Is it better to do a group ride or train alone?

Everyone enjoys the adrenaline and camaraderie of the group ride. It is hard to forgo these to focus on our own training, but sometimes it is what you need to do for the ultimate goal or racing strong on the goal day, and not just on a local Saturday ride with buddies. Moving out of the foundation phase, your heart rate ranges will increase for some prescribed workouts. You can go on the group ride every other week if you find that the group ride does not negatively effect your ability to carry out the rest of your training plan. I caution you against “testing” yourself too much though. Too many tests and you won’t have what you need come race day. Be smart about your training and know that you are doing what you need to do in order to reach your goal.