Originally Posted by
Machka
I'm having a bit of difficulty imagining your situation as I'm reading it, so I'm just going to clarify ...
If I were to visit your area on any given day ... there would be an organised ride I could join?
And on Wednesdays, I could expect to ride with 100-300 other cyclists?
(I'm having trouble imagining that because I've never lived anywhere with so many cyclists!)
When you get 100-300 cyclists together, insurance becomes quite a significant issue, but permits also become an issue. And that's where an organised club approach can help. The organising people within clubs can get the permits from the local government for so many cyclists to be on the road in roughly one place at one time (it is often an "event" or "parade" permit you'll need). With that many cyclists you also need to notify the police, and again, the organising people within clubs can do that.
There are 300 people in the Wed night fb group... meaning the online group has 300 members. On any given Wednesday the number who show will vary from 30 to a max of 100. Typical is 40ish. There is in fact a shop ride the same evening, and they typically have 20. I've never heard an insurance discussion.