Slow group bike ride- cycle chic

Out of curiosity, I joined up with a slow ride that was semi-cycling chic ride. part of Cyclofemme...Calgary style.

1st it's been a long time since I've gone any group ride. This one was VERRRRY leisurely and soooo slow that I wondered one of us would crash into one another. There were no children.

Then we picnicked in light drizzly rain. I met several folks who:

*bought their lst bike this wk. (already an enthused gal, wondered her chic light turquoise upright bike was too heavy)
*bought their 3rd bike after lst bike within the last 18 months (the guy saw the light of how cycling benefitted him)
*bought their 2nd bike, a folding bike after cycling for past few years (he is a local cycling advocate along with his girlfriend who organized this ride)

Several were experienced good cyclists, but for the sake of the group, they geared down slow too.

I was the only person that wore jersey. It was already messed up from the morning earlier with a bit of rain anyway. No point in me dressing in streetwear when it rained half of the time for this ride.


It was pleasant, more social evening but the whole ride...appealed more to the artsy side of me..which is a real, additional facet of me that I suppress alot of the time for my regular cycling.

Sounds like fun to me! :)
I started a Cupcake Ride in our city about 6 months ago. It sounds very similar to this ride. SLOW pace, casually talking and riding, wearing street clothes (pretty dresses are encouraged) and just riding for the sake of getting somewhere. Big, clunky old-school three speed bikes, Dutch bikes, mountain bikes, etc.
It's FAR different than the type of riding I normally do, but I wound up loving the really slow, nonchalant pace of it.

Ladies, I love the sounds of these rides just for nostalgia and social sake. Cycle-chic and Cupcake ride, how clever. Sometimes it's nice to just kick back and act like a kid again.

Coincidentally one of the local bakeries donated a new cycling jersey, shorts set as a draw prize. The name of the bakery includes "Cupcakes" :) . Emblazoned on the bum of the shorts was the slogan: "Baked to Perfection". Rather cute. :p

I'm sure TriGirl, you've converted several wannabes to cyclists. How many people show up? Even split of genders or primarily gals?

I'm getting increasingly into riding for fitness, but would love the opportunity to do something like this. Perhaps I can set something up when Small Girl starts school in the autumn.

It does sound like fun though, especially without any particular expectations of performance. Thanks for posting about it!

Wow, what a great idea! I'm going to start something like that with friends!

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

Coincidentally one of the local bakeries donated a new cycling jersey, shorts set as a draw prize. The name of the bakery includes "Cupcakes" :) . Emblazoned on the bum of the shorts was the slogan: "Baked to Perfection". Rather cute. :p

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Cute! Would love to see a picture! :)

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

I'm sure TriGirl, you've converted several wannabes to cyclists. How many people show up? Even split of genders or primarily gals?

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My ride was/is called the Classy Ladies Cupcake Ride. It's for ladies only.
In Nov. last year, it started out with about 5-6 ladies, and every month we would have about 3-8. The last one I did was in April and only one person showed up. Nobody expressed interest in May, and summer is honestly just too hot to ride (with temps nearing 100 by noon every day). I might restart the group again in the Fall, but I don't know...
I created a Facebook page for it and there are over 80 women joined on the page. I don't know if it's worth the effort if only a couple people show up each month, but maybe it is. I met a really great lady in February, and we're very good friends now, so that's what keeps me open to continuing to do the rides.

I would LOVE a ride like this in my area. I follow the group on facebook and such. It's so awesome to see women involved in things like this together. :D

Can't seem to find a photo for what I saw in person at the ride for the cycling shorts logo.

Cyclofemme an informal worldwide movement was how our local group got their own inspiration.
http://cyclofemme.com/ride-list-2/

It's just a banner /logo if a local group wants to use it. There's no "fee" involved or anything.

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Originally Posted by lovelygamer

I would LOVE a ride like this in my area. I follow the group on facebook and such. It's so awesome to see women involved in things like this together. :D

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You could start one here. There have to be a few TE gals in your region. :)

I also think this is a great idea. About how many miles do you do and do the routes vary from ride to ride?

Nature of the ride and length depends on the local organizers and the local group. That was my impression. there was a prom dress ride a wk. ago.

Time to recycle those high school dresses.. :)

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Originally Posted by Trek420

You could start one here. There have to be a few TE gals in your region. :)

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Maybe someday! Right now I am part of an outreach committee for a bike lanes effort here. It's new and just getting off the ground, keeping me busy with several meetings a week. We have our first group ride in two weeks, down a proposed section of our bike lanes but that's still exciting.:D

I'm looking forward to being able to dress more girly for commuting. I can't do it in hot weather because I sweat like a beast and no cute dress is going to be cute after I sweat in it. Maybe this fall.

I already lead 3 rides from the shop my husband works at Wed evening, Saturday & Sunday. I wish I had another free day that I could lead one of these especially for the beginner ladies. That was why I was asking about the miles. Definitely something to think about if changes happen in my schedule.