group rides seem intimidating (Washington DC/Silver Spring, MD)

[TxDoc]

So many good rides!
I wish I had seen this two days ago - I was up in Bethesda this past weekend and that gorgeous weather was inspiring to ride
Next time I come up I will join you ladies!

[pfunk12]

pfunk12 - gosh, that warms my heart to hear. I have no idea if I can do it, but the thought of giving up my bike out of boredom makes me very sad. It's a JOY to ride.
After reading ny rider's post, is there some sort of baseline that I should train towards before trying that ride? It's ideal because that group rides every week.

Rain - I think I'm an oddity so I don't have the best advice. Because I was a long-distance competitive runner, a lot of my strength and endurance came from my running. I had only been riding seriously for a few months before I started doing the group rides and I think one of the main reasons that I could hang was due to the miles I put in from running. I'm wondering if someone else who has much more riding experience (7?) can answer your question about baseline.

[pfunk12]

So many good rides!
I wish I had seen this two days ago - I was up in Bethesda this past weekend and that gorgeous weather was inspiring to ride
Next time I come up I will join you ladies!

You should have let us know you were going to be here!! So yes, next time get in touch.

[pfunk12]

Hey 7Rider and Pfunk, some Sunday I'd like to join you and the group on your morning ride. I've not ridden out that way and would like to take part. I'll send an email the night before just to touch base and make sure you plan on doing the Sunday ride.

Hey K - Sounds great. Just let us know.

[rain]

Tulip, REI is exactly where I took the maintenance class - it was good. A refresher couldn't hurt though. Plus it was good to talk to people.

Catriona, thanks for your story. I'm scared of that happening to me but I think I over exaggerate in my head how bad that would be.

I like the suggestion to try the Potomac Peddler/Oxon Hill rides. I had hoped for something more convenient. The ride out of the bike shop is enviable because it's regular and the timing and location are perfect. But I've gotta get in the mix, so I'll start with the other groups.

I'll post on the mid atlantic forum -- I'd like suggestions for local solo rides ranging 40 - 60 miles.

[rain]

[QUOTE=Catriona;495836]Rain, the worst thing that has ever happened to me riding alone was that a chain broke and I walked my bike 7 miles home. But then I tend to ride out in farm land. Now I keep a chain tool & a spare chain connector thing (the sram powerlinks) on my bikes. But if I'd been farther, I'd have just headed for a coffee shop or mcdonald's or whatever, called a friend and sat there twiddling my thumbs or posting facebook status updates on my cell phone till I got a rescue.
I have to remind myself that there's internet everywhere!


A few of us on here are riding in the terry wild goose chase in October if you need another group ride to do. I think Kalidurga posted something about a Baltimore park group ride that's in June. I might be doing that with her and she & I probably ride about your speed.

Thanks for letting me know about these rides. I would be interested in both. though first I'm gonna ride this weekend and see where I'm at.

Also, would you be willing to tell me some of the routes you go? It might help me with ideas for ride routes to either build off of Beach Drive or just go elsewhere.

[aicabsolut]

I tend to do group rides with a bunch of racers, so not quite what you're looking for... However, riding with people who can really kick my butt has made me a lot stronger and better at riding in groups.

I know a lot of good roads between Rock Creek and Poolesville if you want to hit me up for some route suggestions.

[coolcreek]

Hi there,
I'm new here---a bethesda native who just started riding again after 20 years! Hope to be up to speed for group rides somewhat soon---glad to see that there is so much happening in the area!

[pfunk12]

Welcome, coolcreek!

[mariacycle]

Rain - so glad you posted this. I'm a NOVA/DC rider and I'm petrified of riding with a group... I'm thinking about joining a local cycling group but I'm afraid that I'm not in good enough shape to keep up with a C group but that anything lower might be boring?

Side question: when people are in a group that goes (say) 16mph for a 30 mile ride, are you expected to stay at 16mph the whole time or is that for flat surfaces? TIA!

[ny biker]

Well, my experience with PPTC is:

According to the description of their ride classifications, I am a CC rider. However, in practice, people who show up for the CC rides that I do are not necessarily in that category. Apparently many people choose rides based on start location, route and distance, regardless of their usual average speed. Add to that the fact that I'm slow going uphill, and I usually get dropped by most of the group early in the ride.

However this does not really bother me. So what if I'm slower than they are? It doesn't mean I'm any better or worse as a person. And I'm not so much slower that I never see anyone else on the ride. There tends to be someone just up ahead or not far behind me, and when I get to the rest stop there's still a crowd of people there.

I don't know about the C rides because I haven't tried any; they're generally shorter than I want or include a long lunch stop or otherwise do not meet my needs. I have heard from a friend that the C rides tend to be more friendly than the faster rides. And based on the ride descriptions for D rides, they seem to be much more social and laid back.

There are some combined C/D rides, so you might want to start with one of those to see if you like it. You can try one or two rides before you join to make sure you really want to spend the money on membership. So worst case scenario is that you conclude that it's just not the right group for you, but at least you tried.

[indysteel]

Generally speaking--and I stress the generally--the posted speed for a group ride is the average speed. Meaning that you will likely be going both slower and faster than the posted speed at times. Keep in mind, though, that you are generally able to go faster in a group than you can by yourself thanks to the magic of drafting.

[mariacycle]

ny_biker - the start locations for PPTC under the website are only accessible by members, but I'm interested to know where rides start to know whether or not a membership would be worth it. Do they only start in DC or do they start in NOVA as well. Do they use the W&OD?

[ny biker]

ny_biker - the start locations for PPTC under the website are only accessible by members, but I'm interested to know where rides start to know whether or not a membership would be worth it. Do they only start in DC or do they start in NOVA as well. Do they use the W&OD?

Actually I think mores rides start in NOVA or Md than in DC. After a quick skim of the April rides it looks like only a few start within DC -- all the rest start outside the city. Some rides are on the WOD. Some are all on road and some are a combination of trails and roads. The ride descriptions usually say if any trails are involved.

Here are the C and D rides that are scheduled for this Saturday. (There's a ride leader's contact information provided for each ride in case you have questions -- I didn't include that here.)

D/C * 18/24 * MD * 10:30 AM * College Park - UMD Metro Station
Maryland Woodlands and Streams Circuit Ride. Pedal along the Anacostia River and Paint Branch. See tornado devastation at College Park and a caboose at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park. Have lunch near the University of Maryland. This ride is almost entirely flat and on paved trails (and briefly on the road). Meet at the College Park - UMD Metro Station

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C * 30ish * VA * 10 AM * Belle Haven Picnic Area (BEL)
Something Different. Depending on the weather we will either bike down to Fort Belvoir with a stop at the Starbucks or if the weather is nice enough to have lunch at an outdoor cafe we will do some neighborhood riding and then finish up at the National Harbor for lunch. If the weather is doubtful, call leader the morning of the ride or check club website ride forum for last minute updates.



Here are the rides for April 10:

D/C/CC * 20-30 * VA * 10:30 AM * Vienna Comm unity Center (VCC)
Potomac Overlook Park-Arlington. A Mini Biking Festival 2 and a lunch with intelligent conversation in the Rock Bear Restaurant (Lee Hwy and W&OD intersection) or after ride in Vienna, Maple Ave and TBD. "D" leader Steven Jones W&OD/ Custis Trails and Military Rd, "C" leader Eugene Grunby Falls Church/McLean/Arlington (Military Rd) return with "D"s, and "CC" leader Woody Lipinski Falls Church/McLean/Arlington plus Heavenly Hills of Arlington (two big hills) no biking on the Custis trail.


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C * 27 (MH) * VA * 10 AM * Gunston ES (GES)
Lorton Springfield Loop. Here's a challenging ride that's half rural, half Northern Virginia suburban. Follow up and down hills with part of the route going past the old Lorton Penitentiary in the latter half. Lunch afterwards at a nearby eatery. In the event of questionable weather, a cancellation will be posted on the web site an hour before the ride start. If you need directions, do an internet map search on Gunston ES, Lorton, VA.

Here is one for April 11:

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C/CC(MF) * 31&50 * VA * 10:30 PM * Brentsville Historical Park, Brentsville * 45°/50%
Unpainted Country Lanes. Perfect for "C" riders who hate hills, "CC" riders who love a pace line, and tandems. I always get great compliments about this ride. It goes on paved but many unpainted roads and twists around country lanes like a colander full of spaghetti. And yet there are plenty of long, uninterrupted stretches. Traffic is minimal and the route hardly has hills. Ascent for both distances is a flat-ish 30 feet per mile. Toilet probably not available at ride start. Rest stop at 15 miles in Nokesville Park - no snacks, some water - and another for the longer route at the Bristerburg store. (Directions: Brentsville Park, 12291 Bristow Rd, Bristow 20136, behind the Presbyterian Church - use GPS, Mapquest, or similar for directions.) Tour the site after the ride. Questions? Call me at home NLT 2 hours prior to ride start or on cell thereafter.

[ny biker]

For anyone who's thinking they might want to join Potomac Pedalers, the annual picnic ride is on May 2 in Nokesville, VA. I wasn't able to attend this ride in past years, but I think it is a good opportunity for non-members to learn about the club. I am planning to go this year (although if it's cold and rainy like last year I reserve the right to turn off the alarm clock and go back to sleep. )

Here is the description:

Nokesville Picnic Ride in Virginia

Start: 05/02/2010 - 09:00
End: 05/02/2010 - 14:00
Timezone: Etc/GMT-5
Sunday, May 2, 2010

A Great Start to a New Cycling Season!

Last year’s multi-class Nokesville Picnic Ride will be repeated Sunday, May 2nd at the Nokesville Community Park in Nokesville, VA. We are stressing going “green” at this picnic by encouraging lots of recycling, etc. (Remember you can check the ride share forum on the PPTC website to see if people can share car trips out there.) As always, it’s open to everyone, new, old and non-members. It’s a great way to meet people who are not in your normal ride class.

After the ride we will gather at the pavilion for free hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, etc. We’ll provide drinks, plates, napkins, cups, utensils, and condiments but anyone should feel free to bring their own reusable plates or utensils (to keep the trash down.) As always, everyone is encouraged to bring a dish – salad, chips, other side dishes or desserts - to share. The potluck is usually excellent! Hope for a lovely day though this is a rain or shine event because the pavillion is large and quite nice.

This is a multi-class ride with something for everyone. There will be rides from 10-51 miles, covering classes from A to D. Check the May ride schedule for exact times for each of the rides.

An information table will be available before and after the rides to answer questions anyone might have from finding the right ride or how to join the club.