Originally Posted by
Beachgrad05
I am really new to cycling. Have ridden a bike off and on over the years tho. But until this past Feb it was more of a here and there sort of thing. So I rode by myself on the local bike trail near my home about 17 miles RT at about 11mph avg speed. But this past Feb, I got a kick in the rear and began to get serious. I signed up for my first 30 mile ride (which was this past May 5) as something to shoot for. If I knew I needed to be ready to ride 30 miles, I figured I would get out and ride more.
Someone suggested I find a group to ride with. So I did some searches on Meetup. Found one local group that starts their rides near me. I contacted them. And found out that I was nowhere near ready to ride with even their C group. Discouraging for sure. So one day I was browsing my LBS FB page and saw a post from a women's cycling group about a ride they had done the previous Saturday. The post had a link to their meetup page. I checked it out and requested to join up. I was stoked to finally find a group to ride with and when I saw pictures of the rides they had done, I also found that I would fit in reasonably well...as they had what appeared to be women of all shapes/ages and on hybrids and roadbikes. The group was just getting off the ground as well which is why I hadn't seen it before in previous searches.
So I found them in early March and was anxious to go on my first ride. It rained a few weekends in a row which delayed my first chance to ride.
So my first ride I show up expecting a 15-20 mile ride. I get there and the ride leaders from the LBS that sort of sponsors the group had plans for a 25 mile route. No mention was made of pace but I knew it was a no-drop. I am also the ONLY rider not on a road bike and the heaviest rider of the bunch. One of the LBS guys led the ride and the other rode with ME. According to Runkeeper I averaged 12.5 mph for the ride. I didn't hold up the group too terrible badly and the sweep guy was very encouraging and supportive of my efforts.
The next week only two of my group showed up for the ride and so it was the two LBS guys and the two of us. I am still on my hybrid. This ride was much harder. It was windier and had some hills. The same LBS guy rode sweep with me. The other guy and the other group member were able to go much faster. They would stop and wait for us (ME) to catch up and as we approached they would take off. I found it ironic that the one who was struggling didn't get to rest as much. LOL Eventually toward the last part of the ride, they left us behind (the LBS guys were scheduled to work when the store opened at 10am and we were taking too long to get back thanks to me). Once again, the LBS guy that rode sweep was super encouraging and supportive. The next week I was at the LBS and bought my new road bike from him.
I have been very active in the cycling group. My first ride after buying my road bike, we had a member come for her first ride with the group on her garage sale special steel hybrid with a rack and basket on the back for her little dog. I offered to ride sweep for the group despite my itch to see what my new road bike could do. I rode with this woman and encouraged her. I knew what it was like on a non-road bike. I didn't want her to become discouraged and not ENJOY riding. She has attended another ride since then and I encouraged her once again. After the last ride, she was looking at new bikes.
Our group has done all no-drop rides until now, we have instituted pace rides where you need to keep up. We also use online mapping to map out rides so folks can be educated as to the distance, route and elevation changes before saying they will do that ride.
Sorry for the long story...having been in the position of the slowest person riding and causing everyone to wait but wanting to ride with others, makes me empathize with the women in the OP. Riding with a group can be a ton of fun.
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