I've ridden with people all over the place ...

-- racers in Manitoba
-- cycletourists in Manitoba, Alberta, and the UK
-- long distance cyclists in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, USA, France, and Australia.


The rides have been enjoyably different ... a chance to meet new people, enjoy new scenery, have some fun in a new place.


[HR][/HR]

One bit of advice I might offer some cyclists is this: do different rides in your local area.

I have read, in the past, of cyclists who ride the same route over and over and over ... every evening, every weekend, basically the same route. They might time themselves on it, and discover that they are increasing speed, and that's great. But I think that part of the speed increase is simply the process of becoming very familiar with the route so that they know when to shift, when to put on a burst of speed, when to relax a bit, etc.

And then ... they go out and ride the local century or something, and discover that it is a lot harder than they thought. They aren't as fast as they thought they were ... the terrain and conditions are more difficult than they imagined. Because it is an unfamiliar route and they aren't used to hills of a different steepness, or different wind patterns or different road surfaces or whatever.

Even just turning your route around and riding it in the opposite direction sometimes can make a difference. But take every chance you get to ride in different directions, on different roads, up different hills, in different conditions. Try out different types of cycling ... different types of bicycles. Ride different events. Sure you can specialise in something, but doing different things can expand your skill-set.