2012 Cycling Club Home Opener - April 7
My last club ride ended rather miserably on the Thanksgiving long weekend back in October 2011 so my return to the Saturday morning ride this long Easter weekend was both ironic and appropriate in a fated sort of way.
It was a good turnout for early Spring in Nova Scotia with several new faces in the club. Truth be told I kinda felt like I was the newbie since I recognized so few faces from previous years but that is a good thing. The club continues to attract new members which, at a grass roots level, is what the club is all about.
My focus for this season of club cycling is to get back to the basics; having fun on the bike and enjoying the social aspect of group cycling. The last several years saw the social ride hijacked by the training ride in pursuit of improved racing performance. My participation in the "beer" rides from 2010 onwards brought back an element of social club riding and became an often welcomed distraction to "on the rivet" training. More importantly it was fun and the patio beer afterwards tasted so damn good!
In view of my change of priorities I ended up going out with the last group on the road this past Saturday. The sweep (or slow) group usually is for new members unfamiliar with the route or for cyclists new to group riding. It is led by an experienced leader and speed is not the mantra. It was a good ride with six of us enjoying the nice day and a chance to cycle at a conversational pace. It was fun and I enjoyed the morning on the bike. I will ride 2012 among a variety of ability groups based solely upon what I want to do that day. If I`m feeling sassy I`ll jump in the faster groups. If I just wanna relax I will join a slower group. It will be nice just going with the flow and enjoying the freedom offered by the bike and open road.
It was a good turnout for early Spring in Nova Scotia with several new faces in the club. Truth be told I kinda felt like I was the newbie since I recognized so few faces from previous years but that is a good thing. The club continues to attract new members which, at a grass roots level, is what the club is all about.
My focus for this season of club cycling is to get back to the basics; having fun on the bike and enjoying the social aspect of group cycling. The last several years saw the social ride hijacked by the training ride in pursuit of improved racing performance. My participation in the "beer" rides from 2010 onwards brought back an element of social club riding and became an often welcomed distraction to "on the rivet" training. More importantly it was fun and the patio beer afterwards tasted so damn good!
In view of my change of priorities I ended up going out with the last group on the road this past Saturday. The sweep (or slow) group usually is for new members unfamiliar with the route or for cyclists new to group riding. It is led by an experienced leader and speed is not the mantra. It was a good ride with six of us enjoying the nice day and a chance to cycle at a conversational pace. It was fun and I enjoyed the morning on the bike. I will ride 2012 among a variety of ability groups based solely upon what I want to do that day. If I`m feeling sassy I`ll jump in the faster groups. If I just wanna relax I will join a slower group. It will be nice just going with the flow and enjoying the freedom offered by the bike and open road.
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