What's Your Idea of a Perfect Group Ride?

[pyxichick]

Next season I am going to be my club's group ride organizer, and I'm looking for some input. I know many of us have had varied experiences on group rides. My question for you is: what makes for a perfect group ride?

Would you like to have a map? Do the same route every week? Have A and B rides with different avg. speeds? Have one day of hills, one day of intervals, etc. or just a nice social ride where you can catch up with your cycling friends?

I'm looking to appeal to the people who are already in the club but also to attract other women to the rides, so that we have a good turnout every week.

Thanks for your help!

Kate

[Zen]

Class C, 25-35miles, 10-12 mph

[indigoiis]

When I go out to ride with our local club, I get pretty serious. I like a challenge. I just started this season, and I liked that there were shorter rides available to me if I wanted to take it easy. But make the longer/harder rides available, too.

The less structure the better - but information is key. Good maps, an idea of what to expect, a recommendation for different types of riders (you could maybe use a heart icon for one type, a smilie icon for family friendly, or a plus icon for a challenging ride.)

[7rider]

I love my LBS's group ride.
They've been doing the same route for years -- a cue sheet exists, but I've honestly never seen it. Newbs are encouraged to keep close to a more experienced rider. Folks who've been doing for years are like trail horses. They can do the route in their sleep and know the way back to the barn. It's very comforting to those of us who may fall of the back from time to time!
With about 80 riders on a good day, it breaks up into 3 groups:
A: about 22 mph average, no stopping, long route - populated by the hard-core racer types.
B: about 22 mph, 2 re-group points, long route - populated by the racer-types who like to chat.
C: about 18 mph, 1 re-group point, shorter route - populated by the women, older guys, and folks who REALLY like to chat!
So, the sum of it is:
Have different groups for different abilities/speeds
* Have a re-group point (ideally, at the top of a hill, which separates the crowd).
* Work on skill building where the route allows it - pacelines, hill climbing, etc.
* If your focus is fun and comraderie, vs. competition, be sure to stress it before each ride. Sometimes, the pack thing gets the best of some riders, and it turns into a competition. It's just the nature of the beast. It's a constant effort, I think, on our ride organizer's part to keep the intensity levels down. That said...a little competition on the hill before the re-group is sometimes a good thing!
Our ride starts and ends at the LBS, which is closed but serves as a staging area for the riders. There is a wonderful deli next door, and all are encouraged to stop by after the ride for coffee, bagels, etc. Lots of socialization during and after the ride.
That, I think, is a good group ride.

[Jo-n-NY]

Congratulations on your role as ride organizer. I am our clubs Corresponding Secretary and I enjoy being more involved with the club than just riding with them.

Here is how our rides are divided:

C pace is 11–14 MPH
B is 14–17 MPH
A is 17–20 MPH
AA is 20–23 MPH

We have a ride calender on our clubs website. Each ride has a brief description of what it will be and will state H=hills; RH=roll hills; F=flat; F/H; flat with some rolling hills. A member will know what to expect of the ride before hand.

If you want to attract new riders I feel the C pace is very important to offer. We only get a handful of riders for that group. However, keep in mind that most riders that ride C will eventually move up to B. The future of the club is dependant on recruiting new members. In our area, when I talk about the club most people are intimidated because they assume riding with a club you have to be a very experienced rider. I then encourage them to try one of our C pace rides and this usually brings on new members.

What I like best about riding with the club is that I go to areas and routes that I would never go on my own. So I think changing routes is important. It will make each ride interesting.

Ride leaders should stick to the speed that the level is quoted. On Sunday our A group rode a AA pace. For a 62 mile ride with hills, myself and friends rode our own ride. We had a que sheet. We would have been fine at the A pace. However, just about all our other ride leaders do ride at the pace explained for that level.

It is important to have comfort rides not to discourage people and still make rides a challenge for those who what that also.

~ JoAnn

[luv'nAustin]

When I'm trying a group ride for the first time I really like knowing that there is a sweeper on the ride.

I don't think that large group rides are the best places to work on skill building. I think of rides like this as more of a social ride or as a fast paced ride for a solid hard workout.

When I do skill work it is usually with a smaller group and a coach.

[northstar]

Would you like to have a map?
Do the same route every week? Have A and B rides with different avg. speeds? Have one day of hills, one day of intervals, etc. or just a nice social ride where you can catch up with your cycling friends?

I'm looking to appeal to the people who are already in the club but also to attract other women to the rides, so that we have a good turnout every week.

Hi Kate...

I am happy to see your thread, because next season, I plan to join the Velo Bella rides. I would like a map (particularly if there are not regroup points or they're not no-drop rides). I think it's nice to have a couple set routes but not always run the same ones...keep things interesting, I guess!

It's nice to have A or B rides clearly labeled. JoAnn's breakdown seems typical to me.

Good luck!

[Pax]

Class C, 25-35miles, 10-12 mph

Our very own TE gal Geonz leads a ride like that on Saturday mornings for the local club. Nice turn out and she makes sure to maintain the advertised pace VERY IMPORTANT.

The best thing I enjoyed about that ride was learning to control my cadence, I had to keep myself steady at the groups pace and it prevented me from doing my usual sprint-bonk-sprint-bonk-sprint...

[chutch]

I was rather frustrated with our club's group rides this past season. There was only one ride per week, so if that day didn't work for you you didn't ride with the group. There were sometimes additional group rides, but they were announced via word of mouth, or at the regular group ride, or at best a post on our website late the night before (which I often saw the next morning, right after the ride left). It seemed like the road ride coordinator just wasn't into it.

So, from my not so good experience, I would suggest that you make sure your rides are publicized in a variety of ways and always give notice of a change or addition. And if possible, have more than one club ride a week so people with busy schedules are not always missing out.

I also echo the other comments about varying the route when you can and having different, clearly defined, groups. Some days you want to ride hard and some days you want a casual friendly ride. It would be great to have a group that you can fit into no matter how you're feeling that day.

Good luck with your new role!

[indysteel]

That's hard for me to answer because while Indianapolis isn't the prettiest place to ride, our club is one of the most active in the country and offers a wide variety of well-organized rides. Depending on my mood, I like all of them. We have weekend rides, breakfast and dinner rides, weekday training rides, grand touring rides and social (family) rides, all of which are organized and manned by club members, who serve as volunteers. As someone who had led a weekend ride, it takes a lot of work and I have a real appreciation for just how much our club offers--at a bargain price--to its members. Oh, and the club also hosts the Hilly Hundred!

Here's a brief description of the rides:

Training rides: These rides are offered from April through October, Monday throuh Friday and follow a set and marked course of between 20 and 25 miles. There are probably about 10 different training rides throughout the week, each catering to a different side of town and slightly different average speed. The training rides are not meant for beginning or slower riders. The group rides in a paceline and some of the rides are known to be pretty aggressive. Some are a little more mellow, but speed is the name of the game. Slower riders can attend the training rides, but they must be comfortable with getting dropped. The rides don't have a no drop policy.

Weekend rides: From St. Patty's Day to early December, our club--solely with the help of member/volunteers--offers a group ride almost every Saturday and Sunday. Ride leaders are responsible for defining the routes, preparing a map and/or cue sheet, marking the route with painted "Dan Henrys", providing food and water at "SAG" stops along the route, and sweeping the route to make sure all riders are in. The club provides the money needed for paint, food and supplies, as well as the water coolers. The ride leader supplies the time and manpower. They typically cost about $200.

The rides start typically from a church or school parking lot, i.e., someplace that can accomodate a big crowd. We try to spread the rides out on different sides of town. Some are flat, some are hilly. Most are in rural areas. Each ride offers routes of various lengths. For instance, the ride I hosted in August offered four routes, ranging from 18 to 65 miles. Believe me when I say that these rides take a lot of work, and it's a wonder that the club offers them as regularly as it does. Many of the ride leaders have been doing their rides for years so it becomes easier to organize over time.

At any given ride, we might have between 80 and 150 people. All types of riders show up for the weekend rides--from the hardcore racer to the slowest beginner. Road bikes are the norm, but there are hybrids as well. Some will tell you that there's an elitist vibe at the rides. I can't say that I sense that, but then again, I may not be in the best position to judge that. I've never felt anything but welcomed. That said, no one's there to really hold your hand.

The ride starts en masse. The faster riders will take the lead and everybody else more or less follows. There are no set paces or groups. You ride however fast or slow you want to ride. Even when a big group shows up at the ride, it's pretty easy to end up riding alone because everyone gets rather spaced out. You can kind of regroup, however, at the SAG stops. Because the routes are marked, however, you don't necessarily need to ride with others unless you want to. Mentors are usually available for new riders.

Breakfast, dinner and social rides: They are offered regularly and are designed for a more relaxed pace, generally between 13 and 16 mph. Some of the routes are marked, but most aren't. The group more or less stays together. Route lengths vary.

Grand Touring: These are typically offered outside of Indianapolis and are often built around a landmark, site, festival or event. The routes aren't marked but maps are provided. The group typically sticks together and the routes are around 50 miles.

In addition to the above rides, several bike shops offer rides for the beginner to the advanced. There's a group ride somewhere around town almost every day/night.

If I could say what one thing I like most about our area rides is that most of them are marked. I hate riding with a map and cue sheet. Following Dan Henrys is so much easier.

[Fredwina]

My club currently runs a set ride on Saturdays - always leaves from the same place and always follows the same route. we have a 30 mile and 20 mile option.
The 30 mile tends to be "the Saturday morning world championships" with 25-30mph pacelines. The 20 can be a little fast for some begginers. a lopt folk only want to ride an hour and half, and get mad at the regroups for slower riders.(there's two at the summit of the "big" hills) I've thought about coming up with a slower pace, but I'm taking a break from that right now.
The ride starts at a Coffee shop in a shopping center. There's usaully a lot of socializing Aprez-ride, which folks seem to enjoy.
I think being welcoming and encouraging are the key. Finding folks will to sweep is the key.
I personally like a variety of terrain and secenery. I'll usally do the 20 just to chat , and then do some more on my own,since I seem to be the only one who'd rather do a distance ride on a Saturday vs a Sunday.

[ibcycling]

What's your clubs focus and size? The club I ride with is a "fun touring club" and focuses on safety and enjoyment so the rides are never hard core. They have Sat morning rides with group leaders and sweeps, sometimes maps. The routes are preplanned, listed on their site, and they have a section of maps on the site as well. On Tues and Thurs morning and evening they have rides too but the route isn't planned in advance. People show up and decide where to go.

Good luck!

Lora

[OakLeaf]

If you're in metropolitan Minneapolis, you probably have a good-sized club, so I'd say delegate, delegate, delegate.

I actually ride with two different clubs. The local club is really short on volunteers right now, so the two weekly rides have gotten less and less organized over the past year.

The club from the next city over (Columbus, OH) has rides several days a week, sometimes two rides on the same day. Each ride starts on a particular day of the week from a fixed suburban or exurban location. The meeting point pretty much dictates the terrain. Each ride has a leader who's responsible for coming up with the routes, distributing maps, collecting signatures on the waiver form, and riding sweep. Pace is specified. Some of the rides have more than one group, others just one.

I understand wanting to have more variety (say, if I wanted a slow, flat ride on a Wednesday night, I'd have to do it by myself), but I think that can get unmanageable really quick, even in a big club. If you do it the way COP does, then people who live centrally can still have a choice of date, pace and terrain, but you don't have to be constantly giving out information, finding new ride leaders, etc. "C" riders can be sure that when they show up, they're going to be welcome and they won't be dropped. "A" riders know whether or not they're going to be able to push themselves, or whether they'll have to take it easy to stay with the group. Somebody with bad knees can ride from one of the flat locations every week. And so on.

[pyxichick]

I appreciate the input. It's very helpful to hear from all types of riders. Our club is relatively small, since there are a lot of clubs here in town and we compete with all of them for members. My goal is to get more people out on the rides, and I think your suggestions will help me to organize, maybe not the perfect rides, but something that will make most people happy.

Thanks again,
Kate

[Zen]

I was rather frustrated with our club's group rides this past season. There was only one ride per week, so if that day didn't work for you you didn't ride with the group.

... I would suggest that you make sure your rides are publicized in a variety of ways and always give notice of a change or addition. And if possible, have more than one club ride a week so people with busy schedules are not always missing out.

Yup.