride with folks who's pace could be matched by a runner. I don't view the outings as riding, but spending time with the them.

How you view the excursion can make all the difference.

and

In my assessment, riding with her isn't for you - it's for her. This time, it's not all about you - the other rides are for you.

If you're bored, talk to her. Put in ear buds. Count cars.

When you ride with folks that are 43x better than you, give pause and consider what they're thinking about. Comes around, goes around.

All of the language used suggests you feel your partner is somehow holding you back and boring you. How about being massively grateful that your partner shares a common interest and passion albeit being less pro at it than you? As others have said, treat the time on the bike with your partner for what it is- fun time! If you really can't lighten up then at worst treat it as a recovery ride or whatever if you are really so pro that every second on the bike has to be "training".

I'd be properly pissed off if my partner were to sit me down and say "look we have to assess how we are going to get you faster on the bike because you are really starting to bore me"

P.S. Are you Jan Ullrich? Can this thread be renamed "how ride with the weak and foolish without ripping out their hearts and crushing them with my enormous thigh mountains"? This threads reads a bit like the spoof Ullrich blog from a while back!