Hi everybody, here it is, plain and simple.
If you plan on riding with this group in January, February and March without disrupting the ride, you need to be riding now. At least, I hope you have. If you haven't, you are going to be in for some miserable winter training rides. Training in the cold is bad enough, but it is worse when you are bonking, getting dropped from the group and ruining a good ride for the others.
Now is the time to start riding with the team because right now, we will wait up. There is no agenda now except to put the time in, chat, and basically have a good time. When January comes, things will heat up (if not the temperature). Don't take advantage of the fact that we are all good friends and show up in January or February with bad form and get dropped in the middle of the boondocks.
I don't want to sound cold, but it is not fair to the guys who are putting in the time all year round. This is their time to really start training for the new season and it is unfair to have them constantly waiting. I don't know how many times a person that is bonking and getting dropped on the slightest rise and disrupting the ride has told me that they didn't have any breakfast or that they hadn't ridden in a month.
Be fair to yourself, be fair to your teamates and be prepared! East breakfast, and ride. Ride with your team if you can, and come to the ride prepared. This sounds like the boy scouts, but maybe they had something there.
It just doesn't get any better than when the team rides together and rides well. Be in shape and the winter will be great.
See you out there,
Der