Great Group Rides: AHDR Bacon Rolls

About The “Great Group Rides” Series

Zwift has always been about connecting cyclists from around the world, and since early beta days volunteers from the Zwift community have helped make that vision a reality by leading group rides on the platform.

Nowadays, the calendar contains hundreds of weekly events, but we still rely on community leaders to organize and lead most of the social rides.

One way to show our admiration for these tireless leaders is to highlight the great work they’re doing, week in and week out. And that’s what the Great Group Rides series is all about! Each post focuses on a popular, long-running group ride led by community volunteers. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the stories and people behind the rides.

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For Zwifters who want a moderately-paced group ride, AHDR serves Bacon Rolls every weekday.

For many Australians, it’s a tasty addition to their morning breakfast. People in other time zones can enjoy an afternoon pick-me-up or evening “snack.” Craig Bonnett, one of the group’s leaders, calls it “a great way to start (or end!) the day.”

“Bacon Rolls is all about teamwork, respect, and having fun as we start or end the day,” says Bonnett. “We try to replicate a real-world ‘bunchie’ ride vibe through teamwork, and our banter is in many cases second to none. We also pride ourselves in being one of the tightest groups on Zwift on a range of courses.”

Quick Details

• Schedule: weekday mornings at 5:50 AEST
• Length: 60 minutes
• Pace: 2.5-3 w/kg, with a typical average of 2.7 w/kg
• Routes: a variety of mainly flat routes, sometimes with short hills

Ride Feel

With AHDR Bacon Rolls, Zwifters get a chance to get a solid endurance ride in before the day starts – or at the end of the day in the Western hemisphere. They aim to keep the bunch close together as they ride at a moderate pace for about an hour. The watts-per-kilogram range for the ride is 2.5-3, with the bunch usually averaging 2.7 w/kg.

Bacon Rolls uses sweepers, or “keepers” as they call them, to help those who fall off the back of the group. Keepers usually won’t have a beacon – instead, it’s a group of regular riders that volunteer to do the job.

“We focus on teamwork and enjoying the conversation as we roll together for the hour. If you are after a harder ride, helping the keeping crew at the back is great training, plus you are helping others stay with the bunch,” Craig says. “We’ve got you covered if you ‘sleep in’ with our 30-minute late join option, or stay for as long as you can (to work on improving your fitness or riding time).”

If you want something with a little more kick, on Wednesdays the ride becomes “Bacon Rolls with Caffeine.” The last lap is a race, and some people go all out! Don’t want to race? Just find the red beacon (instead of the leader’s yellow beacon) to keep cruising at the same speed. Enjoy the friendly conversation, jokes, and discussion of one of the group’s favorite topics – food!

How It All Began

AHDR stands for “Aussie Hump Day Ride,” which began as a weekly Zwift event and turned into a club that runs several different rides, including the Bacon Rolls. And it’s not just for Aussies. According to Craig:

“Tim Searle started this event 3 years ago, as he was looking for a ride that was more of a solid endurance pace, to start the day, and that had the real world ‘bunchie’ ride sort of vibe.”

“We usually have around 300 riders on average join AHDR for Bacon Rolls. During the summer, when the Northern Hemisphere time zones work better, we have closer to 400 riders average each day.”

Ride Leaders

Why is this AHDR ride named after a savory treat? “Bacon Rolls” actually comes from the name of its main leader, Tim “Bacon” Searle! He got his nickname from people mistyping the leader’s “beacon” as “bacon.”  For the caffeine version, “Mr. Energizer” Craig Bonnett leads while Tim takes on the red sweeper’s beacon.

For more, read Tim Searle: Learn from the Group Ride Master

Learn More

AHDR tells us, “The best way to learn about AHDR is join our Facebook page. Make sure you join, it is the best read on your feed. On that page, we have all the details of our rides, events, results, and banter. There will be someone that will help answer any questions that you may have.”