Write up of rookie 1st club run experience
Sunderland Supporter
Posts: 210
So today was ride #1 as a club rookie. Got outta bed at 7am, had hearty breakfast and did some hamstring and neck stretch exercises. Grabbed a packet of jelly babies I bought from Tesco for on the move carbohydrate and set off for the meeting point at 08.20. When I arrived there were plenty of riders and some damn fines bikes as well, one guy even had TT bars on his bike 
There were a couple of riding groups on the day, a novice one and a faster one. As Id never ridden in a club before, I chose to go out with the novice group to kind of learn the ropes. After about 15 miles the novice group was getting stretched out with a fair few dropping off the end of the pack and others at the head of the group, including myself , waiting for them. At the stop for coffee, one of the organisers told myself and some other riders to join the faster pack which covered ground at a lot quicker pace. Some of the guys on real top end feather light bikes were very very quick indeed , they seemed to be a group within the group. No way I could match their pace and I didnt try to kid myself that I could. The faster group as we rode along didnt recognise my face as I was a rookie and were asking if I was ok and offerring words of encouragement. You could really discern the better riders when it came to the hills, there were a few real tough ones that those guys made look effortless whilst others, me included, did our best. Those guys waited at the tops of hard climbs and didnt look out of breath whilst others crossed the top with gritted teeth. We covered 50 miles and I enjoyed every one of them. Im hoping that the more I ride with the club, the more my fitness will improve and Ill be able to give better performance.
It was strange riding in such tight formation to minimise wind drag. I was very conscious of how close I was to the back wheel in front of me and trying my best to avoid making contact. One girl riding in front of me distracted me with her great ar5e and I very nearly made tyre contact........but I realised just in time Cant wait for next club ride and I wish I had done it a lot sooner.
There were a couple of riding groups on the day, a novice one and a faster one. As Id never ridden in a club before, I chose to go out with the novice group to kind of learn the ropes. After about 15 miles the novice group was getting stretched out with a fair few dropping off the end of the pack and others at the head of the group, including myself , waiting for them. At the stop for coffee, one of the organisers told myself and some other riders to join the faster pack which covered ground at a lot quicker pace. Some of the guys on real top end feather light bikes were very very quick indeed , they seemed to be a group within the group. No way I could match their pace and I didnt try to kid myself that I could. The faster group as we rode along didnt recognise my face as I was a rookie and were asking if I was ok and offerring words of encouragement. You could really discern the better riders when it came to the hills, there were a few real tough ones that those guys made look effortless whilst others, me included, did our best. Those guys waited at the tops of hard climbs and didnt look out of breath whilst others crossed the top with gritted teeth. We covered 50 miles and I enjoyed every one of them. Im hoping that the more I ride with the club, the more my fitness will improve and Ill be able to give better performance.
It was strange riding in such tight formation to minimise wind drag. I was very conscious of how close I was to the back wheel in front of me and trying my best to avoid making contact. One girl riding in front of me distracted me with her great ar5e and I very nearly made tyre contact........but I realised just in time
Cant wait for next club ride and I wish I had done it a lot sooner. Unashamed to admit Ive zero time for Tory , Toff, In-bred , ex Public Schoolboys who are flushing our country down the crapper.
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well, now that you know where you should be in the group we expect progress reports.vintage newbie, spinning away0
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Sounds like you enjoyed it, are you from the north east? If so which club did you go with?2019 Ribble CGR SL
2015 Specialized Roubaix Sport sl4
2014 Specialized Allez Sport0 -
One girl riding in front of me distracted me with her great ar5e and I very nearly made tyre contact
Ooooh....could have left some nasty skidmarks Share The Road Event http://www.sharetheroadride.co.uk
Lancashire Cycle Link Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/126682247491640/0 -
Sunderland Supporter wrote:One girl riding in front of me distracted me with her great ar5e and I very nearly made tyre contact........but I realised just in time Cant wait for next club ride and I wish I had done it a lot sooner.
Did not happen without photos
Glad you enjoyed your 1st foray into club riding !FCN 3/5/90 -
Which Club did you ride with? I'm thinking of joining a club but still unsure which, i'm in Newcastle so there's a few to choose from.Cycling prints
Band of Climbers0 -
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Similar experience myself when I started going out with my local club in January. Everyone was very accommodating. Had a good base built up over the last 15 months before that going out on my own which stood to me. Was able to slot straight into the experienced group and didn't get left behind on too many occasions. On the few occasions I did get left behind I wasn't the only one and the group always hang about up the road, or continue on for a bit and double back for stragglers. Main worry was riding so close to others in a group but getting more confident every outing. Have twice the mileage covered so far this year that I had this time last year. So much easier to get out the door on a windy/ rainy morning knowing there's a few more lads waiting down the road getting geared up for the same punishment.0
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Its great that there have been some positive club run experiences. Most experienced riders get a lot of satisfaction from seeing new riders get better week by week. When I first started going out in my teens older guys would lean on me while I rode on the inside which sounds mean but it teaches you not to panic if you rub shoulders with somebody and prevents said panic bringing down the whole group. Another good tip is to keep your pedalling action smooth, braking gentle and honking (out of the saddle) to a minimum when in a group. If you are going to get out of the saddle do so at the top of your strongest leg stroke and put full power down. The biggest irritant in a group (and I have seen experienced riders do this) is getting out of the saddle and your bike jumping back a foot!!
For climbing rest your hands on the tops of the bars and pull gently while keeping shoulders relaxed and still. Sit back in the saddle so you can get full leverage on the cranks and relax into a comfortable gear. Try not to fight the bike and keep it smooth. Another good tip is to try and start climbs at the front of the group as there a lot more wheels to jump onto if you get tailed off and you can often get back on over the top or on a descent.
The best bit of advice for group confidence is getting down to your nearest velodrome for a novice day session. Its a massive confidence builder.0
