Reorganizing a bike club

[spokewench]

I've been riding women's group rides for years so here is my 2cents. Mixed group rides with a and b groups can work - but usually they work better when you have large groups, and the way people have described rides above is always a good thing so that people know what they are coming for.

I would recommend that you do most rides like the ones above - i.e split into two groups, but ask that those groups each have a ride leader and that if people get ahead, they regroup. i.e. both groups do not stay together, but they regroup as group 1 and 2 so that those groups stay together. All these things need to be stated at the beginning of the ride; if the ride leader is continually chasing one or two people, they need to ask them to either abide by the rules or ride by themselves.

The other thing that is really good and supportive for all is to have at least one ride a month and more often if you can with a good ride leader. This one is a no drop ride - Usually, I keep these rides together in a double paceline kind of idea, teaching people how to ride close together, etc. the better riders are there to teach the not so experienced riders. I try to do these on wide, not too hilly routes. If there are hills, I let the riders climb at their own speed, but when they hit the top of the hill, they either turn around and escort riders back up or stop and wait and regroup.

spoke

[SadieKate]

I like the name of this weekly LBS ride

Susan B's "Don't Pass Me, or Else!" Road Ride
Monday evenings, 5:00 pm. This 1 1/2 hour social road ride is open to women and well-mannered men. 14-15mph average.

Others are:
Jacob's "I'm not a Racer" Beginner Mountain Bike Ride
Eric's "I'm not a Racer...Anymore" Intermediate Mountain Bike Ride

You might consider Irulan's event-based ride ideas and make the titles funny, incorporating speed and no-drop expectations. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who passes Susan is no longer part of that day's ride and no one is required to keep track of them.

The 2nd tells you that skills and speed are low, and the 3rd tells you that the pace requires aerobic fitness but expert skills are not required.

All the titles are more welcoming and friendly than just "Wedneday Night Ride."

[Nokomis]

You've received great feedback so far.

Things that have worked for us:

Weekly ride - so that members don't have to wait a month for the long ride. Also builds community by seeing the group frequently.

Outgoing ride leaders - to build and maintain a welcoming community. Greet the new members, set expectations for groups, chat on route. Encourage your extroverts to step up into a ride leader role; or give them leadership tasks, such as mentoring a new person.

Start & Stop somewhere social. Try riding from a coffee shop or deli parking lot (locally own & managed, if possible) so that you have a place to eat & hang out after the ride. Again, building community, both for your club and for your local community.

Small groups - breaking down the ride into speed or intensity ensures that you can start and finish together. Smaller groups offer more opportunity for conversation. Don't underestimate the power of building group riding skills along the way... this opens up many opportunities for conversation, and is the reason you're all out there to begin with!

[Pedal Wench]

We have a weekly ride, and we try to find out ahead of time if someone is new and doesn't know the route. In that case, we make sure someone's looking out for them. We typically split into two groups, but again, make sure someone's in the back group who knows the route. Lately, we've had a few folks coming back from injuries, so they've volunteered to lead the 'Z' group, so anyone who wants to come and try the ride to see if they can keep up will know there's a slower group coming up behind. When some women wanted to move up from the Z group to the main group, we made sure we had a sweep willing to ride with them. Our biggest problem was finding someone willing to ride sweep.