Group Rides Can Be Structured Training: How to Achieve Training Goals in a Group

The Training Dilemma of Group Rides

Group rides are one of the most enjoyable activities in cycling, but from a training perspective, they are also the hardest to control. During a group ride, your intensity depends on the group’s speed, the terrain’s undulations, wind direction changes, and the pace of others. This often leads to a problem: power fluctuates wildly, and a lot of time is spent in the “grey zone”—not easy enough to count as recovery, not hard enough to count as training.

But group rides don’t have to be this way. With the right mindset and strategy, you can absolutely complete high-quality structured training during group rides.

Training Classification of Group Rides

First, we need to decide how to use a group ride based on its type and purpose:

Strategy 1: Endurance Group Ride (Zone 2 Control)

Applicable Scenarios: Weekend long-distance group rides, social rides

Execution Method

Power Target: 65%-75% of FTP
Heart Rate Ceiling: 83% of LTHR

1. Choose the Right Group: Select a group whose speed matches your endurance zone. If the group’s average speed is too fast, you’ll be forced beyond your target zone

2. Actively Manage Your Position:

   • When the group’s cruising speed is moderate: stay in the pack and enjoy the draft effect
   • When the group accelerates: let yourself drift to the back of the group, using the larger draft effect to reduce the power required
   • Don’t push power above your target just to hold your position

3. Pulling Strategy:

   • When it’s your turn to pull, do not accelerate
   • Maintain your target power (65-75% FTP), even if that means riding slower than when others pull
   • Keep your pull to 1-2 minutes before rotating off

4. Handling Climbs:

   • Ride your own pace on climbs; don’t chase the riders ahead
   • Use a smaller gear to maintain target power
   • Waiting at the top is normal—don’t feel pressured

Notes

• If the group’s speed stays above your target zone for more than 15 minutes, consider dropping off and riding solo
• Track NP (Normalized Power) and average power; NP should not exceed 78% of FTP

Strategy 2: Tempo/Sweet Spot Group Training

Applicable Scenarios: Group rides with a clear pace, moderate-intensity group rides

Execution Method

Power Target: 76%-93% of FTP (depending on position)

1. When Pulling = Sweet Spot:

   • Pull power target: 88-93% FTP (upper end of Sweet Spot)
   • Pull duration: 3-5 minutes
   • This is the best Sweet Spot training opportunity

2. When Drafting = Tempo:

   • Drafting power drops by approximately 20-30% (due to the draft effect)
   • Actual power is around 65-75% FTP (near the upper end of Zone 2)
   • Use drafting time as your “recovery segment”

3. Actively Manage Training Volume:

   • Track your cumulative Sweet Spot time
   • Target: accumulate 30-45 minutes of pulling (Sweet Spot) time
   • Once you’ve hit the target volume, you can reduce your pulling frequency

Example Structure (3-Hour Group Ride)

Hour 1: Draft-focused (Warm-up + Tempo)
  - Pull 2 × 3 minutes @ 90% FTP
  - Draft the rest of the time @ 65-75% FTP

Hour 2: Active pulling (Main Sweet Spot training block)
  - Pull 4 × 4 minutes @ 90% FTP
  - Draft and recover @ 65-75% FTP

Hour 3: Reduce pulling, maintain endurance (Cool-down segment)
  - Pull 1-2 × 3 minutes
  - Focus on drafting at Tempo pace

Strategy 3: Threshold / Over-Under Group Training

Applicable Scenarios: Fast group rides, higher-intensity group rides

Execution Method

Pulling Power: 95%-108% of FTP
Drafting Power: 70%-85% of FTP

In fast group rides, the power difference between pulling vs. drafting naturally creates an Over-Under effect:

1. Pulling = Over Segment:

   • Power while pulling into the wind will reach 100-108% of FTP
   • Each pull lasts 2-3 minutes
   • This is your “Over” segment

2. Drafting = Under Segment:

   • After returning to the pack, power drops to 75-85% of FTP
   • Maintain this “recovery” for 3-5 minutes
   • This is your “Under” segment

3. Control Pulling Frequency:

   • In the first half, rotate into a pull every 10-15 minutes
   • In the second half, you can increase this to every 8-10 minutes
   • Total pulling time target: 20-30 minutes

HR Monitoring

• Heart rate should approach 100-105% of LTHR at the end of a pull
• Heart rate should drop back to 85-92% of LTHR while drafting
• If your heart rate can’t drop below 92% while drafting, it means you need more recovery time

Strategy 4: Race-Simulation Group Rides

Applicable Scenarios: Weekend race-pace group rides, training for an upcoming race

Execution Method

This type of group ride is characterized by unpredictable intensity changes. Rather than trying to control intensity, set strategic goals (such as “practice attacking and recovering” or “work on positioning in the final 2 km”) and treat it as a race simulation. After the ride, analyze the power distribution and NP/IF to learn about energy management and decision-making

How to Integrate Group Rides into Your Weekly Training Plan

Example Training Week (Including 2 Group Rides)

Key Principles

High-intensity intervals (VO2max, short sprints) should be done solo first; group rides should replace solo sessions of equivalent intensity rather than being added on top. Schedule recovery days before and after group rides

Data Tracking in Group Rides

Key Metrics

• NP (Normalized Power): Reflects the true physiological load of a ride
• IF (Intensity Factor): NP/FTP, determines which training zone the effort falls into
• TSS (Training Stress Score): Quantifies total training stress
• VI (Variability Index): NP/AP, the higher the value, the more unstable the power output

Summary

Group rides don’t have to be the enemy of your training plan. With a clear strategy—choosing the right group, setting power targets, and leveraging the intensity differences between pulling and drafting—you can turn group rides into high-quality structured training. The key is to ride with purpose, rather than being swept along by the group’s pace. When a group ride aligns with your training needs, it not only provides training stimulus but also delivers the social enjoyment and race-pace experience that solo riding can’t offer.

Related Reading

• Cycling Feature | Road Group Ride Safety and Pack Positioning (C065)
• Cycling Feature | Road Group Ride Safety and Pack Positioning (C045)
• Cycling Feature | Road Group Ride Safety and Pack Positioning (C025)
• Cycling Feature | Road Group Ride Safety and Pack Positioning (C085)