Are you a member of a cycle club?

[steve52]

am a member of a club so i can timr trial, but because of the wellcome i recived from an ex club captian i joined a club in kent rather than a local one, bah humbug but ill ride with anybody

 

[derrick]

Have made a couple of enquiries at a couple of clubs, but have not found anything suitable yet, looking to ride round the Epping forest area, will keep looking.

 

[addictfreak]

Im a member of:

http://www.sunderlandclarion.org.uk/


Joined to hopefully improve my cycling and also to learn some new routes. Also to enjoy the social side. I have not been disappointed in any way.

 

[pepecat]

Nah, I prefer cycling on my own. Am not much into the social aspect of things - went out with one club once and they stopped for lunch during a 20 miler. I'd do that before even thinking about something to eat! Don't think i"d like the pressure of having to keep up with the group either - i'm just not that quick.

Did go out with three of the chaps on here recently and thoroughly enjoyed it - for an evening ride it was very nice. I much prefer the informal 'if anyone's around and wants to go out' cycling to the organised weekly club thing.

 

[Ian 74]

My link I did my first club ride last sunday. It was great. I'll definetly be back again, and am looking forward to trying out the Time trials next year. I do all my riding alone but after watching this years tour I just had to try out group riding.

 

[400bhp]

What deters me is : lack of information and as it appears to me the over emphasis on the social aspect - i dont really want to to have a lengthy stop at a pub half way on an 80 miler.
Anyone who wants to chat can do it while cycling imho.

I don't know why you think that-misinformation perhaps

Most cycle clubs will include a stop at a cafe on a sunday run-perhaps for 30 mins no more.

Some clubs will do what you suggest-be that a subset of a sunday club run, or a club in itself.

Some clubs will cater for the more serious cyclist, perhaps not having a stop on a training run.

I am a member of a club and don't have the time for the "social" aspect and do most of my socialising en-route.

 

[400bhp]

What I like is the option to go out with a club if I want.

It can be beneficial in a number of ways-new routes/socialising/different training etc.

More often than not I don't go out with the club, usually because their main ride is on sundays and I prefer to ride on saturday mornings.

 

[Jonathing]

I joined a club because I got fed up with not knowing anyone down here and not knowing the good local roads on which to ride. My club seems to have been set up in 1900 by some timetrialists who would like the club to remain today what it was back then. There is a drive to modernise it but it's slow going. I enjoy the social aspect of the club, talking about bikes, life and any bullshirt that pops into one's head as well as the competition, sprinting for signs and more recently the top of every bloody hill we come across.

 

[jim55]

i stay in north glasgow and theres a club near me ,,but i see one guy regular (going to work i presume ,,in club kit ,,kinesis and gen looking the part,,hes not a spring chicken and hes very fast ,,maintains 25-30 mph all the time (i purposely drove the van behind him at a constant pace to find out ),,im just commuting and done a few wee 10-15 mls quite reg but most clubs are looking at 30 ml upwards ,,i really dont think i am ready for that straight away,,i would want a club that i could taper up to a good distance ,,i wouldnt want to die (as i did when i was out before )i usually just cycle myself for those reasons,,but id like to use my bike even more

 

[cyclegeek]

I want to join a club but feel that I am not really fast enough yet to keep up with the average speed. The club I am interested in (Manchester Wheelers) has an average speed of 17 mph according to its website.

The other club I wanted to join was Stetford Wheelers, but despite the name they actually set off from a pub in Lymm. That would be an extra 30 miles (15 eachway) on my ride getting there and back.

 

[Ian 74]

i stay in north glasgow and theres a club near me ,,but i see one guy regular (going to work i presume ,,in club kit ,,kinesis and gen looking the part,,hes not a spring chicken and hes very fast ,,maintains 25-30 mph all the time (i purposely drove the van behind him at a constant pace to find out ),,im just commuting and done a few wee 10-15 mls quite reg but most clubs are looking at 30 ml upwards ,,i really dont think i am ready for that straight away,,i would want a club that i could taper up to a good distance ,,i wouldnt want to die (as i did when i was out before )i usually just cycle myself for those reasons,,but id like to use my bike even more

Give your local club a go you'll be surprised at how much faster you'll go with the drafting/adrenaline/companionship factors kicking in.

 

[mcshroom]

The only club I'm a member of is 'The Fridays' - but as this is a set of night rides mainly it's not a club in the standard sense.

I'd like to try out riding with a club but
a) I'm a tourer with a heavy bike, and ride too slowly, and more importantly
b) All the clubs round here ride on Sundays, and I have other commitments that prevent me from riding on a Sunday morning.

With Audax rides, FNRttCs, touring and forum rides I seem to have a pretty full ride diary anyway though

 

[monnet]

17 mph average is not that fast in group (no really, it isn't, I'm not just saying that, it's true!). Ave speed in a club is not that important. You'll go faster than you think in a group and there'll be plenty who would rather go slower (and they will go slower). My group has a Saturday fast ride that will regularly average 20+mph. It also has a Saturday ride that meets at the same cafe at the same time which averages 13 mph. A good club will cater for everyone and they won't drop anyone either (well, they might but they'll wait for you).

 

[henshaw11]

To be fair, I've not tried asking at any of the road clubs over here near Kingston-On-Thames, but I'm not sure how welcome a recumbent would be on a chaingang/club run...probably not much use trying to draft behind/with one, slower up hills/possibly faster down them and probably a lower ave speed too (my commute average is about 18mph over 9 miles).

(Almost went along to a road club somewhere east london/essex many years ago, after chatting on a return commute with one of their members - sadly didn't get a round to it and we moved not long after. Followed by quite a few years of mostly mtbing until lack of mojo/interest and a dodgy neck moved me onto a 'bent.)

 

[cycleruk]

I think i would look a bit of a plonker if i turned up on my hard tail whilst every one else was on a road bike

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