Originally Posted by
chasm54
Wow, Machka. So emphatic you posted it twice!
Seriously, why? I'd read it as their attempt to be helpful and make sure newbies had the information necessary to ensure they didn't get out of their depth. It may sound a bit anal, but it's better than some of the club runs I've been on in which newcomers are told "oh no, it's just a casual ride" only to find it's a dog-eat-dog hammerfest.
The "why" is this ... the assumption is that just because a person is slow, they are also unable to cover distance.
Look at the first list ... you're expected to remain in beginner or intermediate, doing rides under 20 miles (32 km), until you can ride a minimum of 15 mph (25 km/h). Well how disheartening is that? Because I have rarely held a minimum speed of 25 km/h, I'm not worthy to ride anything more than 32 km. R-I-G-H-T.
And then the second list ...
"If you cant maintain 12 mph (20 km/h), you will be helped back to the park, but probably shouldn't come out to the group ride until you can."
So me, a cyclist who has done 1200K randonnees, would be "helped back to the park" with the suggestion that I really shouldn't even be there.
As I said ... I'd avoid both clubs like the plague. So yes, it's good those clubs post that info on their sites. Lets us know which clubs to cross of the list.
I'm a slow cyclist ... and I'm OK with that. But I can cover the distance. As long as I can maintain the randonneuring 15 km/h minimum, that's all I need.
