View Full Version : Where to find other riders?
bluerider
05-30-2005, 03:41 PM
Hi from Canada *waving*
I am a new roadie and am in love with my bike and cycling. :p I'm wondering how other newbies found other riders to ride with. The boys at the bike shop are too fast for me (for now) and would like to ride with someone as my rides start getting longer and faster. Any ideas?
Thanks and it's great to see such a thriving community of women riders here!
DeniseGoldberg
05-30-2005, 03:54 PM
Hey Bluerider -
Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the world of road bike riding. Where are you in Canada? Have you seen the "How many Canadian girls do we have here?" (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=300) thread? Maybe you'll be lucky and someone else from your area has already identified herself. Some of us (TE members...) in the Boston area have started to do some rides together. It's been a nice change of pace for me, since I've been a solo rider for many years.
Another place to try is a local bike club. Often club rides will have fast and slow groups. (Of course, that didn't really work for me since I always found myself in between the groups - but it's worth a try!) Or - check with your LBS. Sometimes shops will hold rides too.
--- Denise
Well, I did a search on the internet for bike clubs in my city and state.
Then, I joined the "no drop" rides... meaning: we will wait for the slow ones.
That has worked out well for me!
Good luck!
Hi, Blue! Welcome, from another canuck!
What part of Canada are you in?? I"m in BC. The cycling community is amazingly "tight" here in the west. It seems it doesn't matter where I go I know somebody who knows somebody there....
Happy riding!
Namaste,
~T~
bluerider
05-31-2005, 05:05 AM
Oy! Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely check out the forum you suggested Denise. LBTC, I’m from Ontario. I will check out my local bike shop and join the “slow” group but there doesn’t seem to be many girls who ride with them that night. I guess chicken me is a little intimidated. Nonetheless, will continue riding solo until I find someone else/group to ride with. Again, it’s wicked to see that there are other women out there riding, unfortunately not in my area! :)
Biking Chick
05-31-2005, 06:14 AM
Welcome to the forum Blue ... I hope you'll find a few 'sisters' who will want to ride with you. Have you thought about organizing an all girl week night ride? Maybe you LBS will let you put up a poster in the shop - they might be able to help you with a couple of different routes. When I first started biking I would have definatley been intimidated riding with an all guy group - heck, I was intimidated going on my first group ride!
That is what I love about cycling - if you find that bikes are your passion and you stick with it you will become a better rider which in turn gives you more and more confidence in yourself and your ability. I know you'll enjoy this forum - the TE ladies are awesome.
bluerider
05-31-2005, 06:35 AM
Hi Biking Chick,
Thanks for the suggestion. I definetely am trying to get others out there but often get looks like this :eek: from my girlfriends. I love cycling way too much to let that hold me back and hopefully my overzealous enthusiasm for the sport will motivate others. Is it wrong that every time it’s sunny, I just want to be on my bike. I’d rather sit on the saddle for 8 hours than in my cubicle. :D
bikerchick68
05-31-2005, 09:12 AM
hiya! I have met several people by noticing their "livestrong" bands and asking if they ride...
I ride with a local club but they are fast... especially for someone new... I was chatting one day after a ride and mentioned that the next day I would do a slow recovery ride, 25 miles flat at maybe 14mph... just an easy spin... one of the guys asked who I ride that with as his wife is too scared being new to ride with the group but really wants to ride... so she began riding my recovery day with me... since then, I've mentioned it to more people and actually had others from the group call and ask if their newbie friends could join in... so now I've created a "new rider" cycling club. I review safety stuff with anyone who joins, teach people how to draft, how to call out stuff in the road, when to take the lane, about being a respectful cyclist so we make friends of more drivers etc. Biggest rule I have is that we are a NO DROP group! If someone gets too strong for our pace then I encourage them to join another group with an intermediate level!
I guess in a nutshell... start letting every cyclist you meet know you are looking for someone to ride with! You'll be amazed at how many other riders are at the same level... and you'll all build your confidence and speed together! There is definitely something to be said for riding with others... it's very easy when alone to not push yourself the same way you would riding with someone else! Keep us posted ok? :)
caligurl
05-31-2005, 10:12 AM
[QUOTE=bikerchick68There is definitely something to be said for riding with others... it's very easy when alone to not push yourself the same way you would riding with someone else![/QUOTE]
SEE! this is why i need to live in a more populated area! around here you have the "sd's" that are all into competing with one another and who can go faster (well.. DUH... you are guys.. and have been riding longer.. YES..... you are faster then i am!) or the ones who ride once a month!
i need to move to where there are people like you to ride with! :) (but not your brother.. he's WAY to fast for me! *remembering that cold, early morning RACE at the beginning of hemet!)
CorsairMac
05-31-2005, 12:23 PM
I'm with you Cali - I've looked around here and so far have found 3 racing clubs and 1 non-racing club with a Wed night no-drop ride. When I talked to the ride host, the avg spd of the no-drop ride is 17-18 mph! :eek: and he pointed out the guys who ride it.....the same guys riding in the Tues night crits. and yes, they were all guys. So I'm still riding alone and still hopeful! oh...and PS...I did the Ride of Silence with this group and I don't know if they were ALL from this group, but they scared me - I thought I would be the one that wouldn't be able to hold my line, or forget to signal or something newbie obvious.....but let me tell ya hun....it wasn't ME that had the problems! When 2 riders from the club pinched me up against a curb and left me no where to move, I knew then this wasn't a group I probably wanted to ride with very often. Either that or I just ride alone waaaaaaaaaaay too much!
caligurl
05-31-2005, 12:30 PM
the closest club to us (whichis still an hour away) is like that... i read their site and just shake my head.... they don't want newbies.. desert cycling club (http://www.cycleclub.com/club_training_rides.htm) ... they just want to continue to be their little elite group! some of the guys from up here have driven down there to ride with them and came back with the stories of the studs dropping them.....
this is their easiest ride: speed avg 17 mph, 42 miles with defined cut-off routes to shorten ride... uhm.. ya... i can do that... NOT! i JUST finally got a 16.6 average ride this past sunday.. and i worked hard for that! i normally average 14.9 to 15.something with no hills! (and that's the average.. i'm a LOT slower most times!) elitests... BAH!
i did join a club ride in redlands a few months back.. i was still the slowest on the flats (managed to pass a couple on the hill)... now they were nice and club along the lines of what bikerchick is talking about.. unfortunately they are an hour and a half away :( :( :(
nuthatch
05-31-2005, 01:29 PM
I was chatting one day after a ride and mentioned that the next day I would do a slow recovery ride, 25 miles flat at maybe 14mph... just an easy spin...
i JUST finally got a 16.6 average ride this past sunday.. and i worked hard for that! i normally average 14.9 to 15.something with no hills! (and that's the average.. i'm a LOT slower most times!) elitests... BAH!
Holy crud, you guys are fast! The boys are, well, beyond belief. Okay, when you are measuring your average speed, do your bike computers average your stops in too? I seem to be riding about 15/16 most of the time but I always end up with an average speed of 12 to 13 - and I stop frequently. Does it depend on your computer or do they all average the same way?
CorsairMac
05-31-2005, 01:33 PM
Nut: you should be able to set you computer to either stopwatch or ATM. Actual Time Moving! (no...I have no idea what it really means but that's how I think of it.) If your computer is set for stopwatch it'll avg your spd based on total road time which could lower your avg. If you set it to ATM, ONLY the time the front tire is moving is measured. Check you manual: it should tell you if and or how to change your computer to ATM.
and no.....my avg spd is only about 13 +/- mph although when I'm on long straight flats I seem to avg about 16-17. My avg yesterday for my century was 14.?? which I was very proud of.
nuthatch
05-31-2005, 02:57 PM
My avg yesterday for my century was 14.?? which I was very proud of.
I'd be proud of 14 as well!! :D My average was 12.3 yesterday over the course of 80 totally flat miles. :mad:
Nut "tortoise" hatch
the closest club to us (whichis still an hour away) is like that... i read their site and just shake my head.... they don't want newbies.. desert cycling club (http://www.cycleclub.com/club_training_rides.htm) ... they just want to continue to be their little elite group! some of the guys from up here have driven down there to ride with them and came back with the stories of the studs dropping them.....
this is their easiest ride: speed avg 17 mph, 42 miles with defined cut-off routes to shorten ride... uhm.. ya... i can do that... NOT! i JUST finally got a 16.6 average ride this past sunday.. and i worked hard for that! i normally average 14.9 to 15.something with no hills! (and that's the average.. i'm a LOT slower most times!) elitests... BAH!
i did join a club ride in redlands a few months back.. i was still the slowest on the flats (managed to pass a couple on the hill)... now they were nice and club along the lines of what bikerchick is talking about.. unfortunately they are an hour and a half away :( :( :(
Sounds like you need to start your OWN CLUB in your AREA!
Or at least... find a way to assemble the few riders you have in your area. Sounds like a few are looking for people to ride with!
Also... I want to add... that I found someone to ride with via this website! We are going to the Collin Classic together (in Dallas, TX) on June 11th!
caligurl
05-31-2005, 09:05 PM
Holy crud, you guys are fast! The boys are, well, beyond belief. Okay, when you are measuring your average speed, do your bike computers average your stops in too? I seem to be riding about 15/16 most of the time but I always end up with an average speed of 12 to 13 - and I stop frequently. Does it depend on your computer or do they all average the same way?
no i'm not! lol! that's the average.. so it includes any downgrades! today... the same route... i did in average 15.1... but there were times i was only doing 11 or 12! (and even 8 on the partial climb i have to make to get home!!)
my HRM stops when i stop... so potty breaks, stop lights... it stops recording.. (polar s720i)
(polar s720i)
yummy
that's the one with the infrared download, right?
santa, are you listening???
Namaste,
~T~
caligurl
06-01-2005, 07:37 AM
yes it is! the 725 also has the infrared (and is really cool looking "carbon").. but it doesn't have auto-stop....
SJCzar
06-01-2005, 11:10 AM
I agree with the suggestion about checking with your LBS about posting a note there. I've noticed that quite often when I stop in mine, there are either women there, or men looking at bikes for their wifes. I'm sure the newbie women starting out would enjoy having another woman to bike with.
I found a nice group to bike with once a week through a ski club that I belong to. The turnout is usually about 70% women and they list the ride as being at a leisurely pace. Through this I have found a few other women to participate in charity rides with. A number of bike clubs in our area also have one night a week that they do slower-paced rides.
Good Luck. I'm sure there are women in your area looking for others to ride with.
Biking Chick
06-01-2005, 01:02 PM
I'd be proud of 14 as well!! :D My average was 12.3 yesterday over the course of 80 totally flat miles. :mad:
Nut "tortoise" hatch
Holy Schnike Nuthatch!!! 80 miles ... dang gurl you should be so proud of yourself with daily mileage like that!
Keep it up ... how long before your MS ride?
Keep biking like that and you'll be able to top that Almond Joy ice cream with a scoop of Heaps of Love or maybe some Fat Elvis :D
SadieKate
06-01-2005, 01:16 PM
One more note on average speed, that darling little compooter averages all time that your wheels are rotating. So, if you're walking your bike from the street to the house it can drop a couple of tenths just with that little 0.5 mph stroll. Just for fun, re-set your computer after your warm up and look at avg speed before you begin the cool down (in our case, time spent riding city streets vs rural roads). Avg time over an entire ride is very different than average cruising speed on the flat or average cruising speed in a pack.
bikerchick68
06-01-2005, 02:23 PM
Holy crud, you guys are fast!
I gotta agree with Cali... I'm NOT fast... I can maintain 17-18 in flats but am down right pokey up hills... when Cali and I rode together my brother took off at 20mph for the first 8-10 miles in the COLD! AAAAACK! :eek: I was fine (heck I was just trying to create any body heat!) Cali dropped me like a rock in the climbs tho...
my avg for THAT century was 15.1 I think... my fastest century was done in 6 hour 50 minutes at an avg of 15.4... that's the one I'm proud of... Solvang Century with 5000ft climbing! But the avg came up 'cause my top speed on a downhill was 47.3mph!!! WOOOOT! :D Yeah, I like the downhills!
CORSAIR! Congrats on the century!!! I remember you saying you wanted to do one but did not realize it already happened... that's a BIG deal! Way to go... :) :) :)
nuthatch
06-01-2005, 02:51 PM
Holy Schnike Nuthatch!!! 80 miles ... dang gurl you should be so proud of yourself with daily mileage like that!
Keep it up ... how long before your MS ride?
Keep biking like that and you'll be able to top that Almond Joy ice cream with a scoop of Heaps of Love or maybe some Fat Elvis :D
I've only got two more weekends to train - we ride on June 25-26 for the MS150 Tour de Farms - yikes! I wish Fat Elvis could accompany me on the ride!!!
bikerchick68
06-01-2005, 02:59 PM
please post about it when you're done! I have a friend who wants to do it and I need to get her over here to read your review when ya get done kicking that courses butt! :D
Biking Chick
06-03-2005, 05:31 AM
I've only got two more weekends to train - we ride on June 25-26 for the MS150 Tour de Farms - yikes! I wish Fat Elvis could accompany me on the ride!!!
Wouldn't need to stop to refuel - just load up on those fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches ....
Thank you furry much :)
nuthatch
06-03-2005, 08:47 AM
Mmmm, peanut butter and banana sandwiches!!! You can always tell a southerner, can't you.
Mmmm, peanut butter and banana sandwiches!!! You can always tell a southerner, can't you.
I'm not a southerner. I love those!! I'd have one now if I had another banana for my breakfast cereal....oh, you're such a tease!!
Namaste,
~T~
nuthatch
06-04-2005, 03:00 AM
I'm not a southerner. I love those!! I'd have one now if I had another banana for my breakfast cereal....oh, you're such a tease!!
Namaste,
~T~
My aunt had a recipe for rolling the bananas in mayonaise and then chopped peanuts - she called them banana croquets. Not very portable on a bike but yummy! Those PB&B sandwiches are only southern if you fry them (ugg!).
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