An introduction to club cycling - 04 August 2018

'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.

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

Unfortunately we cannot offer this session to complete cycling beginners as we are not teaching cycling proficiency. See below for information.

If you are new to the club please make yourself known to the ride leader so they can confirm your attendance to our membership manager.

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 set-up 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 25 miles at an average speed of at least 12 mile per hour, with several steep hills and only brief stops. If you're not yet comfortable at that distance or pace please build up with solo rides before coming along.

4.You should be interested in learning how to ride with a group, and open to improving your cycling skills and communication with other riders.

THE SESSION:
We will cycle a 25 mile route and discuss group formation, signals, group communication.
There will be a cafe stop at the end of our ride where we can discuss things such as endurance fitness, hill climbing and any other questions about the club. Depending on pace, we should 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 (please help us by creating an actual name rather than the default username) 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. We do not maintain a waiting list so please keep checking back in case a place becomes available.

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:
As with all club rides, you must wear a helmet to take part in this ride.

Your bike must be in a 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. Other riders may help you if you are in trouble but you should be self-sufficient and at the very least be able to fix a puncture.

We're only doing a short ride, so an energy bar or a banana will do for food. Make sure you start the day with a decent breakfast!

Bring water, making sure that you can easily carry it with you on your bike.
The weather can change quickly so make sure you have checked the weather report and dress appropriately (waterproofs/warm clothing when appropriate).

Money 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 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 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.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Hi I’ll be attending (Nick Rook) Can’t find how to change my username.. thanks, Nick

Hi,

I'll be attending as a new member.

Thanks,

Harry Jones

Hello,
I'll also be attending.
Thanks!
E

I'll be attending!

Me toooo.

I'd like to attend

Looks like its fully booked! Please make sure you update your attendance if you cant make it - not fair on others waiting for a place otherwise :)

I’m totally new and am going to Group Skills on the 26th. Would love to attend this too as I live across the road(!) and another new friend is attending this ride too, not sure if this is the done thing but please give me a shout if anyone drops out. Cheers.

Would really like to attend this if any spaces free up between now and then - I'll check back in a few days. Cheers, Sarah.

.

Hi everyone, just to add that if you are looking to join the club then the 'Group Skills' sessions also qualify as the training required for your application to progress.

Plenty of spaces left for this evenings session in Regents Park :)

Hey Sarah, I’ve withdrawn as I attended the group skills session instead. Should be a place open for you now

Hi Andrew, thanks for the heads up I seem to have just missed the free spot!

Hello,

I just want to check whether you think my bike is suitable for this – I ride a Thorn steel frame touring bike (with drop handlebars). It's a good bike in itself but being steel isn't the lightest. Am I likely to have problems keeping up with the club using this bike in the short term before committing to buying a fancier race bike?
Thanks!
E

Hi @EmmaHardy your bike sounds just fine. Not everyone rides fancy carbon race bikes, plenty of people in the club enjoy touring and riding slower too.
If you are comfortable on the bike and can average 12 mph over 25 mi, then come along and have a see what we're about.

Thanks for the quick reply. Good to know, thanks! Looking forward to coming along

Hi all, looks like it'll have warmed up again by Saturday. If you are no longer able to attend please update your attendance so others waiting for a spot can come.
Also, if you haven't yet, can change your username from user12345 to something a bit more recognisable.
Thanks

I'd like to join this ride if a space becomes available. Thanks all

Hi @Seun_Alice please keep checking back here regularly in case someone drops out, as we don't operate a wait list.

Alternatively, there are two 'Group Skills' sessions coming up, both which have plenty of space and also qualify you to join the club if you attend.
Aug 11 - https://forum.islington.cc/events/4185/
Aug 16 - https://forum.islington.cc/events/4186/

Thanks @Zac. Looks like someone has dropped out, so I've signed up for Saturday. Looking forward to riding with everyone then

Hello, I've not been able to login to register my interest for the intro ride. Is it possible to register my interest for this Saturday on here? I'm an experienced cyclist, but I read that I have to sign-up for an intro ride before joining the club and/or try a club ride... is that right? Thank you. Yulun

Hi,

I'd like to attend but looks like its full. Will check back later to see if any cancellations.

thanks

Hi,

Yes it is correct that you need to do an intro ride or a group skills ride before you can join the club. Unfortunately the intro rides tend to get full very quickly and at the moment there are no spaces left on this one, although people may free up their space before tomorrow so keep checking back. You might want to come along to a group skills ride instead as they don't fill up as quickly. We have two coming up soon:

Aug 11 - https://forum.islington.cc/events/4185/
Aug 16 - https://forum.islington.cc/events/4186/

You are welcome to come along and try the sunday club rides up to 3 times before joining the club, so please feel free to do that whilst you're waiting .

Hi all, looking forward to meeting you tomorrow, weather looks like it's gonna be great. Please update your attendance if you are no longer able to make it.
@user91980 @user92247 @user67835 Would you mind updating your username to something more recognisable, which will assist us with approving membership after tomorrow's ride. Thanks.