Don't think a club is for me

[DiddlyDodds]

Local rider @DiddlyDodds tends to get many of his rides done early before his family are up, but I am not going to volunteer to join him! I can get up early for special rides, such as audaxes and forum rides, but prefer later starts for most of my rides. I am definitely not a natural 'morning person' ...

Your right there about getting out nice and early Colin , twice this week i have been out doing the Cragg Vale Loop with 5.30 starts, there is something hypnotic riding the moors in the darkness and fog , its like riding in a bubble with things appearing from the mist and darkness and then sliding out of view within a few yards. .

 

[ColinJ]

Your right there about getting out nice and early Colin , twice this week i have been out doing the Cragg Vale Loop with 5.30 starts, there is something hypnotic riding the moors in the darkness and fog , its like riding in a bubble with things appearing from the mist and darkness and then sliding out of view within a few yards. .

Shudder ...!

 

[BSRU]

I remember seeing a video once about a London club whose main club ride was a few pre-dawn (or at least lark's-fart-early) laps of Richmond Park.

@BSRU might have a little more difficulty finding such an early-start organised club ride in Swindon - I certainly don't know of one. It doesn't help that for such a small place, there's quite a lot of fragmentation in local clubs IMO so while there might be enough demand for an early bird ride across all of the local clubs, it's probably just one or two in each club.

From experience I do not see any other cyclists until at least 7am, often as I'm heading back into Swindon I see riders heading out.
I imagine there are not enough, if any more, weirdos like me wanting to get up so stupidly early on a weekend, unsurprisingly.

 

[BSRU]

That is like no club i have been involved with in the last 45 years. Please read some of the positive posts about club membership and you will see how wrong you might possible be.

I'm not being negative about clubs, they just do not fit in with my life style, why should they.
When I was a roadie in my single student days I was a member of a club and went on at least 2 club rides a week.
The largest Swindon cycling club has a mandatory "must wear a helmet" rule for all club rides.

 

[screenman]

Oh boy, I might as well give up on this, clubs have lots of unorganized rides each week where helmet wearing is not compulsory. Being in a club gives you the chance to meet many people with the same interest.

But I suppose if you have never experienced club life like I have then you may not know what goes on.

 

[Venod]

My club are considering bringing in the compulsory helmet rule for club runs, I wear one on club runs so no problem, but what prompts this action, do the club think they will be open to some kind of claim if someone has an accident without a helmet? Its not law so I am against a compulsion rule, I think I will be in a minority in any vote,

 

[User6179]

My club are considering bringing in the compulsory helmet rule for club runs, I wear one on club runs so no problem, but what prompts this action, do the club think they will be open to some kind of claim if someone has an accident without a helmet? Its not law so I am against a compulsion rule, I think I will be in a minority in any vote,

Would it not be the clubs insurer that decides this rather than the club !?

 

[Venod]

Would it not be the clubs insurer that decides this rather than the club !?

I don't know, do they have an insurer ? all I know is its on the agenda for the AGM I don't think it was brought up by an insurer.

 

[dodgy]

I don't know, do they have an insurer ? all I know is its on the agenda for the AGM I don't think it was brought up by an insurer.

Is your club affiliated with British Cycling? If so, and you pay dues, then you'll have insurance via them.

 

[Venod]

Is your club affiliated with British Cycling? If so, and you pay dues, then you'll have insurance via them.

Yes BC & CTC covered for insurance, but these don't insist on compulsory helmets for club runs as far as I'm aware.

 

[david k]

isnt it the clubs right to insist on anything they want? surely if you dont like the rules ou dont join? I know Everton insist their players wear blue for home games whn many of them prefer different colours

 

[david k]

That's what is unique about the CTC - everybody is welcome, no discrimination against anyone.

i dont consider any club rules as discrimination. Everton player dropped for wearing red - discrimination

 

[Crankarm]

That is like no club i have been involved with in the last 45 years. Please read some of the positive posts about club membership and you will see how wrong you might possible be.

I would just like to add to @screenman's informative comments.

It seems many on here take pride in riding solo that they like to maintain their autonomy and privacy. Fine.

However the message I seem to be getting is that many who do ride with clubs only seem to be those who cannot ride solo or are not confident enough, so ride only in groups or on club runs. Well in my club many guys and girls do ride everyday, many commute and most do so solo in all weathers. The club ride on a sunday is a chance to meet fellow like minded cyclists to have a chat and find out what is going on in cycling that interests you whether it is club racing, TTing or some one in the club organising a trip to the National Cycling Velodrome in Manchester or a trip to France, Belgium, MTBing, whatever, or just to have a chat, laugh and a joke as you ride, maybe to off load on some one who understands all the close passes or near death experiences you have had the last few weeks. Or you might have a technical query that you want some help with and some one is bound to know or point you toward some one who can help.

As has been stated it is not what your club can do for you but what you can do for your club. If no one is prepared to devote time and energy to contribute to their cycling club merely turning up for a few rides expecting everything to be organised for them and saying it was crap when things don't meet their expectations as a consumer then developing a club that thrives will be pretty hard. Most people who start and organise club events such as weekly time trials or hosting club racing or whether it is the sunday morning club rides give up a lot of their time for free. If there weren't people like this then cycling clubs just wouldn't exist and cycling as a whole in the UK would be a lot poorer. So if you go along to a club cut them some slack as the guys whose club it is and those helping organise what ever you are participating in have likely given up their time for free. They have families and full time jobs as well, just like you. Unless you are genuinely a sad lonely misery guts, joining a club might be the best thing you ever did …………

 

[Stonechat]

I can't disagree with what you say but it seems the local club has nothing to draw me in

 

[BSRU]

Unless you are a sad lonely misery guts, but joining a club might be the best thing you ever did …………

I am a proud "sad lonely misery guts", being individuals some are suited to joining a club some are not.
I may have to join a local club in order to take part in their TT series but will not go on their club rides because they do not fit in with my current lifestyle. However this may change in the future and therefore my availability to ride other times will change.