Still Looking for a New Year’s Resolution? Try a group ride.

[vvill]

@jrenaut 12799 wrote:

Speaking of which, any other parents of small children interested in kid-in-bike-trailer-friendly rides?

I’d also be interested although I don’t know if either of my kids enjoys it enough to be actually worth dragging along. I have a kid carriage thing that attaches to the non-drive side chainstay for my son and also a front seat for my daughter (yet to ride with both of them together). I’m not sure could get anywhere too far with my kid in the kid carriage (it doesn’t fit in my car) before he gets bored. Most rides with him are 15 mins max. But by the time it warms up again I’ll have a better idea I think. It might be easier to just take my daughter in the front seat, depending on how her temperament goes…

@Tim Kelley 12806 wrote:

I would be interested. I went out to do the Conte’s/Freshbikes group hill ride a few weeks ago and it was tough! Going downhill the added weight didn’t make up for the added wind resistance, and going uphill with the motivation of staying with the group was quite a challenge.

I think their ride is tough enough without a kid! I’ve only done their ride once and I think it was the hills ride (up Military, back down Williamsburg I think).

@jabberwocky 12822 wrote:

…

It wasn’t a fun experience for me. I’m coming from the MTB world, where people are far more friendly and social, and leaders go out of their way to keep the group together.

Interesting. I’d always seen roadies as elitist/snobby and road cycling sort of at odds with my idea of cycling as a more utilitarian activity, probably because almost all the cycling I’d done was recreational or commuting. Bikes to me were always great machines, marvels of engineering – not something to be dressed up all shiny and ridden in skin tight clothes. That was perhaps one reason I never owned a road bike until last year (it was partly watching the Tour de France in depth that changed my mind – that and realising how much fun it is to ride a fast bike). The few roadies I’ve actually managed to talk to though have all been friendly – but I rarely go on group rides. It definitely helps to know at least one other person first. My first attempt was the Conte’s/Freshbikes one above, which seemed ok, but I did a century after that with a fellow commuter/ex-colleague and we (along with several others) got screamed at by a small group (riding a lot faster) for not riding all the way on the right single file even though we were out in the countryside and moved over whenever there was passing traffic. This was at least 55 miles into the ride as well. :rolleyes:

I’m planning to try one of the Reston Bike Club rides this year but otherwise I’ll stick to trying the casual “no-drop” ones run by shops, since I don’t have time for more than a couple rides a week I’d guess. PP have a LOT of rides listed but I find their more formal setup a bit intimidating for some reason. I wouldn’t expect any of them to compare to Dirt’s Kill Bill anyway! When is the next one gonna be?

[FFX_Hinterlands]

FABB (Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling) will be hosting some casual rides this year. We’re going to focus on a fun topic or destination with an emphasis on cycling for transportation. Heck, I don’t even own any spandex or have a cycling computer, so no worries there

So more to come on the rides… I’ll post on this forum.

Thanks,

Tom

[Arlingtonrider]

The Sunday morning “Lunch in Shirlington” Arlington Loop group rides are paced as advertised (avg. speed 10-12 mph) and usually include a sweep. All are welcome. The ride is advertised through Potomac Pedalers and is also listed on BikeArlington’s “Maps and Rides” page. (Not a good ride for kids/trailers though.)

Update regarding 1-22-2012 ride: I won’t always be able to keep this up to date, but I received word that this ride is cancelled for Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. For updates regarding cancellations for any other week, please check the ride announcements at http://www.potomacpedalers.org. The ride generally goes year round, but there are occasional cancellations, esp. during the winter.

It’s a fun and lively group that often gets together for lunch even when the ride is cancelled. Lunch this Sunday will be at T.H.A.I. in Shirlington at noon. (All are welcome, but please email ron.truworthy@yahoo.com if you can so he will know how large a table to reserve.)

[eminva]

Thanks for posting, Tom and Arlingtonrider. I haven’t ever really done a group ride, but I was despairing of being up to the task given the reports posted here by some of the faster cyclists (compared to me, anyway).

Weekends tend to be nuts at our house, but I hope to be able to work in the Arlington Loop ride and Shirlington lunch some weekend. And I will definitely do all I can to support any FABB rides out in my neck of the woods.

Thanks.

Liz

[gtmandsager]

There are two rides that leave from the Bicycle Pro Shop in Georgetown on Sundays at 10am, led by my team, District Velocity Racing. The rides both head north up Macarthur and into Potomac, there’s a fast tempo 60 mile ride and then a more mellow 40 miler that leaves 5 minutes later. The 40-mile ride is no-drop, there are a couple regroup points after hilly sections, and I would guess we go 19-20 on the flat sections. If you’re interested, PM me and I can give you more details and try to meet up for the ride.

[acc]

There is a group ride for everyone who manages to keep the rubber side down (most of the time).

Community Rides: Low-key, relaxed, usually minimal Lycra rides.
Some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike involved Dirt, a community ride, and a vuvuzela.

Social Rides: Generally low-key, usually Lycra is involved, focus on cooperation and education, secondary focus: food. These can be very fun or a complete bore depending upon who shows up and what kind of rapport develops during the ride. But who cares? It’s an investment of a few hours. I would say all D rides and most C rides as defined by Potomac Pedalers fit into this category. Perhaps some rides out of the LBS fall into this category.

Serious Rides: Honestly, they are fun. But ride into them with your eyes wide open and your ego in check. I’ve ridden so hard in some of them I’ve almost thrown up. But for me, that’s my idea of fun. Set your own limits ahead of time, have a plan for what to do if you get dropped, ride within your abilities. The benefit of riding with stronger people is you learn to ride faster, work harder and see what is possible. Maybe you’ll be able to keep up for ten miles the first time. Next time try to keep up for twelve. For me a ride like Contes/Fresh Bikes is tough, so is the Wakefield Park Ride if I’m riding with the B group.

Happy trails,
ann

[elcee]

Bicycle Space DC does a “Cupcake Ramble” on Saturdays. During the warmer months it’s led by Sol Schott, who’s an actual baker. The rides are 10-15 miles long; the last time I went, we rode to the Arboretum, had Sol’s deliciously decadent chocolate brownies, then rode back to the shop. You do have to be comfortable riding on city streets, but there’s usually not a lot of traffic in that part of town.

[acc]

I hope over time when folks have good experiences with group rides they will post here and tell the rest of us. That would be tremendously helpful. There’s nothing worse than showing up expecting a hit and giggle ride and finding yourself on a death march. I once rode with Satan. Seriously, it was July and the ride was 70 miles. The dude showed up dressed completely in black. That should have been my first clue…

ann

[KLizotte]

@acc 12890 wrote:

I hope over time when folks have good experiences with group rides they will post here and tell the rest of us. That would be tremendously helpful. There’s nothing worse than showing up expecting a hit and giggle ride and finding yourself on a death march. I once rode with Satan. Seriously, it was July and the ride was 70 miles. The dude showed up dressed completely in black. That should have been my first clue…

ann

Ann, I thought you weren’t a vehicular cyclist so where are these super difficult rides taking place? I presume they must be on the roads and not the trails. Just curious…

Kathy

[acc]

I freely admit to being a coward but I can play the odds with the best of them. A pack of twenty or more riders makes the likelihood of me having an unfortunate misunderstanding with a four-wheeled vehicle lower. Of course riding in a pack raises other issues.

To my credit or stupidity I’m riding more in the streets alone. Yesterday I was on a road I didn’t care for much. Lots of traffic moving quickly, no bike lane. In situations like that I wish I had a bright yellow jersey with the words, “Caution Wide Load” on the back. But I’m lucky, 90% of my interactions with vehicles are positive.

ann

[Author]

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