Hey Fi, Allan I can muster a half dozen already who'd like to do an 0850 three hour training chain gang ride where they can contribute for the full ride without getting a total battering. If its a proper chain gang there should be something of a work out off the front turns anyway so it's still training!
What the training ride has and continues to do is great, all we want is to bridge a gap that will complement and give folk a positive encouraging ride and some of whom might want to build a bit of confidence to get into that level. Right?
If the powers that be don't tell me otherwise can we kick off a week Saturday 9th March at 0850. I can cobble a route together that if other folk can gps en route it can be mapped so its not a group dependent on one 'leader'? We can have a couple of maybe alternate Sat set routes, dunno, lets get out annd ride and figure out detail later!
Getting me to speak in Blightey imperial average mph is going to be a much tougher task. Kph all the way to Europe folks!
Well done Carol for taking a positive approach. If you could keep us updated with timetable and progress we can start to think about incorporating in our weekly program.
As a a suggestion, only, we used to run the training rides every week on the same North Course (Gally Gap, Malton, Terrington, Sheriff Hutton etc). This is about a 3 hour loop and using the same loop each week might take a lot of headache away from route choice.
To others reading, why not take Carol's lead and step forward with positive ideas of your own? There is a misconception that 'The Club' is an organisation somewhere with all the resources and ideas to meet your needs. It's not, it's YOU. All the rides and events currently on offer are being run by ordinary members of the Club doing what they can for the wider membership. But they are all pretty much running at maximum capacity at the moment and we need more of you to step up and fill any gaps that you see with rides of your own. That's kind of the point of this thread.
Well after posting that i'd welcome the return of the 08:50 on Saturday, sadly i can't make the 9th March. I appreciate how important it is to come and support this ride so i'm a bit annoyed that i won't be able too next week...typical.
Anyway, I'll keep my eyes open for future 08:50 rides...and well done for volunteering to organise something new, Carol.
I'm new to group riding and have been thinking about joining the Clifton CC rides now that spring is almost up on us.
I'm an average rider, I can hold my own at 18-19 mph over 20 or so miles, slower over longer distances. So, I'm not really a beginner, but the training rides have always seemed very daunting (plus I'm not a racer so I'm not sure I'm 'training' for anything).
On the flip side I don't have the time to dedicate 6 hours and have never been one for cafe stops, I prefer the short/swift 2-3 hour ride.
My rambly point is that some kind of moderate ride as is being proposed here sounds more up my street and I should be available for the 9th of march (my bke is currently in the shop but should be OK by then). I don't have any group riding experience, but I can learn!
Must admit I thought the idea was to create a 3+ hr club ride type ride not simply a sl slower training ride. If that is the aim why not simply join the existing training ride but form a slower group? This would enable 'improvers' to move up into the existing faster groups.
I really enjoy the k group rides and intermediate (when I've got my good legs on). However, I can't always afford the time and would really like to just do a 3-4 hour morning ride on a Saturday.
I've considered the training rides, but at the moment I'm fairly sure I would end up getting dropped quite soon and making my own way home (no fun).
Following this thread, it might be best to compromise between the 9 and 10 o'clock preferred starts: how about a 9.30 prompt depart? A no-drop policy would also be good.
I'd be happy to look into possible routes, and lead on some rides.
Having stirred the pot Carol seems to have gone silent. IMO people underestimate the importance of Kevin and Rob in ensuring the weekend social type rides take place week in week out. Without a core group of regular riders who can commit to riding most weeks a ride will not happen. Only when folk know that there will be a group they can rely on joining if they pitch up on spec will a 3-4 hr ride become established.
If you can't commit to walk the walk best not talk the talk?
Steve A wrote:I'd be happy to look into possible routes, and lead on some rides.
Well said Steve. Why don't you commit to the first two Saturdays and get the wheels rolling? You have to give these things a few weeks to gain momentum. Ride together on the flat and small hills, regroup at the top of the big ones, don't leave anyone behind, keep to quiet roads, mix up the routes. You had some consensus on a start time so would stick to that for the time being.
Don't get into discussion on here about the route, you decide. Tell them where you'll be meeting and roughly where you'll be going. Then ask for a volunteer to lead another one or two.......
Okay. I'll see if Hannah can circulate a message with the Weekly Update.
Probably something short and fairly flat to start with, and see how things go.
I think this is a great idea. I was responsible for proposing the 0850 training ride which we did for a few weeks as a slightly easier training ride. But it stopped when I didn't have the time to commit to leading it.
I personally think there would be a demand for a 3-ish hour non-stop ride on Saturday mornings which aims to finish before lunch but is at a lower intensity than the training rides. I think it should suit anyone, like me, who has kids they want to see over the weekend or just has other things they want to do on Saturday afternoons and can't dedicate most of the day to riding.
I don't think it should be billed as a "chaingang" - there is a Tuesday night ride (in the next few weeks) for that already and this ride should be a bit more social than a chaingang or training ride. However, I think it should still be aimed at people who want to ride as a group at a reasonable pace since it will only be 3-ish hours.
I would suggest a reasonably early start time, like 08:30, with the aim of covering 50 to 60 miles before noon. If the aim is to have a shorter ride and leave your afternoon free, I personally would like an earlier start time to make this happen.
I would love to help in getting this off the ground and am happy to lead rides when I am available. There are a series of routes already defined by the training group of 50 to 60 miles which could be used to start off with so we don't need to design routes specifically for this group but it would be nice to venture off to different places over time if the ride takes off.
The only issue I see is in not having a regular leader. The other rides are maintained because there is a single person who co-ordinates and makes sure they happen. I know that I would not be able to do that thanks to family, work and general life commitments that keep my Saturdays occupied. However, if there is a core group of people who would be willing to lead and push the ride forward on this forum etc, then I'm sure it is workable.
I'm not around this weekend, but I could lead a ride on 6th, 13th and possibly 20th April. Steve - are you aiming to kick off this weekend? Is 08:30 start time OK? Anyone else willing to help leading rides?
I kicked off yesterday. No one showed up, but it's early days yet. Easter weekend was probably not the best time to start (there's a short report on the weekend roundup).
I've got a route planned for next week, but if you could lead a ride on 13th/20th that would be great. Email is the best way to get in touch.
Hannah has also offered to help with organisation, if there is a demand.
If anyone else (particularly those with posts on this thread) would be willing and able join the group to lead a ride every now and then, please let me know.
That time/pace/type of ride sounds ideal for me as I need to be back in the city centre by about 12.45 most Saturdays, and am not quite at the fitness level needed for the main training rides. I can't make the next two but after that I should be a regular face! Afraid I have very little knowledge of the roads used for the group rides though so wouldn't be able to contribute to leading just yet.
