Roadie Beginners in Oxford/Abingdon Area

Jayoxf

Is there anyone on here who lives in the above areas of Oxfordshire who is a relative beginner and wants to join up with like minded souls? I am 42, not overly fit but trying to get there, love my bike and want to develop my ability to ride but I am totally put off by the local road clubs, as they do not seem to cater for beginners.
I ride at weekends mainly but it has been patchy what with my work commitments and I feel I am missing out on really getting into my road cycling, or having the motivation to do so, particularly as I ride alone.
I would like to get into a proper routine with regular weekend runs and cafe stops (!), but I would prefer to do this with people of similar ability. Any ideas of how to achieve this? Am I doing my local road clubs a disservice by suggesting they are geared more towards hardcore roadies? Does anyone feel in the same boat as me? If so any offers, help or advice will be gratefully accepted!

matt-sport

just this summer i have joined didcot phoenix cycling club. i have to say stick with it, go in with a bit of confidence. the club should not expect you to be brilliant right away. when i joined it was just to improve my cycling section of triathlons but i have started to really enjoy it. the club will give you a nice carrot to get you out training. for instance my club does time trials every thursday night and they really made me want to train to get faster over the 10 mile distance. But joining a club is great fun have a look at didcot's website and get in touch with them via the forum.

http://www.didcotphoenix.co.uk/

if you live anywhere near didcot this is a superb club for you to join. Believe me i have been dropped within the first 10 min of a training ride and people aren't mean to you they encourage you to train harder and to keep up.

either way if you find a club you fancy going to give the club a ring and have a chat with them about joining and if you would be suitable. you'd be surprise how friendly clubs are!!!!!!!

hazychris

Two other clubs to consider in the area:

CTC Wantage, of which I am a member, there are regular rides at weekends and also on Tuesday evenings. There are rides from absolute beginner to all-day hilly rides - have a look at our new sparkly website and check out recent ride reports to give you an idea of the breadth of rides we do. The one thing we're not is a racing club, although we have a number of riders who do TTs with other clubs, notably Didcot Phoenix. http://www.ctcwantage.org.uk/. To get a feel for the grades of rides we have, take a look at: http://www.ctcwantage.org.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/rides-descriptions-v1.pdf for the general idea.

Also there has been a recent group of cyclists formed in Abingdon itself - "Freewheeling" - launched with a mass-participation day where over 200 cyclists went out on various leisure rides in the local area. You can find them here: http://www.abingdonfreewheeling.org.uk/. There seems to be quite a "buzz" around the starting of this group - it'll be interesting to see how it matures!

Jayoxf

Thanks for the replies folks. I think I might take a look at Freewheelers in Abingdon as they seem to incorporate a road element that might suit me. I'd like to develop that confidence & stamina before going along to one of the established roadie clubs, but some great suggestions - thanks.