An Introduction to Club Cycling - 5 February 2022

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

If you wish to join ICC you must complete one of our training sessions, either this Intro 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 our Group Skills Guide before attending: https://islington.cc/s/ICC-Group-Riding-­Guide-2021.pdf

ABOUT YOU

You should have been cycling regularly in some capacity and be confident riding on London's roads.
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.

You should have a moderate level of fitness and be able to ride 40 km at an average speed of at least 20 km/h on the flat, 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.

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

THE SESSION

We will cycle a 50 km route with some hills. We will discuss group formation, signals, and group communication and you can ask questions about the club.

There may be a cafe stop Highgate at the end of the ride. Depending on pace, we should get there between 11.30am - 12.30pm.

Your ride will be led by an experienced club member and a support rider, who have given up their morning to introduce you to club riding. We hope you will reciprocate by volunteering to support intro and group skills rides and other club activities once you have been riding with the club for a few months.

HOW DO I JOIN IN?

If you wish to attend this session you should register as a user on the forum then click the 'Yes I'm Attending' button above to confirm your attendance. We will ask you to reconfirm a few days before the ride.

Click Register in the top right corner and change your user name from the default User12345. To make sure you receive messages please click “Edit Profile” in the top right corner, then click “Notification Settings”, and tick “Enable Notifications”, “When you are @mentioned in a comment” and “When an event you are attending is imminent”.

If no places are left, the session is full. We do not maintain a waiting list so please keep checking back in case a place becomes available.

If you do sign up but cannot attend, please remove yourself from the attendance list so someone else can take the spot. You can do this by clicking the ‘Can’t Make It’ button above which appears once you have signed up.

If you do not attend and do not remove yourself, we reserve the right to restrict your attendance of future Intro Rides and Group Skills. This is due to high demand for places.

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 straight, 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.

Food and water. We're only doing a short ride, so an energy bar or banana should be enough, but do start the day with a decent breakfast! Make sure you can easily carry water with you on your bike.

The weather can change quickly so check the forecast and dress appropriately (waterproofs/warm clothing when appropriate).

Money for the cafe stop or to get a train or taxi home in case of an emergency.

Please leave your heavy D lock at home! You will not need it on this ride.

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; 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.

JOINING THE CLUB

Once you have completed an Intro Ride or Group Skills ride you will automatically qualify to pay the membership fee and join the club. There is nothing further you need to wait for. See https://islington.cc/membership.

Looking forward to seeing you!

David,
Development Secretary

FYI - @Zoe; @aldovinci92; @WillMorris; @Agyness; @JonnyK

Hi David, I read that the 22 Jan group skills class is fully booked. I'd like to attend this on 5 Feb but of course, would jump at the opportunity to attend on 22 Jan.

Very many thanks
Alex

I clicked on the PDF link and it doesn't work. Any chance you have a valid link or could email the PDF to me?

Hi @user139142, keep an eye on the Jan 22 event - people often drop out in the days before. Thanks for pointing out the broken link. I've updated it now.

Afternoon
Keen to join 5 Feb if space becomes available - says full, so presumably no way of me putting my name on a waiting list ?
bw
Jonathan

@Jonathan - as david mentioned, keep an eye on the Jan 22nd event as you may have a last minute entry chance.

If you comment there you will receive notifications of any comments

Hi, I never saw a link to the 22 January ride. Is it obvious? Could someone post it? I think I signed up for the waiting list for 5 February, but not sure.

https://forum.islington.cc/events/6743/#comment16339986

Hi everyone,
Please add me to the wait list for 5th February.

Thank you.

Hi David and all,
please do add my name to the 05/02 intro ride - much appreciated

You will need to sign up yourself.

thanks and sorry, i meant waiting list (if there's one) - thanks!

Hello I can’t see a link to follow the 5th February intro event, I see it’s full? Martin

Keen to join if space becomes available

HI, will a second group be created? And if we miss out on this intro ride, on which date is the next opportunity and when will it be announced?

Thanks!

PS: Me and my girlfriend are happy to join this ride if spots become available (or the 22nd of Jan)

@user139142 @Jonathan @user138841 @VodkaEngine @user127227 @MartinH @user139484

Thanks for your interest. We are currently limiting numbers on rides while Covid levels are high but we expect to reconsider this after the government reviews its Plan B measures on January 26. Depending on what they announce more places may become available for this ride.

Many thanks David - will keep an eye and look forward to it!

Hi,
Keen to join the 5th Feb ride if space becomes available.
Thanks
Will

Hi I would like to join if any availability

Good morning

Available to join on 5th or other days if someone drops out .
After 26th most likely the Covid restrictions will be dropped.
Thanks

Keen to join on the 5th, if any spaces become available. Thanks.

Hi - keen to join on the 5th if anyone drops out. Let me know! Thanks

Will also join if spaces are freed up or a second group created. Thanks

Hi, would love to join this ride if any drop out! Thanks.