Joining in a club run.... pros and cons please?

guilliano

I have just bought my first serious road bike with a view to using it for fitness rides, the odd sportive and generally getting out when I don't want to use the MTB. I have considered joining a reasonably local club, but my reasons are less than noble....... there is a VERY attractive woman who is a customer in my shop who has told me I should come out with them at some point...... and she looks REALLY good in lycra!!! I have no intention of ever racing on my bike, so what are the pros and cons of joining a club if you aren't going to get involved with the serious side of it?

Edit: I seriously hope she doesn't come on this forum!

Frank the tank

IMHO Unless you're going to race in one form or another, there is not a lot of point in joining a club. You may aswell just ride with your mates or alone.

If you fancy the bird that patronises your shop just grab the bull by the horns and ask her out.

Feighnt heart NEVER won fair maid.

guilliano

OK, so there's a pro...... I have no mates that are roadies

Frank the tank

Just work on it, I'm sure you soon will have.

redddraggon

I've found joining a club encourages me to go out riding when I wouldn't otherwise.

Cafe stops are enjoyable.

I've ridden places I've never ridden before.

Ridden faster/fitness improved.

Meet new people, who you can learn a lot from.

The only downside I can see is that you might end up joining a club full of miserable buggers.

In summary give it a go, there won't be anything making you join the club, the best way of finding out if it's not for you is to give it a go.

Anonymous

Club runs are awesome, sometimes you can have abit of competition up the hills or on the flats, do abit of sprinting and just chat with people, I find it miles better than cycling on my own.

jibberjim

There are lots of club runs that are full of people who never race, have no interest in racing and just want an enjoyable ride with some friends.

If a girl you like has encouraged you to join her on a ride, you should probably go... she sounds a bit interested, you're a bit interested, erm - what's the worse that can happen?

Mark Alexander

You've answered your own question. If she's good looking (especially in lycra) and ASKED YOU TO JOIN HER then that's enough reason.


Other wise, the sunday run's always a good laugh if you pick the right one etc

markos1963

My riding has come on leaps and bounds since joining a club. I have a reference point to see how well I'm riding. Most of our club don't race but are experienced and fast and are usually keen to help if asked. the thrill of thrashing along in a group of 20 at 20mph+ is quite addictive. And as the missus isn't looking there are several cuties(female) who ride with the club!

Gavin Gilbert

Frank the tank wrote:

IMHO Unless you're going to race in one form or another, there is not a lot of point in joining a club. You may aswell just ride with your mates or alone.

If you fancy the bird that patronises your shop just grab the bull by the horns and ask her out.

Feighnt heart NEVER won fair maid.

Total cock :roll:

If it's a good club you'll find your horizons being broadened. I joined my first club as a commuter who rode the odd charity event and within a couple of years found myself enjoying Audax, track, time trial and serving on the committee.

System_1

guilliano wrote:

....... there is a VERY attractive woman who is a customer in my shop who has told me I should come out with them at some point......

What the hell are you waiting for? Get in/out there.

Anonymous

What RedDragon said. I have come on massively since joining a club and I have seen some amazing places on my doorstep that I would probably never ever have seen had I not been with them.

Club runs are awesome.

Frank the tank

Gavin Gilbert wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

IMHO Unless you're going to race in one form or another, there is not a lot of point in joining a club. You may aswell just ride with your mates or alone.

If you fancy the bird that patronises your shop just grab the bull by the horns and ask her out.

Feighnt heart NEVER won fair maid.

Total fool :roll:

If it's a good club you'll find your horizons being broadened. I joined my first club as a commuter who rode the odd charity event and within a couple of years found myself enjoying Audax, track, time trial and serving on the committee.

Total fool.

I believe you just have a problem with me Mr Gilbert

I could vent my spleen but it would be totally pointless as I'm no "cyber warrior" I'd just love to meet you face to face.

My opinion of joining a club was based purely on my experience of being a member of a cycling club. If it was a good one, I don't know, but that is the basis on which I based my opinion.

To describe me as a total fool for this observation is down to the fact we have had a difference of opinion previously on another subject.

Big Wib

redddraggon wrote:

I've found joining a club encourages me to go out riding when I wouldn't otherwise.

Cafe stops are enjoyable.

I've ridden places I've never ridden before.

Ridden faster/fitness improved.

Meet new people, who you can learn a lot from.

The only downside I can see is that you might end up joining a club full of miserable buggers.

In summary give it a go, there won't be anything making you join the club, the best way of finding out if it's not for you is to give it a go.

+1

but do remember clubs vary, so if you don't enjoy the first one, try another. it all depends what you're looking (apart from the obvious of course )

i joined because riding on my own for the distances i was doing was starting to get boring and i haven't regretted it.

Monty Dog

If you want to learn to ride properly, join a club. If you want to be a liability to other riders - don't! If you ride regularly with a group your fitness will increase considerably - average speed way above what you'd achieve on your own and you'll learn new routes too.

turkeytickler

most club riders dont race in me experience. club runs are great fun - sociable, a source of knowledge, new routes, and a chance to make friends with other people who share your interests...

HonestAl

I'm not a member of a club, and I'm now worried that I'm a liability to other riders. bum, now I'll have to do my best to keep clear of them, thanks for the tip

so let us all know how you get on with the lycra lass. Sure she'll love your horny new Defy Advaned.

Frank the tank

Monty Dog wrote:

If you want to learn to ride properly, join a club. If you want to be a liability to other riders - don't! If you ride regularly with a group your fitness will increase considerably - average speed way above what you'd achieve on your own and you'll learn new routes too.

I agree with some of what you say, what I don't understand and I'm sure others may want to know.

How does not being a member of a club make you a liability? I don't belong to a club and I certainly don't class myself as a liability on the road. :?

cee

Frank the tank

I am not sure that you were being called a fool by that chap. I suspect that the swear word filter changed the word 'sh1t' or 'cr&p' into 'fool'....

of course, perhaps another conversation on a different thread means that maybe he did!

Simon Notley

I'm not really sure that there are any cons to joining a club other than the subscription fees. Often less than £10 a year if they offer a 'non-racing' option and generally less than £20 even if they don't. Other than that, it just opens new opportunities to you that you can choose whether to take or not.

You don't have to join just to go along to a club ride though, so why not give it a go? Most clubs have far more non-racers or occasional racers than they have regular racers, so you'll hardly be the odd one out.

Some people are very anti-club, I'm not sure why this is, maybe they've just had a bad experience, or maybe it's just a fashion. I could speculate more about this, but I don;t want to hijack your thread.

Enjoy your riding, and good luck with the girl!

dennisn

Deleted

dennisn

The pro's definitely outweigh the cons and there are many pro's which have already been mentioned. As for the negatives, well, these things usually end up being impromptu
races on roads that are not marshaled, lots of guys end up taking chances(running stop signs, etc.) in order to either keep up or be the first to the convenience store at the turnaround. This can and has been disastrous to say the least. The fear of getting "dropped" often leads people to take all kinds of chances to keep up and even the
"hammering" required to keep up can exhaust you to the point of making bad decisions
while in a group or even on your own while trying to "catch". If you find yourself "trashed"
and barely able to hang on you've actually become a danger to others, not to mention yourself, and backing off is actually a damn good idea although it may not seem so at the time(you know, gotta keep up, gotta keep up).

Dennis Noward

markos1963

dennisn wrote:

The pro's definitely outweigh the cons and there are many pro's which have already been mentioned. As for the negatives, well, these things usually end up being impromptu
races on roads that are not marshaled, lots of guys end up taking chances(running stop signs, etc.) in order to either keep up or be the first to the convenience store at the turnaround. This can and has been disastrous to say the least. The fear of getting "dropped" often leads people to take all kinds of chances to keep up and even the
"hammering" required to keep up can exhaust you to the point of making bad decisions
while in a group or even on your own while trying to "catch". If you find yourself "trashed"
and barely able to hang on you've actually become a danger to others, not to mention yourself, and backing off is actually a damn good idea although it may not seem so at the time(you know, gotta keep up, gotta keep up).

Dennis Noward

i think that you are right to a certain extent, you do have to temper the need to keep up with the safety aspect. When I was knackered and almost spent I just drifted off the back, I knew that to carry on would put me and the group in danger. It was tough though as I knew I had 15 miles to ride into the wind on my own.

dennisn

markos1963 wrote:

dennisn wrote:

The pro's definitely outweigh the cons and there are many pro's which have already been mentioned. As for the negatives, well, these things usually end up being impromptu
races on roads that are not marshaled, lots of guys end up taking chances(running stop signs, etc.) in order to either keep up or be the first to the convenience store at the turnaround. This can and has been disastrous to say the least. The fear of getting "dropped" often leads people to take all kinds of chances to keep up and even the
"hammering" required to keep up can exhaust you to the point of making bad decisions
while in a group or even on your own while trying to "catch". If you find yourself "trashed"
and barely able to hang on you've actually become a danger to others, not to mention yourself, and backing off is actually a damn good idea although it may not seem so at the time(you know, gotta keep up, gotta keep up).

Dennis Noward

i think that you are right to a certain extent, you do have to temper the need to keep up with the safety aspect. When I was knackered and almost spent I just drifted off the back, I knew that to carry on would put me and the group in danger. It was tough though as I knew I had 15 miles to ride into the wind on my own.

I know what you're saying. It's tough to back down and face the road on your own, at
times. Still, at least you can ride at a pace that you still have your senses about you(even
if it is a bit, or a lot slower) and can concentrate on your own safety. Getting hit by a car or crashing can screw up your whole day.

Dennis Noward

Lysander

Just be careful about telling certain people where you live if you do join a club. I've had people coming round to my house uninvited. I joined a club to have people to ride with not to have them calling at my house expecting tea and cakes.

dennisn

Lysander wrote:

Just be careful about telling certain people where you live if you do join a club. I've had people coming round to my house uninvited. I joined a club to have people to ride with not to have them calling at my house expecting tea and cakes.

What kind of beer do you have? Can we stop by after work? Now that sounds like my club.

Dennis Noward

fnb1

just join the club, most clubs have no expectation of you racing, club rides are fun and sociable, you get to ride with varying levels of ability and will help with your fitness as you are bound to ride with some fiter than you (and some not if I am on the ride).

Aylesbury? which lcub are you thinking? Aylesbury CC, good bunch of folk that will welcome you ,

alternatively you can think High Wycombe CC, over 200 members so a wide mix of cycling interests and abilities.

Come along, give it a try, you may even find more that there is more one hot lady in lycra,

guilliano

I've thought about Aylesbury, Amersham, Milton Keynes and have just been informed of Hemel Hempstead. Would be nice to meet up with some fellow riders in a couple of weeks (am away this weekend).

volvicspar

I can't really think of any cons of a club run, but I don't like them. I don't like cafe stops and I don't like having to leave my bike outside a cafe. Yes I am paranoid. Prefer to make my own pace. :twisted:

Gav888

If she looks good in lycra, any pics?

MrT

Here's a thought for the best of both worlds. Go along for a few Sunday rides with said club...judge for yourself what the welcome's like and how much fun it is (or isn't) riding along in a group..at the same time do a bit of spade work on the lycra clad babe and go from there. The downside is she'll turn out to be married to a first cat roadie and you'll hate it..the upside..any other outcome.