GPC rides are rated by terrain/pace/distance. Terrain ratings are:
| 1 | Essentially flat. |
| 2 | A few low hills. |
| 3 | Moderately hilly. |
| 4 | Hilly, a few steep ones. |
| 5 | Very hilly, considerable climbing. |
Pace ratings are:
| XL | Extra-leisurely: child-friendly pace with many long stops. |
| L | Leisurely: easy pace, frequent stops, good for new riders. |
| T | Touring: steady pace, fewer stops, for experienced riders. |
| M | Moderately fast pace: for strong experienced riders. |
| B | Brisk: very strong riders; tight fast packs and pacelines | .
Ride pace letters may be combined to show intermediate ratings. Mileage follows the first two factors. For example, 3/LT/35 is a moderately hilly ride at pace between leisurely and touring of distance 35 miles.
GPC ride pace is formally defined using average ride speed on a known course of mixed terrain. The specific course is the Bears loop (also known as the ITT loop), an 18.7 mile loop with some nearly flat stretches, some rollers, some hills -- and a total of about 1600 feet of climbing (average climb about 85 feet/mile). The paces correspond to the following average speeds around the complete loop when ridden under ideal conditions, but not treating it as a race or time trial. The ride times can also be extrapolated to rides of lengths 50 and 100 miles over similar mixed terrain:
| Pace | Avg mph | Ride time, Bears loop, 18.7 miles |
Ride time, mixed terrain, 50 miles |
Ride time, mixed terrain, 100 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XL | 7-9 | NA (covers flat terrain and short distances only) | ||
| L | 8-9 | 2:20-2:05 | 6:15-5:33 | 12:30-11:07 |
| LT | 9-10 | 2:05-1:52 | 5:33-5:00 | 11:07-10:00 |
| T | 10-12 | 1:52-1:34 | 5:00-4:10 | 10:00-8:20 |
| TM | 12-14 | 1:34-1:20 | 4:10-3:34 | 8:20-7:09 |
| M | 14-16 | 1:20-1:10 | 3:34-3:08 | 7:09-6:15 |
| MB | 16-18 | 1:10-1:02 | 3:08-2:47 | 6:15-5:33 |
| B | 18+ | 1:02- | 2:47- | 5:33- |
As used here, "average speed" means average ride speed for the entire ride excluding rest stops or regroups, and "ideal conditions" means dry roads, moderate temperatures, no precipitation, and no wind. For different terrain or conditions, the paces correspond to the same amount of effort by the same rider, and may therefore have different average speeds.
GPC welcomes all riders. We especially welcome new and guest riders. We prepared these detailed conventions regarding pace to give ride leaders a good idea of how to pace a ride, and riders a good idea of what to expect.
Ride leaders are expected to ride at the published pace. Riders are expected to check the published pace in advance.
If you don't know which pace is right for you, it's probably more comfortable to err on the slow side with your choice -- your sustainable pace for 50 miles may be slower than for 20. If you attempt a ride that may be too fast or too far, you should be self-sufficient in case you misjudged. More detailed ride guidelines are explained on the separate page.
If you have questions about the pace or terrain of any given ride, call the ride leader.
If you wish to time yourself, here are riding directions for the Bears loop. The start point is San Pablo Dam Rd (SPDR) and Bear Creek Rd, approximately 2.5 miles north of Orinda (it's also the intersection of Wildcat Canyon Rd and Camino Pablo). North on SPDR; R on Castro Ranch Rd; R on Alhambra Valley Rd; R on Bear Creek Rd; return to origin. The club offers monthly timing and tempo rides around this loop several months each year; see the monthly ride listings or see under ITT heading on the ride series page. The Grizzly Peak Century courses, both metric and full, cover a similar mix of terrain with similar overall average climbing.
As noted above, the reason for these explicit quantitative definitions of the paces is to give everybody a better idea of what to expect. A specific "benchmark" course was chosen for concreteness, and mixed terrain was chosen, rather than flat, because most GPC rides are over mixed terrain. The Bears loop was chosen in particular because it is representative terrain, it is familiar to many people in the club, and because the club offers monthly timing rides around it.
The names Leisurely, Touring, Moderate, Brisk and the terrain/pace/distance scheme date from the misty past of early GPC history. Groundwork for the present definitions was laid at a special club meeting on ride pace held 7 December 1999. The quantitative definitions of ride pace used here were adopted by unanimous vote at the regular club meeting of 19 April 2000; an article about it appeared in the May 2000 Wheel Truth, page 4. The verbal descriptions and other accompanying explanations used here were adopted by unanimous vote at the regular club meeting of 17 January 2001.
This page is maintained by Mark Abrahams,
<dma at abriz dot net>.
Comments welcome.
Last updated 2002/07/03.