galgoman
Regular
Back in the mid 70's I was lucky to belong to a very active and inclusive club. It was split between pedestrian, touring and racing interests.
What I see as a major threat to all three interests is cost and opportunity. To race or even tour these days seriously you need to be from a family of heart surgeons or hedge fund managers to be able to afford riding a bike that is crafted for your interest. Back in the day, we used to have a Century ride every Sunday, a time trial every wednesday and group peleton rides several evenings a week, open and encouraged to everyone to participate and especially new riders to the sport to learn how to ride in a group. I would really like to know if clubs are more elitist these days or inclusive in getting as many people involved in cycling either competitively or touring? The clubs I see riding in my area these days all look like their bike cost as much as their car and most importantly missing is a diversity of riders who are the future of the sport.
What I see as a major threat to all three interests is cost and opportunity. To race or even tour these days seriously you need to be from a family of heart surgeons or hedge fund managers to be able to afford riding a bike that is crafted for your interest. Back in the day, we used to have a Century ride every Sunday, a time trial every wednesday and group peleton rides several evenings a week, open and encouraged to everyone to participate and especially new riders to the sport to learn how to ride in a group. I would really like to know if clubs are more elitist these days or inclusive in getting as many people involved in cycling either competitively or touring? The clubs I see riding in my area these days all look like their bike cost as much as their car and most importantly missing is a diversity of riders who are the future of the sport.
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