First club run.... Advice?

Joeblack

Going out with a club for the first time this weekend, sherwood cc in Nottingham.

I just spoke to the club captain and he's told me there are four groups the go,

1 is a very quick group then there are 3 groups after that in descending ability 20mph/18mph/14mph average speeds.

As I'm going with my partner we will be riding in the smaller group at the slowest average speed.

Just after thoughts really as this is the first time I'll be riding in a group (same for the mrs) and on a club run,

Iv decided to try this as since iv been riding with her iv enjoyed it a lot more but would like to do some group riding with some riders a bit quicker so this is with a view to doing some of the quicker groups later on.

Any advice or tips for someone new to club/group riding?

markhewitt1978

I find it very different to riding on your own, or even riding with one other.

You're putting in effort in places where you want to be backing off, you're braking in places where you would normally be pushing on. Your own needs take a back seat to that of the group as a whole.

ugo.santalucia

O Captain, my Captain!

FFS they take themselves seriously...

Joeblack

I did have a chuckle to myself when I saw captain next to his name on the website!

Bit to be fair to him he was really nice and relaxed and just said turn up try the steadier pace and go up from there,

markhewitt1978

Most clubs will have a club captain, it's just what they are called! Means in practice most of the time they get to decide the route.

joannesmith2818

I wonder if this is the group my dad rides with. He lives in Arnold so not far at all. Maybe just know the route so you can find your way if you need to slow down. I would love to join a group but I really want to get my fitness levels up a lot first

markhewitt1978

The whole thing of pacing on club runs is really difficult. If you're slower than the group it's disheartening because you can't keep up, your at the top of your effort and you haven't got anything more and they are just powering out ahead.

Conversely if you're fitter than others it's no fun having to ride slowly when you want to push on.

jibberjim

You start with the slowest group.

You don't mess about trying to annoy people on faster groups.

ugo.santalucia

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Most clubs will have a club captain, it's just what they are called! Means in practice most of the time they get to decide the route.

I guess it's a mix of wanna-be-ism shaken not stirred with some leftover scent of the Great British Empire.
It does sound pathetic.
I was in a club, I was leading most of the rides, I never called myself "captain", nor anybody else did...

Joeblack

Captain Ugo Santalucia does have a nice ring to it though

Garry H

Most clubs, irrelavant of sport, have a captain. Why should a cycling club be any different?

Saying that, mine doesn't have one.

slowbike

jibberjim wrote:

You start with the slowest group.

You don't mess about trying to annoy people on faster groups.

To a point ...

however, the group you're riding with should, within reason, ride to the pace of the slowest rider - so if the pace is avertised as 18mph and you're only sustaining 17mph then IMHO that's fine. If, on the otherhand you can only sustain 15mph then you either get consent to be dropped or politely requested to join the slower ride next time (and they won't wait for you).

Much will depend on the purpose of the group - if it's a training ride then everyone wants to be putting in effort - if it's a social then it really doesn't matter if one is a little slow.

I struggled towards the end of my first club ride - my brother (a long term club member) took me to the front and I stupidly kept up with his pace for a little too long and blew up ... had I sat in the wheels I would've been fine. A little later on another of the riders noticed that I was struggling and called for the pace to drop a smidge.

Mikey23

perhaps oberfuhrer?

Southgate

This is from my club's website. I wrote it after we had a few new riders turned up unprepared for rides. The advice is pretty generic so I hope you find it useful. Good luck with your first club run!

THINKING OF JOINING US FOR A SUNDAY RIDE? PLEASE READ THIS FIRST

Am I the sort of person you are looking for?
Yes! Our members are young and old, male and female, and from many ethnicities. We are a friendly club and we are not elitist or patronising to new riders. At all times the ride leader should be referred to as "Chief" or "Boss" or "Your Highness". Failure to abide by this rule will result in your instant expulsion from the ride, with no right of appeal.

How fit do I need to be?
You should be able to cycle 40 miles over rolling countryside in around three hours. If you are not sure of your fitness or have never done this distance before, we would advise you try out a few shorter rides first and build up to 40 miles once you feel able. You don't need to be fast, but you may need to build up some endurance. You are more than welcome to contact us for some informal advice.

What sort of bike do I need?
Most of our members ride lightweight road bikes with drop handlebars, but you are welcome to ride any bike you like, so long as it’s roadworthy. Please bear in mind that mountain bikes or hybrids are heavier and less aerodynamic than road bikes, and you will need to work harder to maintain the pace.

What happens if I can’t keep up?
We ride at the pace of the slowest rider, always regrouping at junctions, roundabouts, turn-offs and at the top of hills. If for any reason you cannot continue, we will always assist you in getting home. You will never be left at the side of the road on your own.

Do we stop during the ride?
Yes. We have a mid-morning café stop, which is generally 15 to 20 miles into the ride. From there you have the option returning with some of the riders to Enfield, making a total ride distance of 30 to 40 miles. If you want a longer ride, you can continue a further 15 to 20 miles to the lunch stop, making a total ride distance of 60 to 80 miles.

What should I eat before the ride?
Just like a car, your body needs fuel in the tank to travel long distances. The night before a ride you should eat a high carbohydrate meal containing foods such as pasta, rice or potatoes. For breakfast, eat some more carbs such as porridge, bread or toast, and maybe an egg or two to add some protein.

Should I bring food and drink with me?
As an absolute minimum, you should bring at least one water bottle with you, preferably in a bottle cage attached to your bike for easy access. You may wish to add an electrolyte tablet to your water to replace salts and minerals lost whilst sweating, and also bring an additional energy drink. It is advisable to eat small amounts of food on the ride every hour or so to top up your energy levels before they become depleted. Most bike shops sell specially designed energy bars and gels, and supermarkets sell cheaper alternatives. If you prefer, bring a banana.

Do I need lycra clothing?
Riders can wear whatever they please, but cycle-specific clothing has many advantages, such as comfort, wicking, aerodynamics, and easily accessible pockets to store food, mobile, keys, waterproofs etc.

Do I need to wear a helmet?
There is no law that requires you to wear a helmet, but we would recommend that you do so.

What else should I bring with me?
You should bring a spare inner tube and tyre levers, a pump, some cash for the café stop or emergencies, ID and a mobile phone. In the event of a flat tyre or other problem, someone will always be on hand to help if required. Please bring a set of lights if visibility is poor or you are likely to be riding home after sunset.

I am ready to take the plunge, what do I do now?
Just turn up on a Sunday morning at the designated meeting place (see club runs list for details) and introduce yourself to the ride leader. If you are feeling nervous or have never ridden in a bunch before, we can arrange for an experienced member to ride with you and show you the ropes.

Do I have to join the club before I am allowed to participate in a ride?
No. The first three rides you attend are free. If you wish to continue riding with the club after your third ride, you are required to take out a membership.

What does it cost to join?
Annual membership is currently under £20 per year. Additionally, the club requires all members to join either the CTC or British Cycling which provide automatic third party insurance cover.

Schoie81

FWIW, I'm not a member of a club, never have been and at the moment I'm happy riding on my own, but if I was to join a club, I would tell the rest of the group to drop me if I couldn't keep up. Personally I'd rather be left to get back on my own than feel I'm holding everyone else back.

jibberjim

Slowbike wrote:

jibberjim wrote:

You start with the slowest group.

You don't mess about trying to annoy people on faster groups.

however, the group you're riding with should, within reason, ride to the pace of the slowest rider - so if the pace is avertised as 18mph and you're only sustaining 17mph then IMHO that's fine.

Yes, but as a newbie on your first ride, you start with the slowest group. If you decide, I'm f'ing awesome I'll go with that fast group, and force everyone to slow down, then you're extremely rude and selfish, and should not be riding in a group at all. Everyone can keep up with a slower group than them, and that is what you do. Once you've found out you'd like to go faster than the slowest group, you move to the next one.

Joeblack

jibberjim wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

jibberjim wrote:

You start with the slowest group.

You don't mess about trying to annoy people on faster groups.

however, the group you're riding with should, within reason, ride to the pace of the slowest rider - so if the pace is avertised as 18mph and you're only sustaining 17mph then IMHO that's fine.

Yes, but as a newbie on your first ride, you start with the slowest group. If you decide, I'm f'ing awesome I'll go with that fast group, and force everyone to slow down, then you're extremely rude and selfish, and should not be riding in a group at all. Everyone can keep up with a slower group than them, and that is what you do. Once you've found out you'd like to go faster than the slowest group, you move to the next one.

And this is exactly what I'm going to do, iv looked at the route (similar to one iv ridden before) and I should be easily able to keep up with 18mph pace but to start with and because the mrs will be there I will start with the easiest group and move up accordingly, I'm really doing this hoping the mrs will enjoy it and can do the easier group on her own in the future and I can cycle at a slightly faster pace every now and then.

I was really was looking for some more tips as to riding in a group rather than the pace issue, as we are starting with the slower group I'm not worried about the pace.

BobScarle

That is the sort of information that is missing from our club's site. As you have written it, would you mind if I copied it and submitted something based upon it for our own pages, maybe as an FAQ. A lot of the questions there do get asked by new or prospective riders.

jibberjim

Joeblack wrote:

I was really was looking for some more tips as to riding in a group rather than the pace issue, as we are starting with the slower group I'm not worried about the pace.

Good! Right attitude, keep your eyes and ears open, your head up and on the road, have enough spares, cash and knowledge to deal with any reasonable eventuality, talk to people, tell them you're new.

Just watch what others do, if you're on the front don't go too hard.

PerformingMonkey

Learn the accepted hand signals the group will be using. Some of them are actually quite useful.

cougie

Turn up early. Check out what everyone else is wearing - it might help you decide.
Make sure the bike is in good working order.
Have a full water bottle and a snack in the back pocket in case there is no stop. (I bet there will be though)
Ride sensibly - don't overlap wheels and point hazards out to those behind you.
Have fun !

Joeblack

jibberjim wrote:

Joeblack wrote:

I was really was looking for some more tips as to riding in a group rather than the pace issue, as we are starting with the slower group I'm not worried about the pace.

Good! Right attitude, keep your eyes and ears open, your head up and on the road, have enough spares, cash and knowledge to deal with any reasonable eventuality, talk to people, tell them you're new.

Just watch what others do, if you're on the front don't go too hard.

I wasn't planning on riding at the front I was going to stay in the pack with the mrs, epically on my first few rides. Is this bad etiquette? Should I do a turn out front and how would I pace that?

markhewitt1978

Joeblack wrote:

I wasn't planning on riding at the front I was going to stay in the pack with the mrs, epically on my first few rides. Is this bad etiquette? Should I do a turn out front and how would I pace that?

If the group is any good they won't mind you being on the back the first few rides out.

drlodge

Find out what kind of "run" it is i.e. is it a training run, or a social? My clubs Sunday runs are social runs.#

Also, do they have different types of routes at different times. Again, my club has beginners runs at the start of the month (30-35 miles) increasing to 60+ routes for the last Sunday of the month. As a beginner, we'd probably turn you away if you turned up on a last Sunday run.

Joeblack

I get the impression it's a social run, it's not specified but they do specify that other runs listed are training runs so I'd say this is a social type run.

slowbike

Pacing depends on how the group is done - we were usually 2 abreast - so if you're at the front you just keep pace with the more experienced guy next to you ... or if you're alone at the front then try and keep the speed/effort level about the same - ie don't go charging up a hill at 15mph just because the ride on the flat was at 15mph ... (apparently it was a hill ... I didn't realise! )

markhewitt1978

I read some good advice on this forum like that, that when you're riding on your own you'll often increase your effort on hills in order to maintain your speed. But when leading a group you should decrease your effort on climbs, as the aero affect is lessened.

slowbike

jibberjim wrote:

Yes, but as a newbie on your first ride, you start with the slowest group. If you decide, I'm f'ing awesome I'll go with that fast group, and force everyone to slow down, then you're extremely rude and selfish, and should not be riding in a group at all. Everyone can keep up with a slower group than them, and that is what you do. Once you've found out you'd like to go faster than the slowest group, you move to the next one.

yer - but there's a marked difference between 14mph and 18mph ... if I were to turn up and get told to go with the 14mph group - no choice - then I'd probably sod off somewhere by myself - at 18mph (because I can do that) - but you're right - you shouldn't over estimate your abilities and piss everyone else off ...

Southgate

BobScarle wrote:

That is the sort of information that is missing from our club's site. As you have written it, would you mind if I copied it and submitted something based upon it for our own pages, maybe as an FAQ. A lot of the questions there do get asked by new or prospective riders.

Sure, you're welcome to copy it (provided you credit Southgate CC of course). Since we posted it on our website we haven't had any more newbies turning up woefully unprepared for the ride. I remember one woman previously turning up on a 'shopping bike' and a young guy turning up with flat pedals and sandals! A first club ride can be very daunting and with the new popularity of cycling I think clubs need to spell out the requirements.

slowbike

Southgate wrote:

BobScarle wrote:

That is the sort of information that is missing from our club's site. As you have written it, would you mind if I copied it and submitted something based upon it for our own pages, maybe as an FAQ. A lot of the questions there do get asked by new or prospective riders.

Sure, you're welcome to copy it (provided you credit Southgate CC of course). Since we posted it on our website we haven't had any more newbies turning up woefully unprepared for the ride. I remember one woman previously turning up on a 'shopping bike' and a young guy turning up with flat pedals and sandals! A first club ride can be very daunting and with the new popularity of cycling I think clubs need to spell out the requirements.

and you turned both Vic P and Bradley W away .... shame on you ...

JackPozzi

Just received this via email for a training camp on going on next week. Quite good advice for group riding I think so relevant here....

Ride two-abreast when it is safe to do so - this way the group is a compact unit which can ride efficiently but easily move to single-file when needed to (for example to get past an oncoming car when the road is narrow). On the roads, NEVER go three or more abreast, irrespective of how good the conversation is!

Communication is key to a safe group ride. Roads are full of traffic, rocks, signs, pot holes, parked cars, animals, pedestrians, etc. and visibility is limited for the cyclist in a pack. It is important to communicate to the riders in the group of potential hazards by shouting and pointing out hazards.

Hand-Signals: It is not imperative that all the cyclists in the group point out the same hazards or signals. As long as a few are then this is normally sufficient (and the leading two always should). If you are a beginner or unsteady then is far safer for the group to keep both hands on the handle-bars then it is to point things out.

The purpose of these signals is that the riders can continue to ride at a steady pace and can ride round the smaller obstacles without constantly having to brake (and sudden braking causes most incidents).

The thing you are most likely to see is where riders point down in the direction of an oncoming rock/hole. If the two riders both point to the ground between them, this signifies there is small obstacle (such as a pothole) that they are going to ride one either side of.

If the rider on the left points to their left, it means there is something to their left that they might have to ride slightly to the right of to pass – and if you are behind them then you will have to take the same line if you also want to avoid it! Similarly the rider on the right might indicate a similar obstacle to their right.
These signals allow the group to ride at a constant pace.

You will also see a ride pointing or waving behind their lower back. If they are pointing right (the most common) then it indicates that the whole group will have to move to the right to overtake a large obstacle such as a parked car.

Shouts – Warnings you’re likely to hear include:

Car Back: there’s a car approaching from the rear of the group ride
Car Up: there’s a car approaching from the front of the group
Rock or Hole: there is a hazard in the road
Walker/runner up: there’s a pedestrian on the road ahead
Biker up: there is a slower cyclist ahead that we are likely to overtake
Clear: perhaps at a junction this is called when there is nothing coming and you know you can pedal through
Slow - potential hazard ahead, control speed (but don't brake sharply to a standstill)
Stop - we are going to have to stop - there is a hazard we can't ride round Line-out or single-file - asking that we move (whilst still keeping same speed) to single-file to for example let a vehicle past.

To be safe it is important to ride smooth, don’t over react, avoid hard braking, be alert as to what is going on up the road in the front of the pack, and anticipate what traffic will do.

Stay alert at all times. Hold your line. Don’t overlap wheels. Don’t look back! Relax!

Please do not use personal headphones, you need to be able to hear calls and chat with other riders.

Focus on the rider(s) ahead. Beware of pot holes in the road. Don’t brake unless absolutely necessary
It actually gives a whole new dimension to cycling as it makes it a team event – you have to communicate, support and trust each other, and everyone’s safety is in each other’s hands.

RESPECT We ask everyone to have respect for their fellow riders and other road-users:

FUN Let's not forget that we do this because we love cycling, so let's do it with a smile on our faces A cheery “hello" to a passing groups helps spread the fun to everyone else