First ever Club Run in the morning......nervous !!!

[cyberknight]

That sounds like a great little group you have there & to be honest i think that might be the key....little group !
Its big enough to get out there & get some good miles in within a group experiencing all the positive point of group riding (draughting/education/camararderie/good craic etc) but unfortunately within a big group especially alot of experienced riders i think the whole pack mentality kicks in leaving the weaker/inexperienced members to suffer
Just out of curiosity what would you say the pace of a slow group would be ? I went out with a friend this morning & we managed about 35 miles in almost 16.5mph ave which i thought might have been adequate for the beginners group i joined.....but i was'nt even close ha ha

As for group size it has been known to split the ride into 2 groups if there are enough and the pace is to dissimilar and the faster riders would take a bit longer route with the aim to meet at the cake stop at a similar time.
Another key factor is all the Sunday rides are from the same place and time and the ride is announced beforehand so you can choose your group depending on how you feel/ ride details .

 

[WobblyBob]

Sounds really well organised
Think i'll just try a different group perhaps & see what happens, hopefully it might be something similar to yours.

 

[G3CWI]

We recommend you start with the medium group if you are new to cycling or are not used to fast pace group riding.

As an outsider that seems slightly odd advice. I would have thought people "new to cycling" might be advised to start with the slowest group - giving them the highest chance of initial success? Surely it's far more encouraging to find that you can keep up easily than to find the pace rather too much on a first outing. Perhaps there is some more subtle rationale that I have overlooked?

 

[cyberknight]

As an outsider that seems slightly odd advice. I would have thought people "new to cycling" might be advised to start with the slowest group - giving them the highest chance of initial success? Surely it's far more encouraging to find that you can keep up easily than to find the pace rather too much on a first outing. Perhaps there is some more subtle rationale that I have overlooked?

I will give you that one, when it was written i think the slow group did not exist and when it was added the suggestion of group pace was not changed .I will mention it to the club secretary.

 

[Phoenix Lincs]

I'd even struggle with the slow group pace at the minute. Think I'll need to do more turbo training before I brave a club ride

 

[theloafer]

Thanks, i have my Banana's at the ready

hey bob this stuff is excellent home made malt loaf...

BRANFLAKE LOAF
More delicious than shop bought malt loaf and so easy to fling together
a child can do it. This must be one of the only cake mixtures that looks and tastes
pretty revolting in the bowl, but honestly, the end result is well worth the complete lack of effort...
Best sliced thinly and eaten with butter or jam.
1 mug of Kellogg's All-Bran
1 mug of either currants, mixed dried fruit or sultanas
1 mug of milk
1 mug of self-raising flour
A generous half-mug of caster or soft brown sugar

Method
1. Put everything except the flour in a large bowl and leave the mixture to stand for about an hour.
2. Grease and long-strip-line a standard size loaf tin and pre-heat the oven to approximately Gas Mark 3 (160 C)
3. Sift the flour into the soggy mixture, stir it in well and pour the whole lot into the loaf tin, spreading it evenly up to the sides.
4. Bake in a cool oven for about an hour and a half, until a skewer or sharp knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

 

[WobblyBob]

hey bob this stuff is excellent home made malt loaf...

BRANFLAKE LOAF
More delicious than shop bought malt loaf and so easy to fling together
a child can do it. This must be one of the only cake mixtures that looks and tastes
pretty revolting in the bowl, but honestly, the end result is well worth the complete lack of effort...
Best sliced thinly and eaten with butter or jam.
1 mug of Kellogg's All-Bran
1 mug of either currants, mixed dried fruit or sultanas
1 mug of milk
1 mug of self-raising flour
A generous half-mug of caster or soft brown sugar

Method
1. Put everything except the flour in a large bowl and leave the mixture to stand for about an hour.
2. Grease and long-strip-line a standard size loaf tin and pre-heat the oven to approximately Gas Mark 3 (160 C)
3. Sift the flour into the soggy mixture, stir it in well and pour the whole lot into the loaf tin, spreading it evenly up to the sides.
4. Bake in a cool oven for about an hour and a half, until a skewer or sharp knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

That actually sounds delicous & pretty simple to make (obviously with your clear instruction).....alot nicer than Banana's anyway !
Cheers

 

[Eribiste]

My local club, Evesham Wheelers, give a guide to the paces for the three categories on their Sunday runs. Group C does about 15 mph, with no-one getting dropped. Group B is about 16, while the Group A hot-shots do 17+.
I haven't even done anything about going on a trial run yet myself, let alone join, but I'll give it a go one of these weekends I expect. Group C would do me for now I reckon.
I'll have an opportunity to introduce myself on the 21st April, as the club reckons they're going on the St John Ambulance Blossom Trail Bikeaway, and I'm already registered for this little tour.

 

[Rob3rt]

I feel like the term Beginner is being used increasingly too broad. In what world is a beginner able to do 30+ miles at an average of 13+ mph?

Personally, I would consider 30 mile at an average of 13 mph extremelly tame. I have been along on into rides with my club, which were tediously slow, I freewheeled and/or soft pedalled 70% of the way and still got home with an average of about 14-15 mph.

Also, you ought to take the term in context, (generally speaking) these rides are for "beginners" to club/group cycling. This is the very misunderstanding I commented on before, some people, such as yourself it seems, read this to mean an introduction to cycling or a ride for beginner cyclists, but what it really means (again, generally speaking, since some clubs will cater to absolute beginner cyclists) is an introduction to club/group cycling or for beginner club/group cyclists. These rides aim to introduce people to group riding etiquette, give them a feel for the club culture and give people an oppurtunity to ask about the club and find out if the club (or indeed club cycling in general) is for them. They are not really a place to come and ask how to change gear or which lever operates the back brake, there is some expectation that you can operate your bike etc! You have to be quite sensitive how you approach dealing with such examples.

 

[Phoenix Lincs]

Also, you ought to take the term in context, (generally speaking) these rides are for "beginners" to club/group cycling. This is the very misunderstanding I commented on before, some people, such as yourself it seems, read this to mean an introduction to cycling or a ride for beginner cyclists, but what it really means (again, generally speaking, since some clubs will cater to absolute beginner cyclists) is an introduction to club/group cycling or for beginner club/group cyclists. These rides aim to introduce people to group riding etiquette, give them a feel for the club culture and give people an oppurtunity to ask about the club and find out if the club (or indeed club cycling in general) is for them. They are not really a place to come and ask how to change gear or which lever operates the back brake, there is some expectation that you can operate your bike etc! You have to be quite sensitive how you approach dealing with such examples.

Good point, well made. Makes sense to me now the whole 'beginners to group cycling' expression, shortened to 'beginners' - ta muchly

 

[Iain M Norman]

Skyrides might be the answer for people looking for something lower down the scale of beginner.

 

[ianrauk]

Skyrides might be the answer for people looking for something lower down the scale of beginner.

Also LCC group rides in London and CTC rides nationwide.

 

[addictfreak]

Sounds really well organised
Think i'll just try a different group perhaps & see what happens, hopefully it might be something similar to yours.

Have you checked out Tyne Vagabonds

http://www.tynevags.org.uk/

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I'd even struggle with the slow group pace at the minute. Think I'll need to do more turbo training before I brave a club ride

I was thinking the same - I couldn't even keep up with the slow groups nominal pace.

I'm demoralised now!

 

[Ozzrahog]

All this x miles @y mph seems a bit willy waving to me I'm afraid, I thought this was meant to be fun