An introduction to club cycling - 06 July 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

Hiya Alec,
Can we show up with a normal bike (aka not a road bike) for an introductory lesson?

Depends partly on what you mean by "normal bike" and mainly how fit you are. The key thing is are you (as above) "Capable of riding 25 miles at an average speed of at least 12 mile per hour, with several steep hills and only brief stops." This ride does a loop out of London so its only fair on the group as a whole if we set a minimum speed. So you would need to be considerably fitter to manage the ride on a full suspension mountain bike or a folder than on a road bike but you certainly don't have to have a road bike.

Hello, I’ve just registered on the forum and would like to join the club. I can’t make this on the 6th as may be volunteering at nightrider Bristol. I’m also having trouble finding when else I could have an opportunity to join. Help please.

intro rides are generally the first Saturday of the month. Otherwise try group skills on different Saturdays or Thursday evenings

You can always come on a Sunday morning ride. We are running intro rides every time.

Yes, but these don't qualify you to join. It has to be an official Sat Intro ride, or Group Skills.

If the group is briefed properly then I don’t find any reason why not. We just have limited capacity to have guest riders on Sundays I think.
But @SallyB is best suited to shed some light here?

Sunday rides don't count, no matter how well the rider is briefed.

In order for them to start doing so we would need to take a register at the start of the ride and for it to be sent over to me so I have an 'audit trail' for new members. That's a lot of admin to ask of the ride leaders, especially as it's the same people volunteering to lead the 'new to the club' rides week in week out.

I registred to attend but don’t see my name. I guess I’m some number user. My name is Ilona Melnychuk - not sure how to change the user name.

Never mind, all good. Can’t delete the message now 😅

Hi, I'm interested in joining the next group intro ride on 6th July, but i can't see how/where to sign up. can you please advise/provide some guidance please?

@user100746 There should be a button that says “Yes, I’m attending” just above Alec’s first message.

Click that, and you’ll be registered.

Hi all, would love to get involved with club cycling having cycled in London for quite a few years now. Sadly the 6 July is full, if anyone is no longer able to make please shout up!
Thank you!

Please keep an eye out on this page as people do drop out.

I did one of these introductory club cycles 2 years ago eurgh ICC but didn't join at the time, would I need to do another one to be able to join? Jo

Alternatively, there's a one place left on the Group Skills session this Saturday 29th June which I would highly recommend attending.

Hello bike friends

Myself & my 16yr old daughter are really keen cyclists we see other ICC members all the time lapping Regents and riding out to Hertfordshire. Just checked no intro session places left for July is there another route to Join? My name is Guven Hassan

It's worth watching out in case people drop out closer to the time or you could join a Group Skills session instead. There are still 2 places (only!) left on https://forum.islington.cc/events/4842/#comment14800585 and lots on https://forum.islington.cc/events/4844/#comment14757295

One space currently available.

If anyone DEFINITELY can’t make it, please free up your space for others