Group Bike Rides

(Posted by Kristy Andrews)

These GROUP divisions will be in effect as of THURSDAY MARCH 20th, 2008, so that it might help make the rides friendlier for everyone. PLEASE decide which division is best for you.  Start times will move back to 6:00 pm for ALL groups starting APRIL 15th.

"RACE" GROUP - meets at Howard at 6:00 pm, with most of those riders being comprised of a few local racers and the "Security Bank Cycling Team", BUT anyone else is welcome to ride with them, they are always looking for NEW blood and a way to promote racing. They are on a hard training ride (most of the time) and will not wait for you if they drop you, so take a map if you are unfamiliar.

"A" GROUP - meets at the North Presbyterian Church on the corner of Rivoli and Bass, approximate average speed of 19 to 20+ mph. This group will leave the parking lot at 5:30 pm. No designated waiting points (every man for himself). TUES. ride - Zebulon/Pate and THURS. ride Bonner Gilbert route.

"B" GROUP - meets at the North Presbyterian Church on the corner of Rivoli and Bass, approximate average speed of 17 to 18+ mph. This group will leave the parking lot at 5:35 pm. Plan to do the same route as the "A" group (if an "A" group rider gets dropped... and you wait long enough - the "B" group should catch up). The "B" group will have 2-3 designated re-grouping points depending on the route.

"C" GROUP - meets at the North Presbyterian Church on the corner of Rivoli
and Bass, approximate average speed of 14 to 16 mph. This group will
leave the parking lot at 5:45ish pm.

This is basically how the rides worked last year and I believe last year was great riding season for everyone. Also, please help by asking around and make sure everyone knows the route. There are maps on this website if you are uncertain of the roads. We need to watch and help the new people that come out, so we make sure they will continue to come out and ride with us. It's discouraging to come to the ride, get dropped, not know where you are, or your way back. So EVERYONE please make an effort to make all new riders welcome. Even if that means you have to ride a little slower for one day.

More information from Bill Causey:

The group bike rides are every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 PM sharp at Howard Middle School. There are essentially 2 groups, a more competitive group and a more casual group. The competitive group usually consists of about 18-25 riders and the other group is only slightly smaller. The competitive group rides the same route every Tuesday and another route on Thursday. The routes are mapped at Bike-Tech. The casual group determines their route each night as they leave the parking lot. The competitive group routes are 35 miles each and tend to be very hard efforts. There is no waiting for those that get dropped, so if you ride with that group, be sure you know the courses and don't get your feelings hurt. These are hard training sessions for hard riders and should be viewed as such. Over the years, everyone has experienced being cut from the herd and riding in alone.
 
We try to stress safety and good rider etiquette as we share the roads with cars and trucks. We also practice group riding skills to become better bike riders.
Everyone is welcome, there are riders of almost all levels in these groups from the newbie to the hardcore.
 
The HARD rules are:
 
We leave the parking lot at 6:00! Don't drive up at 6:01 and expect the groups to wait for you.
 
Helmets are MANDATORY! You will not be allowed to ride with us without a helmet. We don't want to be responsible for your brain injury or death.
 
You must bring tools and tire changing stuff for your bike. If you flat and cannot change a tire, someone will assist you. (This is a one-time offer)
 
We're serious about the rider etiquette stuff. Bicycle riders already have an image problem with drivers, we don't need to make it worse.  Remember, "Share the Road" works both ways.