higgit

Not sure if I am in the appropriate forum.

I believe that one of the responsibilities of a bicycle club is cyclist development.

Golfers take lessons, tennis players take lessons, young bicycle racers get instruction from their cycling clubs; so, what about recreational cyclists. How do cyclists get to learn how to cycle farther, faster, better, how to get the most out of expensive equipment, whatever. How do we get to develop our interest in cycling into a real hobby, a passion.

A percentage of those who show up at club rides as beginners (and ultimately join the club) decide that they want to improve their cycling skills. My experience is that the percentage is very, very low, maybe 1 in 20 or 30. But these people not only enjoy the rides, they take pride in increasing their cycling skills.

My personal interest is in working with those few who start on "the old bike in the garage" (like I did) and fall in love with the sport. It has nothing to do with Level A, B or C. It has to do with wanting to improve, to be able to ride 10 miles, then 20 or 30 and maybe even more. It has to do with understanding how the proper use of gears can enable one to climb a hill with two stops instead of four. (It surprised me to learn that many people, especially women, have never driven a car with a manual transmission. They have never experienced going up "through the gears" like I did with my VW Beetle).

Last summer, both my wife and I had the good fortune to ride with experienced cyclists who became our mentors. In an informal way they tutored us on how to pedal effectively, the importance of conserving energy, the importance of self-confidence, how to use the drive train, how to descend safely, how to hydrate, how to nourish, how to breathe when doing a tough ascent, etc. As a result, both of us were able to do our first century and do a ride with substantial vertical elevation in our first year. We are both retirees.

Does anyone have experience with a 'formal rider development program at the local club level' that you would be willing to share to assist us in so doing in our club?

Thanks, Ted

BengeBoy 

You might spend some time on the website(s) of the Cascade Bicycle Club of Seattle, which claims to be the largest bike club in the U.S.

They have an overwhelming number of classes and clinics.

The website of the Cascade educational foundation (which I guess technically runs the clinics/classes) is:
https://www.cbcef.org/classes.html

The overall website of the club is at:
www.cascade.org.

They organize rides for every level of rider. Also, they have specific series of rides leading up to special events. For example, the big ride of the year is the STP (Seattle to Portland), and they have a series of rides starting in March that lead all the way up to STP in July. If you do the ride series (which starts a pretty basic level), then you'll be ready for the STP.

They also have more strenuous series leading up to tougher rides during the year -- like the RAMROD (Ride Around Mt. Rainier in One Day) and the HPC (High Pass Challenge).

Hope this helps!

There also is a professional staff at the Cascade club; I'm sure they could answer any questions. The club also has a reasonably active message board.

oilman_15106

Check out our website: https://www.wpwbikeclub.org/

Take note of the ride classifications under "Rides". There is something for everyone.

I have found that when I started with road riding the group was very accomidating to my inexperience and was glad to answer the questions however dumb they were. There are the elites who don't give a dang if you develop but most of us would rather have more involved with the sport than fewer.

The only thing a 50+er can not overcome is that they are no longer 25 years old so why try to ride like one.

As to the club being the base of development, that is a tough one. Like everything run by volunteers it is only as good as the time and desire someone has to put into it.

Pamestique 

I belong to a fairly large club in Orange County CA ( Bicycle Club of Irvine). It and several others in the area routinely offer training classes and rides. BCI starts each month with a "New Cyclist Ride" offered to bring new cyclist out and into a club atmosphere. The ride is "no drop", has ride leaders to pace the group, and offers an hour and 1/2 instruction before the ride. The ride is about 15 miles long, flat(ish), broken up with a coffee stop. The club also provides tire changing clinics etc. Starting in January and running through June, the club offers "Bear Training" intended to increase hill climbing skills. The first route is about 30 miles with 1500 feet of climbing but the routes progessively get tougher accumulating into the 'Ride Around The Bear" ride in June (100 miles, 9000' of climbing). The Orange County Wheelmen offer "Century Training". Ride leaders set up courses to build stamina and endurance. And almost every club I know has monthly meetings were things like nutrition, mechanical repairs, equipment etc are discussed. I also join another group starting about April that does hill training. As the day gets longer, so do the rides get longer and tougher. There is a ride leader who each week selects a different ride to test our strength and endurance.

Not certain if this is what you were asking about. It's just a matter of taking some responsibility and getting something started. I started the newbie rides at BCI about 5 years ago and we still do them. It's a matter of some time and commitment but many people benefit.

If you want some information check out bikeirvine.org

TurboTurtle

For the past 4 or 5 years I have lead a Century Training as part of our club. We start with a 5 mile ride in March and build to a Century (local invitational) in Sept. We work on shifting, cadence, hills, momentum, group riding (the hardest), etc throughout the summer. I find most of it to be mental. Once shown that they can do something, they are first amazed and then simply do it again.- TF

John E

For those who live in north coastal San Diego County, I recommend, and often ride with, the Encinitas YMCA's MasterFit adventure road riding group. We meet at the Y on Saturday mornings, at 7 a.m. during the summer, 8 a.m. during the winter, for a 2-hour ride. I like the pace, I like the routes chosen, and I enjoy the company.

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**** 1 April 2008 = 135th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Rachmaninoff ****