Party Pace, Coffeeneuring, and Why Slow Isn't Bad
I'll admit that for the first 10 years of my cycling infatuation, I followed the Tour de France and as much racing as I could. In the 1980's, the top winner of the stage and the top 10 of the General classification were listed in the sports page, under obscure sports, back when the physical newspaper was the only way to find out news. I remember CBS showing a week's worth of highlights on a Sunday afternoon and after the tour was over, waiting a couple of months for the magazines to print their stories of the tour.
As I rode more, I discovered that I preferred touring over racing and loved the aspect of adventure over cut throat competition. I still kept an eye on the tour and even arranged to be in Oslo Norway in 1993, while touring, when a young Lance Armstrong won the world road championships.
But as doping reared its head in the late 90's and early 2000's, I began to avoid watching the Tour, knowing in my heart that things weren't right with it. I became enthralled by randonneuring and spent more time working on training for that, and discovering new routes and places on those rides.
Now as I'm further along in my cycling journey, I'm enjoying the slower side of things, that I might have passed over in my misspent youth. As Autumn is upon us now (my favourite time of year) I'm reminded of the slower pace due to the coffeeneuring challenge and a comment I saw about Russ Roca's tag line from his YouTube channel. Russ uses the term "Party Pace" as a way of describing riding without an inherent sense of speed or immediacy. You're having a party and the pace is such that you can continue talking to your riding mates without issue.
I think more of us should try to embrace this philosophy, at least in terms of trying to get more people on bikes in general. By trying to not have everything bicycle related be a race, I think more people would be interested in events and would increase overall enjoyment, and encourage more people to go and try things.
We're incredibly lucky here in the MD/DC area to have the C & O Canal National Park/GAP trail. A trail system that allows you to go from DC to Pittsburgh PA through a wide range of scenery and spaces that is relatively car free/reduced experiences with cars. The trail is set up with free campsites at regular intervals complete with water and toilets and is something that anyone with any bike could go out and do. Is it as "cool" as the Colorado divide trail? To the elite folks of the world, no. But as something that everyone with a little bit of training could go and do, I think this sort of challenge/riding is something that encourages more interest from riders.
Are you a party pace rider or is something speedier your jam? Let us know in the comments, a judgment free zone.
It’s taken me quite a while to fully accept and embrace that I’m both not interested in speed, but still a seriously dedicated cyclist. It’s becoming more popular, thanks to PLP and others, but it’s still considered rather unusual to be a serious cyclist that embraces the zone between utility and sport: I like to call it the child-like exploration and adventure genre of cycling. Not only am I not worrying about aero gains and stuff like that, but I’m also letting go of the ego that says you need to ride everything. Walking up a steep hill is quite pleasant, actually! Taking a complicated, inefficient route that ruins my Strava numbers is actually super fun, if you just let go of the metrics!
The primary reason I ride these days is to see new things, and view the world with a curious mind. If I wonder where some path goes, I find out. If I want to challenge myself to ride a tricky obstacle or tough climb, I by all means do, but not for any reason than because I want to. As long as I get out on the bike regularly, my fitness will benefit regardless. I have no interest in competing with anyone but myself.
Thanks for all of the comments! Glad you enjoyed the article. You’re right, it was a one-off for April Fools a few years back. I still use it every now and again. Literally two Rando bags stacked on top of each other. You can fit an entire baguette in there. Not terribly practical for day to day use as you have to go arm’s deep to grab things from inside lol. I’m rebuilding my Neutrino to use it more often.
Party Pace for the win! Any time on a bike is precious time, so why not make it last longer. There definitely are times when I like the feeling of pushing physical limits, but I almost never time myself. I just usually go by feel. My wife is an avid runner and loves running for competition, and I LOVE that for her. But for me, bikes are just about enjoying myself. If getting winded while climbing to a new summit sounds fun, I’m on it! If it’s just a chill, slow ride to the local market, that’s just as fun. Aren’t bikes wonderful?
This article is me as I get older. Sure sometimes I’ll shoot for a PR on Strava but give me a good ride on tasty trails any day at a pace where I can take in the beauty around me. In the woods these days I shoot for no dabs not speed. Fun times
I took a ride the other day and noted that though it was flat terrain I averaged only 10 mph. A friend remarked that with any luck I’ll soon be able to do what he does and average 7-8 mph.
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