An introduction to club cycling - 12 January 2019

'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.

If you wish to join ICC then you will need to complete one of the compulsory training sessions, either this Introduction ride or the Group Skills in Regents Park.

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.

PLEASE READ

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

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 above 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.

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!

Alec,

Development Secretary

Hello,

If I sign on for the ride to do the intro to become a member would it be rude of me to peel off early? I have to work at 10 am in Kentish town on the 12th. I'm keen to get in on this ride as I see the next intro session is in February and would like to be on some group rides before then :)

Many thanks

B

Hi Brooke,

I think you might have to opt for a different date as the ride doesn't really get going until 9am after all the introductions/teaching of signals etc. If you don't want to wait until Feb, can you attend any of the Group Skills sessions? If you email us on [email protected] so we have your details for insurance purposes, you're welcome to join us for up to 3 Sundays rides until you manage to get on a skills/intro ride

Brooke

If you need to be in Kentish Town for 10am, then you will not make much of the ride, so I think you should do another session. You can always do a group skills instead.

Stephen

Good shout, thank you for the responses :) Hope to meet you all soon

B

Hi All,

I will look forward to meet you all on Sunday

I have clicked ''I am attending'' but if there is anything else I need to do, please let me know

Regards

Andrew Ayres
[email protected]

The best thing you can do is to turn up on Saturday instead of Sunday (easy mistake to make). Other than that, just bring yourself any necessities listed above and you're good to go!

Hi Sally,

Thanks for your response. I'm assuming you believe the Sunday ride would be too difficult for a first starter and Saturday would be a more preferred option ?

I might not be able to attend on Saturday, so what would you advise as an alternative ?

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Sally was clarifying that the above Intro Ride is on Saturday 12th whereas you have said "meet you all on Sunday".

If you cannot make Saturday's ride, we allow potential members 3 Sunday rides with the club, after which you are asked to join: part of the joining process is completing either an Intro ride (i.e. the ride this thread advertises) or one of our Group Skills rides which are held more frequently

Assuming a modicum of fitness, you would be welcome to try a C-ride on a Sunday, though currently these are not a "qualifying ride" for membership purposes.

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the update and I think Sally was right ''Easily done'' :)

Ok, I am available on Sunday so if I can join in, that would be great

Could I try a B-ride on Sunday (14-16mph)

Andrew

Hi there !
I will join the Saturday intro ride this week. As I am totally new in London, what is the best way to cycle from Maida Vale (Elgin Avenue) to the Whittington Park location where the ride starts ?
thanks for reply
Guliel

There might be a better way, but as someone who lives in Queens Park, this is my general route to Whittington Park: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28109889/
/ Feel free to play around with it to see if you can make it better!

On another note, now that this ride is full, if you can no longer attend PLEASE remover yourself from the event. Just click 'can't make it' at the top of the page so that your space can be freed up for someone else.

Also if those of you who's usernames are user12345 could change them to something more memorable that would be great.

Thanks Sally !
Unfortunately the route is not visible - I can't also seem to get in on the Ride With GPS website.
G

Sorry, didn't realise it was set to private... have changed it now.

Thanks Sally - its now visible.
Are you riding this Saturday morning ? Any chance I can follow you to Whittington parc ?

Sadly I'm not, it's my birthday so I'm off for a lazy weekend in the Cotswolds. If you want an easier to follow route then I'd advise heading to Regent's Park, going through Kentish Town and up to Tufnell Park.

Edited post as actually this looks much easier! Will probably give this a try next time I'm heading to Whittington!

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29152312

Hi Brooke, I've dropped you a private message.

Thanks,
San

Yes you can, though we generally steer newcomers towards a C-ride as your first ride with the club, unless you are already experienced in group riding and presumably therefore also confident of your ability to hold the pace of a more rigorous B-ride.

In any case, turn up at Whittington Park, say Hi and let it be know that it's your first ride with the club. We're a friendly bunch.
Three admin points -

• If you aren't attending the Saturday Intro ride then please untick yourself using the "I'm Attending" button at the top. This frees your place for another potential rider
  
• Can you please email the membership secretary on [email protected] for our insurance purposes
  
• Can you change your forum name from user96734 to something more identifiable. Profile settings in the top right of your screen :-)
  

Thanks Sally -- this looks easy !
Enjoy your birthday weekend !
G

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the update and considering I'm not exactly an experience rider, I will attend the C-ride on Sunday

My profile has now been updated and I notified the secretary

See you all on Sunday

Thank you to all the riders, and @Jyde for riding at the back, in my group today. Easily the fastest Intro Ride I have ever lead. Some good "change ones" out in the countryside.

I hope you enjoyed meeting other new members, learnt a few things and will enjoy and contribute to your club.

Great ride today, thanks @ColinFisher for leading and making my life super easy! Great group of riders look forward to seeing you out on the road 😀

Thanks @ColinFisher and @jyde for a great introduction to the club. Looking forward to riding with you again.

Yeah thanks guys!