Pacific Northwest - Is anybody a member of the Mid-Valley Bicycle Club

I was wondering if anyone here was a member of, or had any knowledge of the Mid-Valley Bicycle Club in Corvallis OR. I found their website and was interested in some information on them. I am getting back into riding again, and was hoping to find a local group to ride with.

Yep, I'm a member for 10+ years. There are 2 main rides each week on Saturdays, plus some informal others during the week (some club, some not).

The Sat "early ride," 8am this time of year (9am later Fall through early May), has about 3 choices. The groups aren't great at regrouping sometimes, so newcomers can get left for dead (so to speak). If you are in shape and can hang with a moderate to strong pace "training ride format", you probably will be fine.

The Sat "late ride", aka "The Rollers" is a more relaxed format and they don't primarily hammer. It starts at 9am. They are much better at regrouping and the routes tend to be shorter.

Both ride formats meet different needs and both are well patronized. I've been busy this year so I haven't ridden many Saturday rides. I tend to stay with the early ride, although I can't hang with them yet this year unless they cut their pace back.

The weekday rides are a ride on Wed mornings from Camp Adair to Monmouth or Dallas and back with a Rollers ride format. On Tue/Thur eve's there is a 5pm ride from Osborn Aquatic Center that is a flat hammer fest - agressive pace for 2+ hours.

In you are near Albany, don't forget to check out the Santiam Spokes and their weekly rides. They host the Strawberry Century, coming up on June 14th out of Lebanon.

Road-Rage,
I live in Corvallis and joined both clubs just recently. I have been on several Wednesday morning rides with MVBC and Saturday rides with Santiam Spokes since April. I have not tried the Saturday morning MVBC rides yet, but HalfBent's comments about the 8am and 9am groups are along the lines of what I have heard from my Wednesday co-riders. I took early retirement and just started riding regularly, so the 'Rollers' format fits my needs perfectly. We typically do 30-50 mile rides at an average of 12-14 mph with a coffee/restroom break halfway. Non-members are allowed on club rides, so feel free to come by and introduce yourself next time. By the way, the annual membership is quite nominal at both clubs. If you need more info, feel free to e-mail me at screenwasher at yahoo.com.

HalfBent (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=123518), screenwasher, (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=105371)

Thank you so much for the information. With me just starting again, the Rollers format sounds the ticket for me to learn the ropes of club riding. I still am in the process of upgrading to a new bike, but when I do, I hope to be able to make a few rides. I hope to maybe meet you at some time. Thanks again,

Jeff