1st Club ride for a beginner - My Experiences

Thelittlesthobo

Hi there. Been a member of this forum for a few months now and seen quite a few threads for beginners asking for advice on 1st club runs. Well i did what i would deem my 1st one yesterday and thought i may pass on some obsevations etc.

I wouldnt say i was fit yet but i can hold 17-20mph on undulating routes upto about 45-50mls. I have issues with one of my knees (major) so i am riding probably at 70% atm.

I emailed the club chairmen after reading the website and decided this weekend would be as good a time as any to tag along. I turned up 5mins early and met a chap who although a bit standoffish (He mentioned he doesnt like to chat whilst riding) seemed ok. Late 50's i reckon and looked as strong as an ox.

5mins later about 9 or 10 people had turned up. I asked where we were going and the mention of making it up as we went was mentioned. Then they decided on a set route and we were off. No one introduced themselves which i found strange and i felt as thoug i was having to force conversation a bit. It also felt like i was having to prove myself.

One of the comments before we started was in reply to me saying i was in rehab from a football injury. They said we get that all the time. People from football, rugby etc etc using the cycling to do rehab. People must think roadbiking is easy or something (Not me). Anyhow, as well as the fact i had mentioned i was in rehab, there was also the comments about my attire (Cycling jacket included, with bib 3/4s i suppose i would be running hot all day. I was also on flats with football trainers. They did offer comments about spd's etc which i think i had the good grace to acknowledge.

Anyhow, we set off and tbh i found it comfortable to be sitting in the group. I mentioned to a few that as i havent ridden in big groups much i would probably hang back and see how things go. Turned out i was more than comfortable in the group (Mountain biking gives you pretty good skills and awareness). The pace was moderate and i was happy to trundle along. Still there was little to no chat which was rather dissapointing.

The route took in the scottish borders and a beast of a climb. Turns out a few of them werent planning on such a hard ride so i expect they werent taking it easy on me. A little disspointing considering i could have been way out of my depth and they hadnt asked. I kept my place in the pack and on the climb i was always near the front. I know its not a competition and these riders could probably have ground me out but it still felt better to be nearer the front than the back. I even managed to freewheel a section at 42mph which is a record for me.
Mid ride the only 'issue' i had on the entire ride came about. Maybe you could say wether i was right/wrong. One of the newish riders who i wouldnt say was struggling but was near the back most of the day dropped back about 150-200mtrs on a climb. I decided to hang back a bit to help him along and it coincided with a big descent. He didnt grab my wheel or anything, not a word he just tried his best to leave me behind. Sod this for a lark i thought and blasted back past him back to the group. I was a little miffed and having had others wait and offer me a wheel before when i needed it on other rides i couldnt understand it.

So by 70mls and 4hrs + i pulled back to my car with the group a bit spread out which again i am not ued to.

What did i gain/learn.

1) The group is a fantastic way to get yourself around big distances. The difference between the group and riding by yourself is at least 2mph and a big chunk less effort.
2) Riding on an organised ride means you are governed by the group. No way would i have done 70mls yesterday if i hadnt gone with them.
3) Dont expect a big sociable event. It isnt like that
4) You will find some lovely alternative routes

All in all i would thouroughly recommend tagging along, but be warned, you may need to learn to button it a bit if you are used to the social side of biking.

danowat

IME the social stuff comes in time once you get to know everyone a bit better

Thelittlesthobo

They didnt seem to be that sociable with each other though. I didnt feel left out, more that a simple "hi my name is xyz" would be helpfull. I didnt know anyones name before or after the ride.

Not complaining, just an observation of what to expect

Paul E

I hope all clubs aren't like that, the mtb ride I used to go on around cannock chase up near birmingham was great, really sociable and I never felt left out from the beginning

CakeLovinBeast

Interesting to hear, thanks for sharing that.

I'm still building up my base levels of fitness, but it's been my intent all along to join my local club that seems big and well organised. They advertise three groups for their chaingangs during the summer: Fast (~20mph), slow (~15mph) and an intermediate group somewhere between the two. I don't have an issue with the speed, but I need to build my endurance before I'm ready for 60-70 milers.

Seems odd that the group weren't very chatty. I appreciate that people have different comfort levels in terms of how much they want to talk, but I'd want a club that I was looking to join to be a bit more forthcoming in making feel welcome. Maybe that's just me.

Thelittlesthobo

Maybe i am being a little harsh. I am just used to the mountain bike scene where, like Paul E, you basically rib each other relentlessly the whole ride. I have led rides on the MTB's before and make sure i am communicating with them all the time. Are they happy with the pace, the terrain, what do they enjoy etc etc. I always start with a handshake and my name as well. You know, the basics.

Whilst riding there was a bit of chat and praise about how things were going so i cant complain.

Thelittlesthobo

CakeLovinBeast. I wouldnt get too hung up on your mileage. Before yesterday i hadnt done a longer ride than 50mls (Solo). I would say my stable diet is 20-30mls so this was a big jump. The 50mls solo took much more effort than yesterdays ride which was both faster and longer both in terms of distance and time.

Whats the worst that can happen. You have to phone your missus to come and pick you up.

I would recommend it to anyone. Even if you dont get out with them weekly, its another handy string to your bow.

merak

I'd say it depends very much on the club. In our club we try to be welcoming and while the pace is steady we chat and socialise.

The problem for a small club is that there aren't enough members to have two or three separate groups - most of the regulars will want to do a ride at around 20mph and that can be fast for someone's first club run - we always wait if people drop off the back, but if you're constantly being dropped it's no fun. On the other hand it is hugely easier to go at a good pace sitting in a group, so as long as you have a reasonable level of fitness I'd go for it. If lots of people join then they might be enough for the club to have two separate runs at different speeds.

markos1963

Interesting report
I suppose it's like life in general, you get good and bad in everything. The important thing is you gave it a go with an open mind.

Thelittlesthobo

This is a pretty big club and established long before i was born. They have 3 different club runs on a sunday so plenty big enough to accomodate me. I fitted in well tbh. It was the perfect pace and length for me to come away pleased with myself and appreciative of their efforts. As i said earlier, i wouldnt have moved that far out of the comfort zone to do 70mls if i hadnt been with these guys so i must thank them for that.

I am actually considering having a go at one of their faster rides as it will be a good contrast to the longer grind.

Maybe i shouldnt have commented on the lack of chat but i thought it may put some people off when really, it really shouldnt make too much difference. Next time i will be a little more confident and they may be telling me to stfu

redddraggon

Thelittlesthobo wrote:

...

Mid ride the only 'issue' i had on the entire ride came about. Maybe you could say wether i was right/wrong. One of the newish riders who i wouldnt say was struggling but was near the back most of the day dropped back about 150-200mtrs on a climb. I decided to hang back a bit to help him along and it coincided with a big descent. He didnt grab my wheel or anything, not a word he just tried his best to leave me behind. Sod this for a lark i thought and blasted back past him back to the group. I was a little miffed and having had others wait and offer me a wheel before when i needed it on other rides i couldnt understand it.

...

So by 70mls and 4hrs + i pulled back to my car with the group a bit spread out which again i am not ued to.

A lot of club runs work like that, people tend to get a bit competitive, and it's totally normal a lot of the time for the last bit of a club run to get really fast and for people to spread out a little in the run in.

CakeLovinBeast

Thelittlesthobo wrote:

CakeLovinBeast. I wouldnt get too hung up on your mileage. Before yesterday i hadnt done a longer ride than 50mls (Solo). I would say my stable diet is 20-30mls so this was a big jump. The 50mls solo took much more effort than yesterdays ride which was both faster and longer both in terms of distance and time.

Whats the worst that can happen. You have to phone your missus to come and pick you up.

I would recommend it to anyone. Even if you dont get out with them weekly, its another handy string to your bow.

Yeah, I understand what you're saying. I'm only two weeks into the new bike however, and I need to up my mileage just a touch to make me comfortable to tackle 60-odd miles, even with the benefit of riding in a group. My staple rides (other than the daily commute) are 20-25 miles at the minute and I've just been plotting out a few 30-40 milers today. I don't think that I'm going to struggle on the flat, but there are some evil hills around here and I don't think my fragile pride would stand up to being dumped off the back right from the off!.

That and the fact that I'm still getting my body used to riding again. Got some decent new shorts, but I can still imagine that 60 odd miles would have my behind in tatters!

Thelittlesthobo

Fair enough. I was expecting a 40mls loop yesterday and tbh i wouldnt have turned up if i had known the distance they rode. Sometimes you need to jump though.

I tell you what did help if you are tyring to get yourself ready. My best pal is a bit more experienced than me and he took me out on thursday for a ride which was meant to be my usual hilly 20miler. He said before hand that he was going to add some onto it and there would be hills. 38mls later we had ridden up some hills i was really struggling with. Not mega long but very steep after 20-25mls. I managed them all but was suffering. This meant that yesterdays ride, although longer and probably hillier, wasnt as brutal to me. The hills didnt feel all that bad and because i got up in good time it allowed me the time to get myself back together waiting for others. Thats something leaders of rides never really account for. They are willing to wait for others but not often willing to give that person the chance of a rest. It just rolls over to the next big climb and gets worse.

Its something i will concentrate on as well as speed and distances. Hill practice has its place.

Headhuunter

IME, if you want sociable rides, you need to join the slower groups, they spend most of the ride pootling along chatting. On faster rides, there will be stretches when everyone slows down and has a bit of a chat, but if you're out on faster club runs, unless you are in the racing scene it tends to be hard to get to know people that well. the pace of faster rides tends to be too fast to allow chit chat. Also riders who race tend to be fairly cliquey and less welcoming I find. Some clubs start rides with everyone introducing themselves, others don't...

pipipi

Thanks for the first post on experience of a club run. I'm interested but need to get my fitness and speed up quite a lot if I'm going to be joining.

And a great point about waiting at the top of a hill. The fastest one up gets the longest rest, and the slowest gets the shortest recovery. :oops:

suzyb

pipipi wrote:

Thanks for the first post on experience of a club run. I'm interested but need to get my fitness and speed up quite a lot if I'm going to be joining.

+1

Henri Le Conte

That is interesting to hear, it would appear I was lucky with my local club Kingston Wheelers as they seemed to be very chatty and welcoming, I went on the slower ride of 42 miles in the end and went faster than I have before and did a few more hills as well.

They do seem to have a big club base though as in total I think there where 8 different rides to choose from and over 90 riders on the day.

raymondo60

Good report from the OP. I've certainly been motivated and will be looking to join my local club for a Sunday run in the next week or two. I already receive all the 'club related' emails and can see how hard the members work to keep the events going (mainly Time Trailling of course but I'm gona give that a go too I think) so thanks again for the report.

nferrar

Interesting reading but I hope lots of people wanting to do a first club ride aren't put off as IME (riding with 4 different clubs over the years) it's not representative. My first couple of clubs (I was late teens into early twenties) were standard roadie clubs but each took me under their wing and taught me a lot (especially about riding in groups). Current two clubs I ride with a deliberately more social orientated although have some quick group rides within them. Cardinal rule is no one gets left behind but some of the people don't stop chatting the whole ride either

I guess I can see a bit of an attitude if you join a club run for a fast group and slow them all down (it's still in the road season so they'll be using it for fitness) but other than that it seems counter-productive to try and rip new people's legs off. I would say though that personally if I'm dropped on a climb I just like being left to get on with it (I can pretend I'm winning on Alp d'Heuz or something ) rather than have someone not out of breath chatting to me trying to encourage me, I wouldn't be rude to someone who did it though...

Mac9

Very interesting thread this.

I'm going to join my local club in the next month or so, just building up a bit some milage before I do.

But I was just wondering, would I need to have a better bike than the one I have? I have a 2011 Specialized Sirrus Sport, which obviously is a hybrid, albeit close to a roadie just with flat bars.

Will I benefit from having an out and out road bike? Or will I be ok on my current bike? I've been worrying about that bit, that I won't fit in!

NWLondoner

I have tried a couple of clubs.

One club which was very local (Gregarios) had just the 1 size fits all run. The guys were very friendly and I got a bloody good work out. The downside is that their club mantra is to have a proper cafe stop or 2 during the ride. Which for me is a real pain so I didn't return which was a shame.

I also tried and did join the Kingston Wheelers. Again a bloody good club with many rides setting off. Sadly illness and other shit meant i never made it back and my membership has since lapsed, along with my general cycling fitness. Also being the other side of London from where i live means i have an ass of a ride home afterwards, a 40 mile round trip to start/finish point.

I may try the wheelers again when I get my fitness back up.

Thelittlesthobo

Nice to see i havent put anyone off. Still feeling a bit off for highlighting the lack of chit chat. Its just that if you are expecting it you may be a little dissapointed if its lacking.

The waiting on hills is something i was always aware of on mtb rides i led in the past. Its very demoralising.

I was expecting a ride like yours Henri Le Conte. Faster than normal and about 40mls. This was not that fast but distance and hills were not what i expected. To give you an idea, we have Hartside pass nearby which is one i have been trying to build upto. At least a couple of the riders said yesterdays climbs were worse for them than Hartside. That fills me full of confidence to hit Hartside as soon as possible.

I hope none of the riders that went are on this site as i dont want them thinking i was bad mouthing them. Very pleased with them letting me come along and look forward to the next one.

CakeLovinBeast

I don't think anybody thinks that you're bad-mouthing the club - All you're doing is telling us what you expected, versus what actually happened. We're in the beginners forum and it is genuinely useful for the rest of us who are giving thought to joining our local club.

Thelittlesthobo

Mac9 - Your bike would have made me struggle yesterday i must admit. But i suppose it depends on you. If you can keep up and still enjoy the ride i wouldnt think anyone would do anything other than admire your abilities.

As i said i was in footy trainers. A couple of them commented that there was a fair bit of performance improvement to come from switching to spd's. I took that as a compliment. You would probably get the same

Mac9

Cheers for that!

I'll stick with my plan of joining in 4-6 weeks after putting some more miles in.

As someone else just said, what's the worst that could happen!?

pipipi

I think if you send them an email, and try and find out what route they'll be doing, then you'll have an idea of where you might drop out and head home. Hopefully you won't need to, but at least you'll have a few waypoints to guide yourself by (rather than realising you're knackered when you're furthest from home).

I'm still working on the fitness. But I'm interested to find out how riding in a group will encourage me to keep up a good pace.

Mac9

It would be a worry to get dropped and realise that you're lost!

Do most clubs tell you the route before you set off or is the author's experience of just following the crowd standard?

Thelittlesthobo

Surely thats what mobile phones and a £10 note are there for. Even in worst case scenario you phone a taxi and get a lift home.

I asked that same question pipipi regarding routes. It seems this particular group never decide on a route until they set off. I just got lucky/unlucky on the day.

The biggest message i would take from it isnt to be as worried about your speed as you may be. At no point in the day did it become an issue. If anything i was holding back on the speed at points, although there were a few who were obviously holding back for the benefit of the group. The miles, yes you need a good base of about 40mls i would say. Even with that you can still eek out some more by being part of the group.

Just go for it

jibberjim

Henri Le Conte wrote:

That is interesting to hear, it would appear I was lucky with my local club Kingston Wheelers as they seemed to be very chatty and welcoming, I went on the slower ride of 42 miles in the end and went faster than I have before and did a few more hills as well.

Had you come on the KW ride I led though, you'd've got an experience much more similar to the OP. We ride hard, so it's single file and little scope for chatting, there will be chat at the tea stop, but even then you'd have to get involved in the conversation. Having the only topic of conversation be "the new guy" is pretty dull unfortunately so you generally talk about other stuff.

In a small club I can imagine it not all surprising that you end up with the run being more like a training ride than a social ride, since that's the only way the stronger people can get a workout.

merak

Even if there's a route planned in advance, runs don't always follow them. If you think you might want to bail out and you don't know the area you can photocopy the appropriate area from a road atlas - a 40 mile radius around the start should do it.

Mac9

"Surely thats what mobile phones and a £10 note are there for. Even in worst case scenario you phone a taxi and get a lift home."

Mobile phone?! A £10 note?!?!?!

You must think I'm loaded!!

Ha, true it wouldn't be a problem getting home. I'm making excuses up, I need to just do it!