So what sort of rides do folk want?

[nickyboy]

There are a few regular organisers of rides outside SE England such as @ColinJ @totallyfixed . I've done a couple too.
The take-up on most of these rides has been modest. I like the CC rides but I'm sure you can appreciate it's a bit disheartening if an organiser spends hours planning, only for one or two riders to turn up.

So here's the question:

What would be your perfect CC ride that would definitely get your name down on the list?

Based on this feedback, maybe regular organisers can tailor rides accordingly

FWIW, here's what would really get me interested:

1) Start/finish accessible by public transport
2) Little country lanes with not much traffic, probably somewhere I've not cycled before
3) Able to join/leave the ride at various places
4) Post-ride social

 

[ScotiaLass]

I wouldn't join in merely for the fact that I am really slow and more of a social rider and would hate to hold people up!
Oh and I don't like big groups lol

 

[13 rider]

As most newbies I was put off by the fact of being slow and holding people up .However having done one of @totallyfixed rides I would jump at another . The ride was done so no one (me ) got dropped and when I struggled someone would drop back discreetly so I was never on my own. @totallyfixed and @dr_pink were perfect hosts and made me feel welcome. I think the pace issue is the biggest fear for newbies as an organiser you need to stress a no drop policy or a slow and quick group. I have no issue driving to a start for up to 1.5hrs so public transport not an issue , If you are trying to attract newbie distance is also a consideration I think 50 miles is still a good challenge for most riders but doable with a cafe stop in a group.Hope that helps

 

[Moodyman]

Agree with your summary Nikki, but there are other factors.

Distance - I have a long hilly commute, and after doing it all week, I don't fancy an 80 miler on a weekend. A 40/50 miler would be better for me but others might say it's not worth getting up for a 40 miler.

Family commitments. Take your Llandudno ride. I was very interested, but was put off by the very early start, long ride and the long return home to Yorkshire. That's a whole day lost and some of the next to recovery.

Then there is the cost. Getting to and from train stations can be costly. I find it's cheaper to go to a London based ride via an Advance ticket than travelling to a Northern location.

I appreciate some of these are peculiar to me but other folk could be in the same predicament.

 

[welsh dragon]

There are a few regular organisers of rides outside SE England such as @ColinJ @totallyfixed . I've done a couple too.
The take-up on most of these rides has been modest. I like the CC rides but I'm sure you can appreciate it's a bit disheartening if an organiser spends hours planning, only for one or two riders to turn up.

So here's the question:

What would be your perfect CC ride that would definitely get your name down on the list?

Based on this feedback, maybe regular organisers can tailor rides accordingly

FWIW, here's what would really get me interested:

1) Start/finish accessible by public transport
2) Little country lanes with not much traffic, probably somewhere I've not cycled before
3) Able to join/leave the ride at various places
4) Post-ride social

If I was going to join in a ride, your suggestions would be the ones that I would go for, but like SL I'm really slow, don't like hills and I would hold everyone else up so I wouldn't consider it. Id hate to think that I was ruining it for everyone else. But being able to start and stop where a rider wants, and café stops would be a priority for me.

 

[Moodyman]

Ohh... and I applaud people like you, Colinj and others who take the time and put much effort into organising these rides.

 

[Banjo]

I organized some forum rides in south Wales a few years ago.
oddly it seems the tougher the ride the more turn up.

day rides where you turn up in the morning do the ride then go home again only ever attracted a small number. on more than one ride only myself and one other person turned up which is off putting to say the least.

I also organized a weekend where we stayed in a lodge Friday and Saturday night and did a hilly 95 miler on the Saturday. The cost was only about £30 each and that included breakfast and evening meals cooked by ourselves in the lodge.

This turned into a memorable weekend and a great ride over the South wales mountains with about 10 people taking part .
lukes Dad and Rich P organized a similar ride staying in a bunkhouse and doing a tough 100 miler over the Cambrian Mountains. That was a great weekend and also well attended.
The Claud has also organized several rides which have attracted good turn outs.

I not sure how to ensure a good turn out but if all the people who came online and said they were up for it actually turned up on the day you would have hundreds.


One way to get commitment from people is to take some money off them. As I had to pay a fee for the lodge I asked for money upfront from people so I didnt end up out of pocket.

Good Luck witrh whatever you organize. It is worth the hassle when people tell you what a great day they have had.

 

[StuAff]

As rider and occasional ride leader (shameless plug: Night Ride round the Isle of Wight, August 21...), I'd agree with most of the above. Accessibility is key for many if not all of us- Nicky's Llandudno ride was tempting but I'd have needed time off work plus an overnight stay to get there and back. I despair at the London socials constantly being organised for Friday nights. I'm on a late shift, that means taking leave. FNRttCs, on the other hand, more than doable after work. Els' FNRttK, though in That Belgium, is easy enough to get to- train, ferry, Eurostar and combinations thereof. But, I'm one of the 'Doesn't get out of bed for less than 50 miles' brigade- TBH, I don't mind an effort to get to the ride, if the effort of the ride is worth it... Claud's Gospel Pass ride a case in point. Needed a day off to travel for that one and a B&B for the night. Worth it? Absolutely. Awesome day in splendid company. But I just wouldn't have gone through the bother for 30 miles or so...

On route: Not scared of hills, living here I'd have very, very few options if I was, but it does put some people off. Organisers need to be honest and upfront about climbing, road conditions etc. I tend to err on the side of caution with the warnings. I wouldn't want anyone coming to the IOW with me and thinking it might be flat in any way shape or form. 'Little country lanes'...hmm. Round these parts many of them are heavily potholed either side of gravel and many drivers don't moderate their speed or show much consideration for us cyclists. Not too bad on your own, not necessarily what you want to take a group of rookies down. Organisers shouldn't be scared of using A-roads if they're a better option than Potholed Gravelstrewn Overhanging Tree Lane. Organisers must, must, know their route- full recces are a very, very good idea if you're not sure about any part of it. Local knowledge can help. Be wary of relying on GPS or dishing out route files. Devices do disagree on how they interpret files. I recall one or two exchanges on a trip in south Wales a few years ago along the lines of 'My Garmin says this....'. And on any ride I do, no-one will ever be told they are too slow or made to feel they are a burden. I've had that, and I'm still seething about it several years on, because it was a huge pile of steaming bull excreta. My rides would be challenging to many on here, but if you think you're up to it I'll do what I can to help you get through it with a smile on your face.

Halfway etc stop options are obviously harder for night rides- for the IOW one, again, I've been upfront about that, it'll be self-catered and in a car park! Too few bods= no cafe option is worth exploring. And no cafe= fewer bods. Certainly no problem for the day time, but even then you have to be careful, particularly with timing issues. On one of the London-Pompey rides I did, I had one pub in mind, but followed a suggestion for another. Food was good but it took an age to come (I think I got through three courses plus extras at Gordon Ramsay quicker than that...). Those on the Normandy tour will remember L'Escapade in Carentan....It's not necessarily an issue for some, but if people have pre-booked trains, or their last one home is a bit early, for example, that will cause problems.

Oh, and it's worth all the bother

 

[Crackle]

I'll tell you why I've turned up to rides.

- People organising and going were people I got on with on the forum
- Distance suited me - I couldn't be arsed training for longer rides any more. I did it once for the LD's ride which turned into a great wknd with a two night stay in the bunkhouse. Your Llandudno ride had the same elements but I didn't stay on for that as I was unsure if I'd even make it with my knee still on the comeback trail but if it's repeated I definitely will.
- Flexibilty - to do the whole route or part of it
- Not just about the ride - that could be a book
- I generally dislike using trains, so anything I need to use a train for gets the bumsrush

I've thought about the possibility of arranging a wknd venue ride/rides, always more difficult to arrange and make but often more rewarding. The trouble is the ride leader needs to be half decent on a bike which rules me out :-) . I'd a bunkhouse in Wales in mind with road and off-road elements. I reckon something like that could work.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

That was a great weekend and also well attended.

I did it once for the LD's ride which turned into a great wknd with a two night stay in the bunkhouse.

Here's your answer - make it a huge píss up. And invite me along

 

[nickyboy]

Here's your answer - make it a huge píss up. And invite me along

I was referring to that with my somewhat euphemistic "post-ride social"

 

[Deleted member 1258]

As most newbies I was put off by the fact of being slow and holding people up .However having done one of @totallyfixed rides I would jump at another . The ride was done so no one (me ) got dropped and when I struggled someone would drop back discreetly so I was never on my own. @totallyfixed and @dr_pink were perfect hosts and made me feel welcome. I think the pace issue is the biggest fear for newbies as an organiser you need to stress a no drop policy or a slow and quick group. I have no issue driving to a start for up to 1.5hrs so public transport not an issue , If you are trying to attract newbie distance is also a consideration I think 50 miles is still a good challenge for most riders but doable with a cafe stop in a group.Hope that helps

I've done several of @totallyfixed rides and they've been very good, I've also done a couple of @ColinJ rides and they've been very good as well, like 13 rider I was worried about pace initially, no longer being in the first flush of youth and having had health problems I've not got the legs I once had so I was a bit nervous at first but soon realized it wouldn't be an issue. As others have said worries about pace and access are what stops a lot of people. Theres also a lot of variation on the amount of people who are cycling between different areas and that affects the take up as well, we're a lot thinner on the ground in the midlands than in the London area for example.

 

[stoatsngroats]

Interesting thread, I haven't been on a group ride, because I'm an unsociable git, and I prefer to take my own time on my own route. Now, with 2s up cycling, this is even more important, as we are both unsociable together!

The reasons for not being sociable are that we don't drink alcohol, and dislike large groups. I was interested a while ago to do the fnrttc, but never got around to it because the train travel isn't enjoyable. If we're going to do distance, it'll all be on the bike. I'm interested to do the IOW, but this will be on our own! L2P will also be on our own.

For us, group cycling is never likely to be interesting enough because we are not interested in lycra/helmet racing types, nor family types, more flipflop, old jeans, and bail at any time we choose!

That said, we did see the local Sutrans Chichester ride today, so many cycles WAS great to see, families, lycra, the whole gamut of products, bikes (another tandem!) and a wide range of ages... we were going the opposite way - which suits us fine!

Best wished to those people who organise group rides, I really hope that this inertia with cycling continues to grow, and these group rides can allow people to experience cycling in a safe, sociable and challenging way - it's just not for us.

 

[StuAff]

Interesting thread, I haven't been on a group ride, because I'm an unsociable git, and I prefer to take my own time on my own route. Now, with 2s up cycling, this is even more important, as we are both unsociable together!

The reasons for not being sociable are that we don't drink alcohol, and dislike large groups. I was interested a while ago to do the fnrttc, but never got around to it because the train travel isn't enjoyable. If we're going to do distance, it'll all be on the bike. I'm interested to do the IOW, but this will be on our own! L2P will also be on our own.

For us, group cycling is never likely to be interesting enough because we are not interested in lycra/helmet racing types, nor family types, more flipflop, old jeans, and bail at any time we choose!

That said, we did see the local Sutrans Chichester ride today, so many cycles WAS great to see, families, lycra, the whole gamut of products, bikes (another tandem!) and a wide range of ages... we were going the opposite way - which suits us fine!

Best wished to those people who organise group rides, I really hope that this inertia with cycling continues to grow, and these group rides can allow people to experience cycling in a safe, sociable and challenging way - it's just not for us.

Not drinking alcohol shouldn't make a difference.....(I don't either, the odd snifter on an FNRttC excepted).

 

[jongooligan]

Mmmm..... pretty much the opposite of what everyone is saying for me. I've only been on one forum ride and bailed early because it was so slow. Fair enough if that's what you want but I hadn't realised just how slow it was going to be and didn't have enough clothes with me to keep warm.