Newbie Group Ride Question
 

I just started Biking and have purchased a Giant Cypress SL. I would like to get into Group Riding, but am concerned about keeping up as well as disrupting the group. How does one go about joining these groups and do they generally make newbies feel welcomed

Well, apparently some groups don't welcome newbies as detailed in this thread http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=56620

I would ask the bike shops, search the internet, etc. to find open group rides in your area. Talk to people on the road that you come across. Here in Madison, there are a variety of novice group rides that you could join without the snobbery.

As with meeting new people anywhere, it takes a little time to learn people's names/faces and for them to remember you.

As for disrupting the group, stay towards the back and be predictable/steady. Be modest and unassuming on the bike until the others get used to having you there.

I’m sure there are cyclists in your area, it will just take some time to find them

-murray

If you get dropped, and they wait for you, say "thank you"... and don't attack.

I guess what you mean by dropped is taken down on purpose?

I'm not an expert on this but umm.

Dropped = Falling behind, then having the group sit and wait for you to catch up *or ride really slow while waiting for you* would be letting you catch up and then you should say thanks :)

Chad

No dropped means you loose contact (can't keep up) with the group and are no longer drafting which will make the ride even harder.

Stay in the back if you are tired, and try not to overlap your front wheel with the rider/s in front of you. You will fall if the rider in front has to swerve and your tires touch.
Always look ahead to the leader, the leader reacts first in the group. If you are only watching the person in front of you your reaction time will be too late.
Take your turn up front but don't stay in front for too long as your pace is the pace of the group and you will be pushing twice as hard in the wind.
When you are in the front be aware of stoplights or anything else that would cause you to slow down, riding in a group is like a relationship, communication is very key, tell the group what your doing, when your in the front they are paying attention to you.
The pace in group rides usually starts rather slow and picks up when everyone is warmed up.
Try to get to the gathering spot a little early so you can introduce yourself to people.
Have Fun ;)

in my limited experience i'd say no, they only make newbies feel welcome if they're very fast newbies. the thing about group riding is it's best to be in a group where everybody is in the same range in terms of strength and ability. i'm not trying to make big blanket statements, but i think the most important thing you can do regarding group riding is to find the group of ppl who are about as strong and experienced - about as hardcore as you are and not too much more so.

where i live there's rides that you can find out about through word-of-mouth and there are groups like this one with scheduled rides: http://www.bikepptc.org/ride_schedule/pptc0408.html

the handy A, B, C, D rating system is a good way to see if you'd be able to keep up and not get in the way.

last but not least, i think that just by virtue of riding a hybrid you are really only going to fit in very casual slow group rides (B, C, D from that link above for example) where all the etiquette posts above are not really that important because you won't be riding in a pace-line but just riding in a losely knit pack for the social aspect of it.

just to clarify: a "group ride" can mean different things to different ppl. for a casual person who likes to have folks to talk to when they ride a group ride can be a bunch of ppl who meet up and just tool around for a while together being on the bike and enjoying each others company. for a more serious cyclist - somebody with a road bike who rides >100miles/week - a group ride will often be more of a synergistic workout: a bunch of ppl who ride hard in a tight little line and end up going way faster than they could have alone because of the aerodynamics of riding in a group.

with a hybrid, you are tailor made for the first kind of group ride - i'm just trying to be clear, because some of the posts above are leaning more towards paceline etiquette. it's still a good idea to not do anything sudden and to not cross wheels with ppl btw.

Hey Boze, Thanks alot that was a great reply. I know my bike is a hybrid and I am doing about 16 miles per day on it. I know of a group ride that is in the B category. I think I can hang with them and then in about a year upgrade to a road bike.

I just joined a bike club in my area and lucky for me they have e-mail addy for the people running the group rides on the weekends.

I was able to e-mail the group leaders ahead of time to find out which group on which day I would be better suited for. Turns out they have a group for beginners (ie little or no experience in group riding)