How to Handle Getting Dropped
Rob Mecea, 48
Photojournalist
Brooklyn, New York
I like to suffer. I like races when there is attack after attack after attack. I like how it feels when the group is trying to shake off the riffraff. Which might be why I keep coming back to the Tuesday night race at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. Racing at Floyd is like racing on the moon. There are gaping craters everywhere and a crosswind that will make you ride on two inches of road, fighting for a wheel and struggling to stay out of the grass. It takes only one mistake to find yourself dropped from this race.
On one particular night at Floyd I was in the field. I took a hard pull to catch the break, and poof! I couldn't hold on. I fell back into a chase group and settled in. Every time it was my turn to pull on the front, someone would attack, and about five laps into the 12-lap race the attacks really started firing. My brain said, "Go!" But my legs said, "No." I watched the wheel in front of me slowly slip away. I was dropped. Again. So I jumped into another chase group during the bell lap, and even though I was struggling, I laid down a crazy attack, hoping I could hold off everyone for just the final half of one lap. I got swarmed. Then I got dropped for the third time. Afterward a friend congratulated me. He said, "Wow, man! You held them off for so long!" Those words made my race. Yeah, I got dropped. Three times in one race. But that didn't matter. I'm just happy I animated the race.
Related: The Five Stages of Getting Dropped
Rob's Advice:
•Don't be a hero. There is a reason you were dropped. Keep it steady and slowly eat up the chasm between you and the group ahead. The more people you pick up, the more you have to share the work with.
•Have a great set of tires. There is little worse than getting a flat when you're already off the back. It's always nice to complete an event before they take down the finish line banner.
•Be nice to everyone. Prepare comments for when you see folks who dropped you earlier and are now adrift. Be magnanimous and offer them encouragement. And never forget to thank the volunteers and cops who are out there in the sweltering heat or bitter cold clearing the road for you.
Kelly Krause, 33
Head of SXSW Interactive Press and Publicity
Austin, Texas
I've been riding for just about two years. When I started, I was more than 100 pounds heavier than I am now. It's pretty surprising that I even got on a bike, given that I couldn't fit into an airline seat and became breathless just walking up a flight of stairs.
Needless to say, when I first started, I got dropped—a lot. I don't see it as a failure. I approach every ride as a learning experience. If Jens Voigt says, "Shut up, legs!" I most definitely shout, "Shut up, mind!" I use that mantra before I clip in, climb a hill, or try to hang onto someone's wheel.
When I get dropped on a climb and I look up the road as the group rides away from me, I don't panic. I simply watch as other riders also begin to pop off the back. Then I work my hardest to chase them down and catch them. Every time, I make it a little farther. It's the tiny victories that keep me going.
Related: 6 Real-World Mental Tricks that Help You Reach Cycling Goals
I'd be lying if I didn't say I get shy, nervous, and fearful riding with groups of fast and seasoned riders. Eventually I know they will get tired of keeping my pace and go a little harder than I can push. But I know it's not mean-spirited. It's all about perspective. During the time I spend on a shop ride, or even pedaling with close friends, I look to them as mentors who are there to push me.
I know the only way to get better at anything is to push myself, and simply to try. The more I'm dropped, the more I want it, the more I come back and try again.
Kelly's Advice:
•Be realistic. Manage your expectations and be prepared for the drop. Get ready to shift into a comfortable gear, focus on smooth-but-quick pedal strokes, and relax while pushing yourself as hard as you comfortably can in that moment.
•Harness your breath. When everything is burning and your breathing drowns out every other sound, try to let it also drown out your negative thoughts. I like to keep telling myself, You got this.
•Embrace the struggle. Don't be scared to say, "Meet you at the top." But if they don't wait, stay chill. It's a great way to get in some solo miles on the bike. Every time you get dropped is an opportunity to become stronger. The struggle is the catalyst to push harder and want it even more.
Cedrick Gousse, 31
Visual Effects Artist
Orangevale, California
A couple of summers ago, I did this midweek race series in Rockleigh, New Jersey, and every time I showed up, I'd get dropped. It was frustrating.
After one race, I was griping to another guy and he said something I will never forget: "Everyone is going to get dropped at some point, but if you don't take the time to learn from it, it's going to keep happening."
So I changed my approach. I'd go out, get dropped, and then tactically dissect the experience. Was I simply not strong enough? Or did I let too much of a gap form before responding? Why did I brake through that last corner while other racers were coasting through? Should I have expected that counterattack when we came back to the main group? Mentally replaying the moment where I found myself slipping from the pack helped me recognize similar scenarios when they started to happen, and taught me how to react more instinctively.
After weeks of analyzing, something clicked. I began tearing it up every week. I began not just to survive, but even to win a few races. My focused approach led me to win the 2013 New Jersey State Criterium Championship (category 4), and I learned something even more important: Don't fear getting dropped, learn from it. It will teach you more about yourself and your competition than you ever could achieve in training alone.
Related: What to Do When You Get Dropped
Cedrick's Advice:
•Close that gap. It may feel like a big ask to close two bike lengths to the wheel in front of you, but it's less work than dangling in No Man's Land until you really blow up. Dig, then take your recovery in the sweet, sweet draft.
•Anticipate! Get a feel for what effort is required to stay with the pack. For example, at the bottom of small hills, I know momentum will roll me faster than most, but then I have to work hard to crest with the climbers. So I prioritize being toward the front at the bottom of hills, knowing I can fall back through the pack as we climb.
•Be relentless. Sometimes being stubborn pays off. If you do get dropped, keep the intensity up. Often those who were dishing out punishment early burn out down the road. However, it's only an opportunity if you're there to get it. (Note: One of our favorite ways to embody relentlessness is with ride streaks—getting after it every day, no matter what. Use our 21-day #RideStreak Challenge plan available on Rodale U to make the most of your streak.)
Haley Weaver, 22
Student
Austin, Texas
I rolled up to my first big group ride almost two years ago on a steel singlespeed with flat pedals, wearing leggings, sneakers, and a T-shirt. I looked around and saw a bunch of guys wearing spandex. They told me the ride would be long and fast and that I should probably come back when I had a real road bike. But I was determined and maybe a bit stubborn, and even though my stomach was doing backflips, I thought, "I'll go anyway."
The group decided to do an "easier" route, and I was fine until the ride heated up on a climb and I promptly got dropped. But one of the guys hung back, spinning in his big ring while I was grinding it out in my only gear. I was in so much pain and distinctly remember yelling, "I'm going to die!" He told me I'd be fine if I just kept it steady and that he wasn't going anywhere. Which was great, partly because I didn't know the way back and didn't have any water bottles, and also because it kept me calm.
With each encouraging word, I pushed harder. At the top of the climb, the rest of the group was waiting. They congratulated me and I was so proud. Then shortly afterward we hit another climb, and I was out the back. This time a different rider stayed behind to make sure I was okay and to encourage me. It was the nicest feeling.
Despite their sincerity, I was still embarrassed. I didn't show up again for three months, but when I did, I had a road bike. Had those riders not been so kind, I might never have come back. Nowadays I've started racing, and that is a whole new world of getting dropped. I try to pass this sentiment on to others: Be supportive, because you never know when someone needs just a little kindness to keep going.
Haley's Advice:
•Just keep pedaling. When I get dropped off a ride that's way over my head, it's kind of exhilarating. No one is mad at you for getting dropped. More often, people are just stoked that you showed up and gave it your all.
•Ditch your ego. Sometimes, when my head isn't in the right place, I'll get dropped off an "easy" ride, but that's okay. Sometimes it hurts my pride, so I remind myself to ride for mastery and not for my ego.
•Never give up. Each ride and each race is just a meeting of people at a specific time and place, so just because you couldn't hold the wheel or so-and-so beat you in the sprint doesn't mean you can't cream them next time, next week, or next season.
Jace Cooke, 34
Freelance Software Designer
Boulder, Colorado
For me, getting dropped is a foregone conclusion, but it never keeps me from trying.
Last year, I entered the Steamboat Stinger 50-mile mountain bike race shortly after I moved to Colorado from New York City. I knew I was unprepared and that my bike of choice—a singlespeed—would make it challenging. But I also knew I'd be riding amazing terrain and would have the time of my life.
Within the first thousand feet of the start, we hit a steep climb and I thought, "This is gonna take a while." I began walking, and watched everyone else ride away. As the race went on, a series of events happened that I could not have predicted: I got stung by bees. I grabbed too much brake on a tight switchback and hucked myself over the bar and into a tree—not once, but twice. I ended up in the medical tent with kibble-sized chunks of skin missing and my right knee a banged-up mess.
But as soon as I was bandaged up, I kept going. Even though everything hurt and a huge part of me wanted to stop, I remembered, You're on a bike in the mountains! I have this memory of grinning ear-to-ear while tears streamed down my cheeks. I didn't care if I was last; I just wanted to finish, for myself. Because when you're doing something you love, there is no embarrassment in going slow or crashing a million times. If you fear getting dropped, you miss out on a lot. Despite the bumps and bruises, I just feel better when I'm on a bike.
Related: The 101 Best Parts of Riding a Bike
Jace's Advice
•Set expectations. If it's going be a long group ride, let your friends know it's fine to separate, and suggest good cutoff points for slower riders to loop back.
•Be actively positive. You know that cliché about the physical act of smiling making you happier? Every time a rider passes me in the opposite direction, I make eye contact and wrench my sweaty grimace into a smile. When you're suffering on your own, keeping morale high is important.
•Be the one with all the tools, snacks, and water. Being overly prepared is essential when you may not have the support of other riders. Plus, you'll never be dropped too far behind if everyone knows you might have that one item they forgot.
Alex Howes, 27
Professional cyclist With Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
Boulder, Colorado, and Girona, Spain
No one escapes getting dropped. It doesn't matter your level. Every time I get dropped it's different. Sometimes it's a calculated thing—I'll be saving something for the next day, or I know I can smoke the descent. Other times it's heartbreaking as I watch a wheel in front of me slowly slip out of grasp. At the big races, especially during longer stages, I have to focus on doing my job the best I can; my only objective is to help my teammates for as long as possible. And when the gruppetto bell rings, I have to answer. When you're dropped, there's always safety (and hopefully help) in numbers. One day in 2008 in a race in Portugal I lined up knowing that there would be a moment where I'd have to say adieu and watch the field ride away from me.
On that day I was so dropped that eventually the broom wagon caught me. When the van rolled up, it was already full with about 10 guys hanging onto the sides. For the next 45km I clung on for dear life, switching sides and positions as my arms wore out. It hurt, but none of us would dare let go. Letting go would result in becoming utterly lost and ultimately crying at the US embassy after wandering aimlessly through the Portuguese countryside on a six-day vision quest. I may have been dropped from the race, but I still had to hold on to survive.
Alex's Advice
•Stay calm. Find a pace you can hold. You panic, you lose. Period.
•Use the terrain to your advantage. If you're a good descender or strong on the flats, anticipate how much time you can lose and try to keep your losses in that window. Remember, strong climbers are usually not the best descenders or super-powerful on the flats.
•Keep things in perspective. It sucks getting dropped, but it happens to everyone. Life is a juggling act, and while your performance in one area of life goes up, it almost certainly will go down in another. Can't keep up on the bike? You're probably dropping people in other parts of life.
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