My 2 cents worth... The group I join in when up in NJ has "established" rides that fall into levels A, B and sometimes C or beginner (most larger bike shops I've heard about do this). 'A'- level is a fast pace typically 20+, B is slower 15 - 19 or so, C is what's left. The rides are clearly advertised as to what level they are, for example, the A rides clearly state if you don't/can't ride at that pace, that group is not for you as you will be dropped. The rides also have "rules" regarding pace line set-up, handling intersections/traffic, etc.
The group at OSB can split up if "slower" folks show up. Problem is, for the given perceived interest, not enough show up to split the group. It could be the ride times are not convenient as well as a host of other reasons. Bottom line, if folks are serious about riding in groups, they have to show up to ride. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of ssp Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 10:27 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [COWs] ....coWs rides for all? Will it happen for Wilson? .... ...Jeff: I think it all depends on the interest from others. If non-riding coW googlegroup members post here and start a dialogue of interest then we can establish an agreed upon time for everyone to participate. If those interested begin to show up, is where the coWs who have more group riding experience can help them get a feel for the group rides. After a few rides hopefully there will be enough experienced riders to lead the respective paced groups. But if there is not enough interest then we will continue to just do like we've done ever since ralph and nick bumped into each other generations ago. Right now there is generally only one pace ride....fast. This is an opportunity for other riders to come forth and express interest. Julie Zee and Dale Bellman(fb page) have expressed an interest in the 14-18mph group. Julie would be a great organizer as it seems Dale would be also. There is the beginning of that group along w/ Cole Perry. Once these groupds get started then they will kinda run themselves like the fast group. When people show up then the experienced riders can determine the routes for that day. The real key is going out for a ride and EVERYONE having fun! We see many single riders wiz by and everyone looks at each other and goes....'who's that'? If an interest is shown here hopefully we can connect the interested riders together. The tools are already in place. Cynthia's coWs googlegroup and established ride times/place. Now what we need to do is communicate this option for others to join the googlegroup and the coWs facebook page so everyone can be on the same wavelength. bert tyler: One thing stardude told me is if you ever get tired slide out from pulling and let a more experienced rider pull. And I always take his advice. Never think it is a bad thing to let them pull especially up potato hill or any other steep for that matter. I agree maintaining 23mph even @ 25 miles is demanding. That is why I think having paced groups to choose from can be a good thing for riders to work on their confidence levels. Any group should maintain a level that everyone can ride. ....their are many riders who have expressed interest in riding but the fast pace is too much. The coWs have the means to provide the opportunity for many of them to make it out the door and have a great time group cycling. Wilson County is probably one of the BEST places in NC to offer such diverse routes. ...again, just m2cents ssp the coWs facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000380673462 the coWs googlegroup link: (need to get a google profile---free and easy) https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/cyclistsofwilson-cows ****the reason you have to be approved to join is ONLY b/c of the sorry a$$ spammer dudes out there I think cynthia does a great job keeping the googlegroup pages pretty clean....THANKS cynthia!! So the jest is if you are interested in organized cycling then join and post your interest. Once the weather breaks, then show up for the set times and the rest will take care of itself. On Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 9:24 PM, <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: I haven't ridden in awhile. A few reasons. I sorta fit in this category. I can do the 19 at 50 miles. But when I rode it always ended up being 23 or higher for a lot of the ride. Not up for that. Not yet. But it could be where I had to pull up Potato hill the last two times I rode. Killed me! I will stop whining now. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry ________________________________ From: "Jeff Glover" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Sender: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2011 21:13:06 -0500 To: <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> ReplyTo: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: [COWs] ....coWs rides for all? Will it happen for Wilson? I like this idea/concept. How do we put this into action? From: ssp<mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 11:00 AM To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: [COWs] ....coWs rides for all? Will it happen for Wilson? .... I have been asked several times from newbies wanting to road bike about the coWs rides. This group has 144 members, some dups, but still a good size group. Luckily, w/ some practice and mainly being pulled, encouraged and waited for---- I have been able to participate in the 'fast' group(excuse me while I breathe deep). However, I am sure there are many other members who have a desire to ride on a regular basis but feel they would not be able to 'keep up.' I kinda touched on this topic last year about this time and suggested alternatives to offering an option for others to participate during the 'set' timed rides the coWs partake. Ideally, I think there should be 3 distinct groups based on their cycling pace/experience: **19+mph/up to 50+miles this would be for the more experienced riders who love the endorphin rush. **14-18mph/~25mile rides for the riders who have invested in a road bike and are setting goals to do triathlons and want a challenge to push their ability levels. **14mph-/~10-20mile rides for those who would just love to go for a bike ride and have a great time w/ friends and family. Chance to meet other Wilsonians and get some great outdoor exercise. Who knows this could be the stepping stone to the 19+mph rides! Since we are on the cusp of spring now is the time for discussion to see if there is interest in trying to establish opportunities for more Wilsonians to participate in the coWs regularly scheduled bike rides. During the ridable months the times in the past have been leaving from the Old Starbucks(osb) Nash St N: sat 8am sun 2pm tues & thurs ~5:30pm(also stardudes ride from his driveway (16-19mph group) Just thinking out loud, and looking for other ideas to provide other interested cyclist the opportunity to get up and go: **all 3 groups meet and start out from the same location. Benefit: people get to meet new people. Then at a certain spot the groups can split(say hornes church rd) or the pace changes to accommodate the group pace. **there should be a kinda leader for each group that knows the back roads of wilson and help the others in that group learn and improve. Cole Perry, comes to mind as a great leader. He has experience and the desire to ride. **we the more experienced riders should try and encourage others of all levels to show up and help them organize the rides just based on our cycling knowledge. **last year we had a few more show up but really did not cultivate the opportunity into a doable option for their abilities. The key to this happening is the other riders have to start posting on this google group and express an interest in the coWs group rides. If there are coWs members who want to start an exercise routine and usually do not partake, let us know and hopefully the experienced riders can help get more of you involved. Thanks to will newton for organizing a Family ride a few times last year. Great job dude! Last year several of you did and a few came out and rode, like Cole, but overall I would say we regular dudes need to do a better job of helping to grow the coWs cycling group...if we want? too. :) ....my2cents, and your thoughts? ssp coWs FB page link: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000380673462 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:cyclistsofwilson-cows%[email protected]>. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:cyclistsofwilson-cows%[email protected]>. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:cyclistsofwilson-cows%[email protected]>. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. 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