An Introduction to Club Cycling - 16 August 2014

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: August 16th 09.30am - meeting point will be confirmed with you via the forum's private message system.

This is not a session for complete cycling beginners. See below for information.

THE RIDER (That's You!):

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

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.

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.

You should be interested in Road Cycling, have a desire to ride in a group and improve your skills and fitness.

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.

Places are strictly limited - this is to ensure we can safely guide you on our route. Once you have signed up to the event you will be PM'd the meeting place details, time and route. We will not be publishing the meeting location on the forum to avoid oversubscription on the day - you MUST be signed up to the event and come back to check your messages for details of the session (top right hand side of the forum).

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.

Hoping to become a member so i've signed up for this before i try out any group rides with you.

See you on the 16th :)

For anybody wondering whether to attend or not, I can't recommend these sessions enough. If you're new to club riding or even just to ICC, get yourself along by clicking on "Yes, I'm attending!" and meet some like-minded individuals for a spin and a coffee/tea/whatever your poison.

Would love to join but the "Attending" button above isn't working, does that mean the session is full or is it OK if I show up?

@Ed just show up, that should not be a problem.

@Velocio, @Ed can't "attend", while I still see two places left.

@stephenT, @alexD,@Claire (organizers), can you add Ed to the list.

@Martine I can't see a way to add @Ed but I'm sure as it's a one off it shouldn't be a problem. We'll just make sure that the route info gets sent out to the correct people!

I would also like to go but get the system error when I click the attend button

@sarah47033 it looks like the session is full for this month as I can see 15/15 attendees above. Look out for next month and we can let you know if a place comes available on this one

+RichardM - please could you 'unattend' this event so someone else can instead please? ICC peeps don't need to register attendance. Thanks!

Done.

Hi there,
By way of introduction, I have just signed up to the forum, as I am hoping to attend the intro ride on the 16th.
I have done a fair bit of cycling, having been part of a club a few years ago (not in London) but want to get back into riding with others, and returning to a decent level of fitness. I live 15 mins from Regents Park so the club seems ideally located and am looking forward to meeting you all on the 16th.
Richard.

+sarah47033 - there is a free space now if you would like to sign up.

Thanks!

Ahh, I was way way too slow to sign up for this one I see, least i've got an account now. See you on the next one hopefully!

The next one will be on the 20th September @Andrew_Mc

Thank you @Martine i'll hopefully be a bit quicker in getting registered for that! - off topic for this post, but I may pop along to this saturdays 8am regents park ride, apologies for my ignorance, but is there someone I should inform for numbers/etc?

thanks,

8 am regents park is just show up at the zoo. You will see a big group of people, impossible to miss. If you are too late, ride clockwise until you meet the group (the group always rides anti-clockwise),

Superb, thank you @Martine

Hi @alexD and @Martine
I think we met on Saturday...I attempted to join this group a couple of weeks ago and I just double checked the "Attending" button which still isn't working, would I be able to show up too?

Hello +Dee

All the spaces are booked up for this session, but please feel free to attend any of our other rides if you don't want to wait until September's Intro Ride. There are quite a few rides that take place at varying levels of ability, including Sunday's sociable club ride leaving Whittington Park at 08.30am. The C ride averages 12-14mph so is within most people's abilities.

Hi @Dee I've replied to you in the message BUT as there are probably others in the same boat I'll repeat the main bits. If you've taken the plunge and joined an ICC club ride/laps session and don't have an intro ride place then I recommend giving the normal rides another go and joining the next group skills session as you''ll have already the basics from the intro in those

Also... it is quite common for people to drop out. So keep checking back up until Friday to see if someone has released their place.

Yes, what @Laura says. I missed that out as I was still half asleep!

Hi there - have just discovered ICC and would like to come to the Intro Ride on 20 September, if there is still some space on that one.
I live in Highbury and cycle a fair bit, but am new to group cycling. Hope that's OK.

David

Hi @DavidC
Keep an eye on the forum for the next intro ride.

If you want details on the other rides we offer please email [email protected] for further info