My first group ride...

[GLC1968]

I keep having women in town come up to me when I'm on my bike and say stuff to me like "Oh I wish I could get my old bike out of the garage and get riding again, but I'd never be good at it or fast enough." I always tell them to just haul it out, take it to the local sport store for a tune-up, and then call me. I tell them I'd be thrilled to ride around the school parking lots for a while with them until they feel safe and then we could go on some short really easy rides. They then always object that they'd be "too slow" for me, and I have to reiterate again how I would absolutely LOVE to ride some beginner rides with them, that I am not so fast as they might think, and how I was in exactly the same place last summer as they are now, and what are they waiting for? So far no takers, but I WON'T give up. Someday I hope to be able to spread around some of the joy that biking has given to me.

Lisa - I'm so glad that you enjoyed your first group ride! I ride alone or just with DH a lot, so I actually still get nervous about every group ride where I don't know who's going to show up! Even now...3 summers after I started!

Anyway, I also wanted to comment on what you said above. I get a similar reaction from women at work. I'd love to get more women involved with athletics (biking in particular). I joined up with our company's MS150 team as the only woman 2 years ago in the hopes that it would inspire other women to come out. It seems to have had the opposite affect! They all think I'm some kind of super athlete (grouping me in the same circles as the marathoners at our office) and I keep trying to convince them that I'm nothing special and that anyone can ride. If you find a good way of encouraging those women, please share! I'd love to know what else I can do. Self-deprecation doesn't seem to work!

[pyxichick]

Just a couple more things about group rides...

Last year when I first started riding, I jumped right in and did a women's group ride about a month after I bought my bike. I was so nervous that someone had to tell me "okay, get on your bike." Everyone was very encouraging, and they all waited at the tops of the big hills until the last rider caught up and then waited longer so that last rider could catch her breath before starting up again. I find that this is pretty common in women's group rides around here, especially if it is aimed at beginner riders.

Try to learn about the etiquitte of the group you're riding with before the start of the ride. I remember one ride where the leader kept taking off at a pace that nobody else could keep up with. Once she explained that she was doing intervals, and that she would come back to the group in between her sets, everyone was okay with that and we knew she wasn't going to leave us on some unfamiliar route.

Group rides can definitely push you beyond your comfort zone, which is a great thing if you're trying to improve your cycling. Or they can just be social gatherings on wheels. This is where the A,B,C ratings come in handy!

One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is that group rides are a great way to meet new friends who share your passion. I've met more interesting people in the past year through cycling than any other avenue.

Don't be afraid to try the group ride. There's nothing like cruising along in a peleton and thinking "this is so cool." And if it's a group of all women-- then all the better!

cheers,
kate

[lauraelmore1033]

Cheers on starting the group ride thing! I jsut started riding with a group myself and have found it fun, challenging, frustrating and helpful all at once. Your decription illustrates how that is possible. I'm finding that I'm improving a lot faster with groups than I would in my own little hubby bubble. Not that hubby bubble is a bad thing, but mixing things up is even better It is funny how few women show up to the rides in my club too. I think back on my own hesitation to join and I know why that is. It is a good thing you are considering, to encourage other women to ride

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

An interesting development today along the group riding theme....

That fellow Ed with the local new club that I did my very first group ride with last sunday cancelled tomorrow's ride due to temps in the 30's. But DH and I don't mind the 30's at all, so we are riding anyway this weekend...

So we went to town for our usual breakfast before our ride, leaving our two bikes outside the cafe. After a while I saw a guy in bike garb sitting outside with his coffee (at 28 degreesF) and saw that he had a recumbant bike there. Cool! He came in for a refill and I was going to ask him about his bike when he came up to us and said "I just had to stop here and see who belonged to the two Rivendells out there."
Turns out this guy is the president of a large cycling group that covers a big area (NY Mohawk/Hudson region) including ours. A lot of their rides are quite a ways from us, but there a few nearer us as well. They are large enough so that they have different level rides always plainly described. He lives in a town not far from us. He asked if he could join us on our little ride today, and so the 3 of us went for a very lovely 18 mile ride through the country before we parted ways and he headed another direction towards his home. We had a great time.
His recumbant was really cool. But weird how from the back he looks like he's only a torso with no legs! He says people say that all the time, but that people also ask him if he can walk- they think the recumbant is like a special wheelchair bike or something.
We all chatted while we rode and found out we had music in common as well- I never felt like he wanted to go faster than our usual pace (though I know he easily could have)- it was very enjoyable and no pressure. He told me there was a 70 year old lady in a town near us who last year led a wednesday evening ride every week of 10-13mph level- just about my speed! I am now waiting to hear from her via email. I could really feel at ease in a ride like that I think. I hope she is still planning to do it this year.

This was an exciting and very fun day for me!

[SouthernBelle]

Sounds like a good day. I would love to try out a 'bent.

[Mr. Bloom]

DH and I don't mind the 30's at all, so we are riding anyway this weekend...

Wow! What hardy folks you are!!!

[Triskeliongirl]

Lisa, it sounds like you are disocovering the social side of cycling, which I think it great. As an adult, I find its much harder to make friends than when we were students. However, group riding gives you an instant connection with people. I have found that I have a lot in common with people that ride, and its not just the riding we have in commin, its the kind of people that like to ride. While most of our socializing takes place on the bike, we do have holiday parties, baby showers, wedding showers, etc. As we are nearly empty nesters, I have enjoyed expanding my social circle.