Ride Guide
Introduction
Getting involved in a cycling club can be a daunting experience, especially if you don't happen to be an extrovert. This guide looks to prepare you for your first ride with the club, it also serves as a refresher for those riders who are already experienced with the Railway City Cycling Club (RCCC) and provides some insight for those who are looking to improve their abilities.
For new riders, it is highly recommended that you take time to join us on a Wednesday night in the Spring and Early Summer (see: Back to Basics rides in the Calendar) to get a bit of one on one time with an experienced club member. This will give you a head start for some of our longer rides on the weekend.
Finding Rides
General Schedule
We ride most days of the week. Weekday rides are under 50km and offer an opportunity to get to know other riders well. Weekend rides are targeted towards cafe stops, typically in smaller towns, that require more teamwork to ride to efficiently.
Monday
Start Time: 6:30PM
Distance: 35-50km
Style: Social - no one is trying to set a land-speed record
Grouping: Pace Group, based on attendance
Sample Routes: John Wise Loop, Port Stanley Loop
Wednesday
Start Time: 6:30PM
Distance: 30-45km
Style: Instructional - learn how to group ride and strategies for riding more effectively
Grouping: Pace Group & Skill Level
Sample Routes: Sparta Flat, Sparta Hilly, Sparta Suffering Loop
Thursday
Start Time: 6:30PM
Distance: 20-45km
Style: Social - no one is trying to set a land-speed record
Grouping: Pace Group, based on attendance
Sample Routes: Short Loop, Springfield Loop
Weekend (Main)
Start Time: 8:00AM
Distance: 70-100km
Style: Hosted Ride
Grouping: Pace Group, based on attendance
Sample Routes: Van Lahti's Cafe
Weekend (Alt)
Start Time: 8:00AM
Distance: 70-100km
Style: Hosted Ride
Grouping: Pace Group, based on attendance
Sample Routes: The Olde Bakery Cafe
Early Mornings
Start Time: 5:30AM
Distance: 70-80km
Style: Training Ride
Grouping: Pace Group, based on attendance
Sample Routes: Pt Stanley Hills, Iona Tempo
Ride with GPS
As you may have noticed with the above sample routes, we use Ride with GPS as the platform to organize our events. This allows us to communicate details about a ride, drives our club calendar and creates a history of our activities. As a perk of being a club member, all club rides get the benefits of being treated as if you were an individual paid member of Ride with GPS. Once you have joined RCCC, you can apply to join our Ride with GPS Club.
Slack
We are transitioning away from using Facebook Groups. Why? Because it is nearly impossible to get a consistent delivery of information to all members. As an alternative, we are targeting a messaging platform called Slack. In your welcome email you will have an invitation link to join our Slack group. If you have lost this e-mail, please reach out to any member of the board for an invite.
Along with a web interface, there are iOS and Android mobile apps available. Key information will be communicated in the #announcements channel. You can leverage the Slack channels to see who is attending rides and interact with other club members.