[VC Walcot] Current and New Group Rides

[VC Walcot]

Hi All,
Firstly, we went through the 50 members barrier last weekend with Talitha and Alex joining an ever growing list. Thanks for the support everybody, it's great to know that you want to support the club, come out on rides and get involved with other club activities. 
With this in mind and in an attempt to put some structure in place for the coming months and next year we decided at the AGM to introduce a new ride on Sunday but at a different pace to the current one. There are two main reasons for doing this. 
1. We've seen the club grow rapidly this year but only really recovering the ground that was lost after a couple of lean years. We are now at a 'healthy level' of members in comparison with the number of committee members. Our traditional Sunday ride has always covered whatever route has been decided at a pace of around 15mph average and this has rarely changed over the last 6 years. Clearly, this suits most people in the club but as the membership grows so does the variation in pace that people feel comfortable riding. 
2. With Odd Down being built ready for next year, the wave of enthusiasm from the Olympics and the general trend of cycling locally the club is receiving a number of enquiries every week regarding joining our Sunday ride. Some will fit straight in but others are much more hesitant once they hear the general pace of the ride and the kind of distances we cover. In terms of most clubs we don't actually ride that far on a Sunday but nevertheless there is a pool of cyclists out there who want to just a social ride over a reasonable distance where they can get used to group riding etc. Experience of riding your bike in close proximity doesn't come overnight. It's unfair for these guys to try and mix in with the regulars but conversely we don't want to ruin the long-standing Sunday ride pace either.
Therefore, we are introducing an easier paced Sunday Group Ride on the first Sunday of every month for the foreseeable future. It will meet at the same time as the usual Sunday ride but cover a shorter distance at around 12mph average. The ride leaders will also be riders who want to ride at the same pace. If you think this interests you then click over to our website for further info from Nick Rearden: http://www.vc-walcot.com/post/35768780177/velo-club-walcot-welcomes-new-members-and-theres First ride is on 2nd Dec, meeting at 0930 opposite the Guildhall. 
Group Rides Throughout the Winter
- Saturdays - Meet 9am for approx 2hr ride with Mike Young leading and usually over a pre-planned route, #cyclewithmichael is the Twitter hashtag. If Mike is unavailable then the ride goes ahead without a pre-planned route and those present decide on where to ride before leaving the Guildhall
- Sundays - Meet 0930 for approx 3hr ride at 15-16mpg average - normally this will be a led ride with a pre-planned route of somewhere between 30-40 miles depending on the weather. If no leader is available I have put together some 'standard' routes which can be easily followed on roads we often ride, one North and one South of the city. http://www.vc-walcot.com/routes
- First Sunday of Every Month - meet 0930 for approx 2-3hr ride at 12mph average - this will be a led ride with a pre-planned route - Jon Arnold and Nick Rearden will lead the first ride on 2nd Dec - a ride to introduce people to the club and also for existing members who feel the usual Sunday is too fast for them.
Mike Young isn't available to lead on Saturday but if planning to ride then please get to the Guildhall for 9am and decide upon route amongst yourselves
This Sunday's route to be led by Andy Wright: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/sunday-group-ride-default-north-winter
If you've got any questions then please email me directly at enquiries at vc-walcot.com
We're also looking for a catchy name for the new Sunday Ride, something we can use on Twitter and social media to draw people in. Any ideas please throw them my way.
Laurie
 		 	   		  
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