How many of you have met/ridden with other forum members you didn't already know?

[Amira]

I thought it might be an interesting question to find out how small the world is, even though we're spread all over the place geographically. Have you ever actually met and ridden with people you've met on this forum and if so, when and tell us about it.


I'm a newbie here, but on Day 1, I realized that, even though we are from completely different cities, I had just done the same ride as zoom-zoom - the JDRF Ride to Cure in Lake Tahoe. We didn't actually meet in person that weekend, but I definitely saw her group around the whole weekend (the JDRF riders were a small subset - 135 or so - of the much larger Tour De Tahoe). I thought that was pretty cool to make that connection and I think we both could agree that it was an amazing experience - not just the ride, but the whole weekend vibe. I'm sure we'll meet in person sometime in the future because I intend to be riding in JDRF rides for a long time to come. Gotta love serendipity at work.

[Crankin]

I have met and ridden with at least 10-15 TE members. Well, I take that back, a couple I have met, but no rides. I have regularly ridden with 2 people from the forum, although one I no longer see.
I really enjoy having the connections with cyclists all over; I've met a few and some have helped with trip planning for travel.

[OakLeaf]

I haven't ridden with anyone, but I've met three TE'rs offline. Then, like you, there were twice when it turned out I was in the same place/same event with someone and didn't realize it until after the fact.

[lph]

Considering that we're what, four members or so in Norway? and two of them live 7 hours away, I feel quite privileged to have met two of them! Duck on Wheels I met once when she was in Oslo for a meeting, Trigress I met briefly here at home, she inherited some gear from me or something. And apparently her dh spotted me on my regular commute one day :-) Haven't ridden with anyone.

[Catrin]

I've ridden with 3 TE members, and met several more that I've not had a chance to ride with.

[TrekDianna]

No, I wish I had thought to post an idea about a meet up place for those of us who just were in WA at the Cycle the Wave, that would have been fun.

[zoom-zoom]

I'm a newbie here, but on Day 1, I realized that, even though we are from completely different cities, I had just done the same ride as zoom-zoom - the JDRF Ride to Cure in Lake Tahoe. We didn't actually meet in person that weekend, but I definitely saw her group around the whole weekend (the JDRF riders were a small subset - 135 or so - of the much larger Tour De Tahoe). I thought that was pretty cool to make that connection and I think we both could agree that it was an amazing experience - not just the ride, but the whole weekend vibe. I'm sure we'll meet in person sometime in the future because I intend to be riding in JDRF rides for a long time to come. Gotta love serendipity at work.

It totally KILLS me that we were just yards away from one-another for much of the weekend and didn't even make the TE connection...d'oh!

I've ridden with limewave several times. We first met during a women's road ride a couple of Summers ago. Somehow we made the realization that we knew one-another from TE. Now we've done some mountain biking together, too. She's also done mtn bike training and racing with my DH (and they have pretty much identical levels of ability).

[Pedal Wench]

Kacie and I met here on TE and we just did RAAM together after meeting only twice in real life! (Thanks again, Kacie!!!!!)

[shootingstar]

I asked this question a few years ago but didn't add on "ride together", on this forum. Many interesting answers: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...eet+te+members

My response on TE a few years ago:

Let's see --have met only 6 (Vancouver & Seattle). Will meet #7 soon! (Atlanta, Georgia)
When I joined really had no expectation to meet anyone in person. It was more to be part of a female-centred cycling internet discussion group.

I have participated in previous bike forums elsewhere, where I met with 3, each woman in different situations/places. They were from: Toronto, Netherlands and New Mexico. Netherlands woman was doing a worldwide bike ride and was an esperanto enthusiast.

But since then, I haven't met anyone else through TE forums.

[Crankin]

This thread made me think about some of the TE members who I have met and ridden with, who no longer post. In 2005-2007 I led a Labor Day ride. One year there were like 10 people! I remember a lunch on a cold late fall day at the Friutlands in Harvard... someone gave me a pair of mountain bike shoes, free! I wonder how Massbike Babe is doing?
I've eaten breakfast with Veronica and her DH, met Mimi and Salsa for lunch in Seattle, seen SheFly and Wavedancer do a cross race, done a 50 mile hilly ride from Great Barrington to Chatham, NY to meet Bleecker St (Lisa, where are you???), and then there was that field trip to the Arcadian Shop for the Ibex sale... where my DH spent more on wool than 3 women combined. I've met SheFly for many cups of coffee, and of course, Hirakukibou, whom I pretty much ride with once a week.
It does seem amazing. Some of my friends from the real world always question that I am meeting people that I know "from the Internet." I always tell them that so far, I haven't met any deranged cyclists.

[shootingstar]

The key thing is to meet in a safe public place.
My partner has also met some TE members (mimi, salsa, NByNW, Grog, skihill). We have also met some of their hubbies.

And keep it simple: love for cycling and doing some cycling.

[OakLeaf]

I met DH "from the Internet." Now, this was in the early '90s and things were way different then. Plus he was a sysop, which gave an extra level of security. Honestly, the old Compuserve was more like TE, though now with Facebook things have sort of come back around again - but some of the BBSs and listservs back in the day, yeah, you kinda did have to be wary of the axe murderers.

Some of my friends from the real world always question that I am meeting people that I know "from the Internet." I always tell them that so far, I haven't met any deranged cyclists.

[Amira]

Some of my friends from the real world always question that I am meeting people that I know "from the Internet." I always tell them that so far, I haven't met any deranged cyclists.

Ah, mine ask that too! I actively participate on another fitness/food forum and I've really gotten to know a group of women really well from it. We always refer to ourselves as 'friends who live in our computers.' Even though we are scattered all over the place (most in US, but from Cali to New England, one is @ The Hague). Several of them have met (a few from NE went to Boston to watch one do the Boston Marathon this year). The cyclists are talking about meeting at some ride next year. I think it's really cool that people can form real friendships with people they would have otherwise never ever met.

And, my college roommate met her hubbie on the 'internets' - way back in the early days of online dating.