Hello - new member for 2025 season. Can anyone provide an update on what attendance has been for the Thursday rides? Enough riders for a good spread across speed and ability spectrum?
I’d likely slot into a mid-range speed group - threshold around 3.0w/kg at the moment.
Thanks,
Eric V
Hi Eric - Welcome to the WCC!
@Sean_MacCormack could you provide Eric with some insight to the Thursday rides when you have a minute?
Thank you!
Hi Eric, Welcome!
Thursdays typically have a really good turn out, with a good spread across our 3 fast groups. Each group typically has between 8-15 people once the season gets going.
Group 3 would likely be a good place to start. Its a really good group to learn the route and get familiar with WCC ride cultures.
Early in the season Group 1 & 2 will often start together, which can make for a bit of a chaotic ride. As more riders start to come out these two groups normally separate, if there are enough riders. If you are finding Group 3 a bit too easy, you can always move up.
Hope to see you out soon!
Sean
Hi Sean - thanks for the info. I’ll be out of town this Thursday for work but planning to make the Thursday ride a regular thing on my schedule.
I typically ride Sunday Gravel group ride with the Guelph club but might check out a few Waterloo gravel rides as we get into the season.
Thanks again,
Eric
Hi @vandenb00
I am a co-ride leader of G3 on Tuesday / Thursday / Saturday. Along with @MarkW @DrewMolnar and a host of others who have been in G3 for years.
@Sean_MacCormack nailed it. Join us if you want to see what it’s like in a group within your power range. We range 2.5-3.0-ish. We adjust pace based on who’s out so that everyone can have a quality ride. There are a few “hot sections” and sign sprints in the second half where we relive our old racing days, but nothing out of the ordinary, and we always regroup at the end of efforts.
See you soon.
Alain
Great summary, @Francqlife .
I am amazed at (and just noticed) how far cycling has come in that we now classify group rides by power numbers (per kg! 
) instead of average speed. 
Nice discussion. I wanted to surface this great document Chad wrote last year outlining the routes for Tuesday and Thursday with their sprint points for those unfamiliar with the rides.
From a G3 perspective only, not all these sprint points are contested. It depends on how frisky everyone is feeling.
Also to note G3 on Thursday typically rides two up for the first half then switches to rotating paceline on River road and Middlebrook, that is where the real Threshold work happens not the first half.
Wow. @Oliver_Smith is back in the saddle ! Well, at least stepping up as the trusted voice of G3 coming from a position as the G3 road coordinator over the past few years. 
There has been ALOT of discussion over the past 5 weeks on the spring G3 Gravel rides so far.
We are ready to transition and anchor a large G3 Tuesday Bamberg cohort this year. With HIIT out of our system on Tuesday, we are hoping G3 Thursday will be more like the pre-COVID days where we were steady and more smooth, a la G2. But indeed still those spicy-sprint sections outlined in Chads document. 
And finally, continue to make Saturday G3 a strong, but steady no-drop destination coffee stop ride to attract the Train Of Pain (TOP) originals back to build up that G3 rider cohort again.
At least that’s the intent.
Let’s set how it pans out.
