An Introduction to Club Cycling - September 12, 2015

'An Introduction to Club Cycling' is a monthly ride run by ICC specifically for people who would like to try out the club cycling environment in a non-pressured and supportive group.

Next ride: 12th September, 2015 at 08:30 am.

You must be signed up for this event to take part. If you are not signed up here on the forum, you will not be able to participate. Details of how to sign up below. PLEASE READ

This is not a session for complete cycling beginners and we are not teaching cycling proficiency. See below for information.

ALL ABOUT YOU:

1.You should have already been cycling regularly in some capacity and be confident cycling on London's roads.
2.You should be familiar with your bike, its setup and be confident riding it. If you've only just bought your bike, take it out for a couple of spins on your own to gain confidence before you join a group ride with us.
3.You should have a moderate level of fitness already. Capable of riding 30 miles with several steep hills and only brief stops. If you're not yet comfortable at that distance please build up with solo rides before coming along.
4.You should be interested in Road Cycling, have a desire to ride in a group and improve your skills

THE SESSION:

We will cycle a short route (25 miles approx) and discuss group formation, signals, group communication.
There will be a cafe stop at the end of our ride where will will discuss things such as endurance fitness, hill climbing and any other questions about the club.
The session should last a couple of hours, dependent on pace - we usually get to the cafe stop in East Finchley between 11.30am - 12.30pm.

HOW DO I JOIN IN?

If you wish to attend this session you need to sign up to the ride here on the Islington forum.
Register as a user on the forum then click the 'Yes I'm Attending' button to confirm your attendance. If you see no places left, it is because the session is full.
Places are strictly limited - this is to ensure we can safely guide you on our route. Because of this, please do not attend this session if you have not signed up on the forum - you will be turned away.

WHAT TO BRING:

• A road bike that is in good and roadworthy condition. Check your wheels are true, that your gears shift reliably and your brakes work correctly.
  
• Ensure your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure. Under-inflated tyres risk being punctured more easily.
  
• Spare inner tubes, tools and a pump. Club members will help you if you are in trouble - but you should aim to be self-sufficient and at the very least be able to fix a puncture.
  
• Energy food. We're only doing a short ride, so an energy bar or a banana will do. Make sure you start the day with a decent breakfast.
  
• Water. Make sure that you can easily carry water with you on your bike.
  
• Waterproofs and / or warm clothing. The weather can change quickly - make sure you have checked the weather report and dress appropriately.
  
• Money. Either for the cafe stop or in case of an emergency (you might be in a situation where you need to get a train or taxi home! So bring enough cash or your cash card!)
  
  

WHAT TO LEAVE AT HOME:

BIKE LOCKS. Please, please, please leave your heavy D lock at home! You will not need it on this ride.
RUCKSACKS. You should be able to stuff all your things into jersey pockets - or invest in a saddle bag. Please aim to travel light.

OTHER STUFF:

ALL RIDERS MUST observe the Highway Code AT ALL TIMES when riding with Islington CC. This includes: riding no more than two abreast and riding in single file to allow traffic to pass on narrow roads, obeying traffic lights and signs, not riding on pavements and not abusing other road users.
Please acknowledge any courtesy shown to you by other road users and stop at pedestrian crossings where necessary.
Riders attend club rides strictly at their own risk. Please listen to your ride leaders and follow their instructions.

Would it be OK to join you on my 'urban cross' bike (below)? I'm getting a road bike this autumn but, if possible, would like to ride with you before then.

Dear @Bea, is this a fixie or do you have some gears. If you are happy to go up hills like Archway (we are not doing Swains Lane type of hills but you can't avoid hills in London), then you should be fine. We do a loop of 43 km.

Judging by the fact that there are two cables going aft I'm assuming that you have hub gears in which case this should be just fine.

Yep, there's a shifter on the right drop.

Cool bike really!

Thanks for the replies :) Yes, the bike has an 8 speed internal hub and is fine going up hills. I'll sign up then!

Welcome Bea!

Thanks :)

Excellent! Once you pop some pedals on your bike you'll be even faster going up hills ;)

Getting popular. Which I trust is a good thing for you guys, are you thinking of doing these rides more frequently than once a month?

No but we've just increased the places for September from 16 to 24 thanks to more volunteers stepping forwards to lead the rides.

I am also happy to help with with the introductory rides. Will also be running the C ride on Sunday 30th August with @Ebrahim

Hi,
I look forward to joining you on the 12th.
One question: at the top it says start at 7:30, in the intro at 8:30. Can you confirm which? I'd hate to be late (or an hour early).
Matt

Hi @mattwestlake

The start time is 8:30 - this is a known bug in the forum unfortunately, and some people see the event times at -1 hours for some reason.

See you then!
Orestis

Thank you Orestis, see you there.

Hi
I am looking forward to joining you all on the 12th!
Cheers
Jason

Hi there. Do you have any spaces left for this? If so, can I take one?

Thanks
Matt

@user57262 Matt, just press the "I attend" button on top to reserve a place. Still 2 left at the moment

Thanks, Martine. Have done. Looking forward to it.

If anyone can't make this, I'll have their place. Keep getting to this page about 1 day too late!

Can a newbie come to a C ride as well? Be good to know - I'm there if so.

Yes! Please feel free to come along on a Sunday for one of our C rides, or on a Saturday morning for laps round Regents Park. Just identify someone in an ICC jersey, and they'll let you know what's happening etc.

I'd suggest you also follow this thread (click on the button on the right had side) to receive email notifications. That way, you will instantly know if someone has dropped out. We usually get a few who can't make it any more closer to the date.

Also, we'll be running a similar session in October again, so if you miss this, you can join us then

@Orestis, my sister (Amy Crabtree) would really like to join the intro ride, but looks like this one is full up already. If someone should drop out, please let me know. She's not a member yet, but I'll get her signed up to the forum...

Awesome! Yes, September has been hugely popular thus far. We usually run these with 16 riders, but we increased this to 24 and its sold out again!
We don't have a reserves list, but do follow this thread (click the button above) in case someone drops out. Feel free to bring your sister along to one of our Sunday C rides, or Regents Park laps though in the meantime.