Cycling clubs that start early

johngti

Don't suppose anyone knows of any clubs in N Kent that kick off earlier than 9-9.30am by any chance?

Tiesetrotter

Most clubs have unofficial rides that go when you need to.

Dulwich 7:30, 8, 8:30 etc ...... Saturday and Sunday

johngti

I'm in Dartford so Dulwich would be a bit awkward. Oh well, I'll have to learn to motivate myself a bit more effectively

Thanks for the reply though

Matthewfalle

Well, looks like the friendly clubbies have overwhelmed you with their helpful responses. Loads of choices there.

Other options: go out with some mates or try the local tri club: generally friendlier, just as good riders.

Then if you want to race/TT just join any old local club and turn up to whatever event you want.

No need for clubs really.

johngti

Thanks. Thing is I have some mates (no, really) that I ride with but I'm very aware of being significantly slower than them. So I spend 90%+ of every ride traipsing around on my own and they have to keep stopping to wait which isn't particularly fair on them. Training extra hard should be an option but isn't realistic at the moment. Seems that no matter how hard I seem to try, they've always got the ability to leave me standing on any road that isn't flat.

I need a group that pootles around at a nice 14-15mph.

Good lord I'm getting old.

milemuncher1

johngti wrote:

Thanks. Thing is I have some mates (no, really) that I ride with but I'm very aware of being significantly slower than them. So I spend 90%+ of every ride traipsing around on my own and they have to keep stopping to wait which isn't particularly fair on them. Training extra hard should be an option but isn't realistic at the moment. Seems that no matter how hard I seem to try, they've always got the ability to leave me standing on any road that isn't flat.

I need a group that pootles around at a nice 14-15mph.

Good lord I'm getting old.

Look for a group from a CTC chapter near you ( formerly cycle touring club, now called 'we are cycling UK') or a 'Let's Ride' group. If you look at https://www.letsride.co.uk You'll almost certainly find a group with the same pace as you need, somewhere local to you. 14 to 15 mph average is actually a respectable pace. You may find that the 'Faux Pro' brigade think they need to be going faster, sod them, if that's how they want to ride, let them. I do lots of long rides, and very rarely go at over a 14mph average. I find it's just not enjoyable to push any harder than that generally speaking.

johngti

Thanks for that. I'd say that the speed is closer to the 14mph end than 15 but on a good day...! The rest of the group is more than capable of 16-18mph though, even taking account of the nasty steep little hills on the North Downs hence my difficulty keeping up

Should just make the buggers keep on waiting for me really shouldn't I.

cooldad

Have you considered doping?

johngti

cooldad wrote:

Have you considered doping?

Always!

okgo

Matthewfalle wrote:

Well, looks like the friendly clubbies have overwhelmed you with their helpful responses. Loads of choices there.

Other options: go out with some mates or try the local tri club: generally friendlier, just as good riders.

This needed quoting for lolz.

thomasmorris

I think a lot of clubs go out at 9-9:30 because it works for a lot of people. Late enough that you can still have drink on Saturday night, early enough to be back for Sunday lunch.

I don't know any of the clubs in your area, but what may be worth doing is going out before the club run, meeting them half way around then peeling off and heading home early. That seems to be what a few people do for our club run who have young family and need to be home mid morning rather than early afternoon.

You never know, if you mention it to a few people on the club run, you might find a couple who want to do a similar thing.

daniel_b

johngti wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Have you considered doping?

Always!

Have you considered TrainerRoad?

I'm on it since the beginning of the year, and my fitness is rocketing.

fat daddy

Start your own club .... I am sure if you made yourself known on forums that you were looking for people to ride at a certain time in the morning from a certain place, for a certain time, there is bound to be someone else that would want to join you ..... as time goes on, it will become a thing

the advantage of this is, you get to choose a name for the club you like

Of course there is a possibility that no one wants to ride at that time and you will live out the rest of your life in a depression of belief that no one likes you

mattsaw

The club that I belong to heads out early, we're in Surrey I'm afraid though.

Most of us are older, (mature ) 40+ and have kids, so getting out early means that we're back by 10.30-11am so have the rest of the day for family commitments.

Also you have the benefit of empty(ish) roads.

It could be worth getting together with a few like minded people and running some ad-hoc rides, that's pretty much how my club started-out a few years ago.

If you're a parent ask around at school, if you're not, don't, it'll look weird. You'll have to find someone to do it for you.

fenix

If you use Strava - check out your flybys and see if any groups are doing early starts and at a speed that you can go with ?

Brakeless

Matthewfalle wrote:

Well, looks like the friendly clubbies have overwhelmed you with their helpful responses. Loads of choices there.

Other options: go out with some mates or try the local tri club: generally friendlier, just as good riders.

Then if you want to race/TT just join any old local club and turn up to whatever event you want.

No need for clubs really.

No need for clubs! Who do you think organises the races/TTs you're telling him to turn up at?

mellex

Enquire at your local bike store(s). It's quite common to find that they have organised rides going from the store and if the owner/staff are involved, you'll have to set off early so they can get back to open up.

johngti

fat daddy wrote:

Of course there is a possibility that no one wants to ride at that time and you will live out the rest of your life in a depression of belief that no one likes you

This. Definitely!

johngti

Great ideas, thanks all.

The mates I have been riding with are ones that I got in touch with here and they're a great bunch. Trouble is they seem to have got faster and I haven't (or at least not to the same degree) so when I do manage to meet up with them, within a few miles they've dropped me and I'm making them wait all the time. That's not fair on them so the only answer is to leave them to it knowing that they're going to enjoy what they're doing more. I thought that a club would have a number of groups with differing speeds so there'd be one that worked for me. Looks like everything in my area is a 9-9.30 start though and that's taking away family time so is a non-starter (as above!).

Arguments about what a group run should be are irrelevant to this really - we're not a club, just people with a similar interest and I'm the one holding things up.

Anyway, guess I'm feeling fed up because of the usual difficulties in getting out on a bike much at the moment. I'll get over it and all will be fine and dandy soon enough.

Appreciate the help.

fat daddy

move to Bristol and I'll ride with you if its early enough .. personally if it was up to me I'd start 5am to be back by 7am ... of course there arnt many clubs that do this ... so clubbies must all be unfriendly and not needed :?

mattsaw

johngti wrote:

The mates I have been riding with are ones that I got in touch with here and they're a great bunch. Trouble is they seem to have got faster and I haven't (or at least not to the same degree) so when I do manage to meet up with them, within a few miles they've dropped me and I'm making them wait all the time. That's not fair on them so the only answer is to leave them to it knowing that they're going to enjoy what they're doing more.

Are you sure that this is actually a problem, and that they mind?

Our group is very mixed ability. I'm often one of the first up the hills and I don't mind waiting a few minutes for a breather.

Often if you're the one lagging behind it seems like it's a much bigger problem than it actually is.

Plus, if you're riding regularly with faster people, you get faster.

Matthewfalle

Mattsaw wrote:

johngti wrote:

The mates I have been riding with are ones that I got in touch with here and they're a great bunch. Trouble is they seem to have got faster and I haven't (or at least not to the same degree) so when I do manage to meet up with them, within a few miles they've dropped me and I'm making them wait all the time. That's not fair on them so the only answer is to leave them to it knowing that they're going to enjoy what they're doing more.

Are you sure that this is actually a problem, and that they mind?

Our group is very mixed ability. I'm often one of the first up the hills and I don't mind waiting a few minutes for a breather.

Often if you're the one lagging behind it seems like it's a much bigger problem than it actually is.

Plus, if you're riding regularly with faster people, you get faster.

This exactly.

And it'll annoy all the clubbies because you're in your gang, not their club conforming to their dullness.

bluemoon17

Clubbies is my new favourite word.

mellex

Mattsaw wrote:

johngti wrote:

Often if you're the one lagging behind it seems like it's a much bigger problem than it actually is.

Plus, if you're riding regularly with faster people, you get faster.

Couldn't agree more. I'm by far the slowest member of my Saturday group but over the winter months the other riders have really encouraged me and now we're all reaping the benefits.

Maybe just ask your friends to tailor the routes/speed more in your favour.

b4ssy

Sidcup have 8 different speed groups. Most of the groups start their rides at 08:30. You are welcome to do a few trial rides before committing to membership.

johngti

b4ssy wrote:

Sidcup have 8 different speed groups. Most of the groups start their rides at 08:30. You are welcome to do a few trial rides before committing to membership.

Is that the Sidcup cycles group? Might be worth a look...