European cycling clubs
07-03-06, 10:25 PM
#1
Rocking the roads of Bama
Thread Starter
European cycling clubs
I've been emailing with a Belgian friend of mine and he was telling me about his local cycling clubs.
"This morning, I was in a cyclist meeting and the organizers
proposed tracks of 35, 67, 90 & 120 km. As I went there on my bike (it
was in a neighbouring village), I covered a total distance of 74. There
were hundreds of cyclists (I think about 500). After 10 km, I was in a
group of about 25 and we joined another group of almost 30 so we were
about 50 to ride together. That was good fun..."
followed by "We also have some kind of races for "amateurs"
like us. We call that " the 3 hours of village X" or "90 minutes of
village Y". it's just funny, not as good organized as "official" races
but at least amateurs like us can feel the taste of races. I took part
in a race last year and my club will be organizing one next Saturday."
and "The organizers
of these meetings have a homepage at https://www.lespicardes.be.tf/
Usually they even add pics..."
He said the pace varies, and if you check out some of the pictures of the club members you can see why. From the very fit, to the very, well not so fit.
I'm quite envious of the Europeans and their ability to have so many bike friendly roads, plus I love soccer, wish the wife would let us move.
"This morning, I was in a cyclist meeting and the organizers
proposed tracks of 35, 67, 90 & 120 km. As I went there on my bike (it
was in a neighbouring village), I covered a total distance of 74. There
were hundreds of cyclists (I think about 500). After 10 km, I was in a
group of about 25 and we joined another group of almost 30 so we were
about 50 to ride together. That was good fun..."
followed by "We also have some kind of races for "amateurs"
like us. We call that " the 3 hours of village X" or "90 minutes of
village Y". it's just funny, not as good organized as "official" races
but at least amateurs like us can feel the taste of races. I took part
in a race last year and my club will be organizing one next Saturday."
and "The organizers
of these meetings have a homepage at https://www.lespicardes.be.tf/
Usually they even add pics..."
He said the pace varies, and if you check out some of the pictures of the club members you can see why. From the very fit, to the very, well not so fit.
I'm quite envious of the Europeans and their ability to have so many bike friendly roads, plus I love soccer, wish the wife would let us move.
07-03-06, 10:51 PM
#2
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Here in Norway, the clubs literally have club houses. They are used for social events and can be rented for parties. Roads are not "cycling friendly" at all, in most of Europe--- rather the drivers are. You almost never see shoulders on a road that is not a freeway. Actually, there are far too many separate bike paths in Europe, if you ask me. I would prefer wider roads.
The racing scene is built around promoting the sport for youth. All sports have clubs in Europe-- rather than being run out of schools. Schools are for education. Races here are more like citizen races in the US with a separate class for elites. Many of these citizens are like fast cat 3s and 4s in the US, and are excellent bike handlers. The elites are budding future pros. Ultimately, this system promotes participation for the masses--- more like in the running world in the US. The race itself naturally sorts out participants into categories.
The racing scene is built around promoting the sport for youth. All sports have clubs in Europe-- rather than being run out of schools. Schools are for education. Races here are more like citizen races in the US with a separate class for elites. Many of these citizens are like fast cat 3s and 4s in the US, and are excellent bike handlers. The elites are budding future pros. Ultimately, this system promotes participation for the masses--- more like in the running world in the US. The race itself naturally sorts out participants into categories.
Originally Posted by Panic
I've been emailing with a Belgian friend of mine and he was telling me about his local cycling clubs.
"This morning, I was in a cyclist meeting and the organizers
proposed tracks of 35, 67, 90 & 120 km. As I went there on my bike (it
was in a neighbouring village), I covered a total distance of 74. There
were hundreds of cyclists (I think about 500). After 10 km, I was in a
group of about 25 and we joined another group of almost 30 so we were
about 50 to ride together. That was good fun..."
followed by "We also have some kind of races for "amateurs"
like us. We call that " the 3 hours of village X" or "90 minutes of
village Y". it's just funny, not as good organized as "official" races
but at least amateurs like us can feel the taste of races. I took part
in a race last year and my club will be organizing one next Saturday."
and "The organizers
of these meetings have a homepage at https://www.lespicardes.be.tf/
Usually they even add pics..."
He said the pace varies, and if you check out some of the pictures of the club members you can see why. From the very fit, to the very, well not so fit.
I'm quite envious of the Europeans and their ability to have so many bike friendly roads, plus I love soccer, wish the wife would let us move.
"This morning, I was in a cyclist meeting and the organizers
proposed tracks of 35, 67, 90 & 120 km. As I went there on my bike (it
was in a neighbouring village), I covered a total distance of 74. There
were hundreds of cyclists (I think about 500). After 10 km, I was in a
group of about 25 and we joined another group of almost 30 so we were
about 50 to ride together. That was good fun..."
followed by "We also have some kind of races for "amateurs"
like us. We call that " the 3 hours of village X" or "90 minutes of
village Y". it's just funny, not as good organized as "official" races
but at least amateurs like us can feel the taste of races. I took part
in a race last year and my club will be organizing one next Saturday."
and "The organizers
of these meetings have a homepage at https://www.lespicardes.be.tf/
Usually they even add pics..."
He said the pace varies, and if you check out some of the pictures of the club members you can see why. From the very fit, to the very, well not so fit.
I'm quite envious of the Europeans and their ability to have so many bike friendly roads, plus I love soccer, wish the wife would let us move.
07-04-06, 07:53 AM
#3
Rocking the roads of Bama
Thread Starter
Thanks filtersweep.
On my trips to Europe I've found that you are right, drivers are friendly, but most of the roads are tight. I will say that in the Netherlands and Denmark they both had bike friendly roads nearly everywhere.
I was in Italy at Perugia and they have their pro football team (soccer), volleyball, basketball, and I think a cycling and swimming team on their complex. Pretty impressive.
On my trips to Europe I've found that you are right, drivers are friendly, but most of the roads are tight. I will say that in the Netherlands and Denmark they both had bike friendly roads nearly everywhere.
I was in Italy at Perugia and they have their pro football team (soccer), volleyball, basketball, and I think a cycling and swimming team on their complex. Pretty impressive.
