More bums on saddles: why Britain's cycling clubs are thriving

[Fab Foodie]

You seem to be losing the point in your leaping to take it personally.
Point being - my perception based on my experience as cycling newbie on this forum is that the core membership seems to be middle aged male , quite intolerant , quite aggressive and not very forgiving or welcoming. Obviously there are lots of nice members and lovely cyclists etc but i am taking that styereotype of intolerant middle aged set in ways as the typical club member and on that basis , to me at least it is not very appealing. Maybe i have got the wrong end of stick and i have just been unlucky so far , or maybe ive just got some opinions that just invite adverse reaction.
Your club sounds lovely and dont self characterise yourself in my unfavourable terms unduly , the description obviously only applies where applicable.
My perception and my experience may be unpalatable to you but it is what it is and i maintain to some degree true.
My chips are a work in progress.

I think you need to re-read and revisit the tone of your original post. The way a question is posed will determine the style of response. I chose to try and be witty, as is my way here, maybe I should have put a smiley on the end to make it more obvious.

Regarding your post above, is that I'm sorry that your perception of this place is as it is. Being a vetran of cycling forums of old, I'd have top wager that this is one of the most relaxed and easy going places. It has a wealth of experience (cycling and non-cycling) that most participants are keen to share. It is predominantly middle aged and probably largely male but there are a large number of female contributors who are every part as vocal, participative and forthright as their male counterparts. Furthermore there are many contributors here whose 'sexual identity' is unknown (one can often be surprised). But one characteristic most here is a diversity of people who share a common passion for cycling of all types. I find cyling as a pastime contains a melting-pot wide of hugely different people rubbing shoulders and supportive of anyone else who rides a bike.

There's also robust debate, many here are like regulars who meet in the pub every week, know each other's politics, views and styles. There are 'in-jokes' of course, but that's the nature of any social group. Some of us only know people by their words and avatar, some meet face to face, some even got married. But most here are pretty decent everyday folk.

I completely understand the stereotype of which you speak, I'm not much one for clubs either, for much the same reasons, but stereotypes are often unfounded and whilst some clubs may seem stuiffy and elitist, there are loads of others that are not. Sometimes you need to kiss a lot of frogs ...
We tried to start a club that's not a club, it's just a framework for people to meet and ride together, nothing more. There are a lot of different clubs/organisation that are along these lines, dellzeqq organises the magnificent FNRttC series, a less stuffy 'co-operative-style' of ride you'll not find, take a look at the 'Pollards Hill' cycle group website for another take on cycle clubs.
Tri-clubs are growing at a phenomenal rate and most have a well developed route for newbies to improve their abilities. If you want to join a sporting cycle club be perepared to work hard, it's what they're set-up for, but there also full of help and good advice for would be TT'ers or race beginners (I took a young kid called John-Paul out gently round our club training course, to show him the ropes - he's now a junior Track World Champion, but he had to start slow and sure, walk before running and the road club helped him to do that, we had no idea of his potential, he was just another new kid on club night).

You're perceptions are your reality, but I'd ask you to try top look around with a different head-on, there's a lot of good people here, there are a lot of diverse and supportive bike clubs as well as the MAMIL style that fit your stereotype. Give some a go, or organise a ride yourself.

As for chips, we all need to work on them from time to time ....

 

[apollo179]

I think you need to re-read and revisit the tone of your original post. The way a question is posed will determine the style of response. I chose to try and be witty, as is my way here, maybe I should have put a smiley on the end to make it more obvious.

Regarding your post above, is that I'm sorry that your perception of this place is as it is. Being a vetran of cycling forums of old, I'd have top wager that this is one of the most relaxed and easy going places. It has a wealth of experience (cycling and non-cycling) that most participants are keen to share. It is predominantly middle aged and probably largely male but there are a large number of female contributors who are every part as vocal, participative and forthright as their male counterparts. Furthermore there are many contributors here whose 'sexual identity' is unknown (one can often be surprised). But one characteristic most here is a diversity of people who share a common passion for cycling of all types. I find cyling as a pastime contains a melting-pot wide of hugely different people rubbing shoulders and supportive of anyone else who rides a bike.

There's also robust debate, many here are like regulars who meet in the pub every week, know each other's politics, views and styles. There are 'in-jokes' of course, but that's the nature of any social group. Some of us only know people by their words and avatar, some meet face to face, some even got married. But most here are pretty decent everyday folk.

I completely understand the stereotype of which you speak, I'm not much one for clubs either, for much the same reasons, but stereotypes are often unfounded and whilst some clubs may seem stuiffy and elitist, there are loads of others that are not. Sometimes you need to kiss a lot of frogs ...
We tried to start a club that's not a club, it's just a framework for people to meet and ride together, nothing more. There are a lot of different clubs/organisation that are along these lines, dellzeqq organises the magnificent FNRttC series, a less stuffy 'co-operative-style' of ride you'll not find, take a look at the 'Pollards Hill' cycle group website for another take on cycle clubs.
Tri-clubs are growing at a phenomenal rate and most have a well developed route for newbies to improve their abilities. If you want to join a sporting cycle club be perepared to work hard, it's what they're set-up for, but there also full of help and good advice for would be TT'ers or race beginners (I took a young kid called John-Paul out gently round our club training course, to show him the ropes - he's now a junior Track World Champion, but he had to start slow and sure, walk before running and the road club helped him to do that, we had no idea of his potential, he was just another new kid on club night).

You're perceptions are your reality, but I'd ask you to try top look around with a different head-on, there's a lot of good people here, there are a lot of diverse and supportive bike clubs as well as the MAMIL style that fit your stereotype. Give some a go, or organise a ride yourself.

As for chips, we all need to work on them from time to time ....

Thanks for reply. Im sure my initial comment was clumsily worded.
Im new to cycling and this is the only cycling forum ive ever visited and the only forum ive ever joined or participated in and i agree with you it is a good place.
As my opinions probably dont conform with the middle aged male majority i realise that i will meet a fair deal of counter views and opposition and even hostility and thats alot of the charm of the place.
You mention dellegg. My experience is the direct opposite to yours. My experience joining this place as a poorly informed nonconformist newbie is that delleqq typifies the worst king of narrow minded intolerance. Example his single post in a 38page topic# was to reply to me thus _ "weak, specious, self-serving. Don't ever try to register for one of my rides." Dont agree with someone but is this the kind of nastiness you would post and kind of using your club propriotorship as a weapon to attack others with ? I hope not.
Anyway you probably dont see this side of him.
You will appreciate that these kind of things only reinforce the worse kind of preconceptions and fears. However as i said previously fortunately these dellegg extremes are scare and robust debate is fine and most everybody is v nice.
RRE - kissing lots of frogs - Yes i could try lots of clubs probably getting increasingly dispirited and in the end may or may not find suitable club . Or show the gumption that you have to start a club of own. Tbh if i started a club of my own i would to my shame only want certain types of people in it.
So how can i complain when middle aged guys feel the same ?
Unfortunately i dont know anyone else who cycles as cycling with a freind would suit me best and particuarly as it gets dark.
#ref - https://www.cyclechat.net/

 

[apollo179]

So you're basing your opinion of all cycling clubs purely on your perceptions of a one cycling forum.

Yes.
Im basing it on what i have to base it oin which is my observations on the road and one cyclking forum.
That club members are typically middle class men.
Am i wrong ?
Stereotypes are unfrtunate but we all have them. Im sure there are clubs that do not conform to this stereotype and yours may be one of them and i apologise if ive offended you.

 

[Fiona N]

I must admit I really like that website, but it doesn't give me the impression it's a good club for beginners. I considered making contact to join their Saturday rides, but I fear I'd be told "come back when you're faster"



+1

I'm often out on the road at the same time as cycling clubs in my area. As a ditzy female in my late twenties, the packs of MAMILs, (and often OAPILs) I encounter just look scary. Plus, the phrase "no one gets dropped" only says to me "we won't drop you, but we'll wait at the top of every hill rolling our eyes, rib you for being slow and call you names when you think we can't hear"....but that could be a girl thing.
The Ladies rides I've been on have been too slow and some not long enough to warrant getting the bike out for.

Faced with no middle ground I'm, left with riding alone, or not riding at all.

Around here there's a local road club - Kent Valley R.C. who run an evening 10 during the summer and, by all accounts, ride at weekends too but you'd never know this from their website. I will probably join next year in order to do the evening 10's but my impression is that they're very much oriented to TT-ing. Kendal also has a sort of ad hoc group called "Kendal and District Cycling Scene" which frankly doesn't encourage me to join. Their weekend rides are too short and often require a car drive to the start and the summer evening rides are basically 20 miles split by 3-4 hours in the pub - OK if that's what you want to do but most women round here that I have spoken to about this are not interested in the pub aspect. There is the CTC but the starts are best part of 20 miles away in Lancaster and, of course, people who don't live in Lancaster drive to the start as it's too early for trains on a Sunday. Now I could turn every ride into a 150 to 200+ km by riding to the start and home at the end but the intervening miles are run too slowly - I'd be leaving home at 7.30 am to get comfortably to the start and getting home 12 hours or more later.

Consequently I've been seriously considering starting a women's club around Kendal. There are quite a number of strong women cyclists who want a good Sunday run and the summer evening rides could be run to fit within a couple of hours (instead of the KDCS timings of 17.45 - 23.30) with a route to appeal to beginners and the less fit. My sister belongs to the Kent Ladies' and they seem to have got a very successful club going by encouraging beginners to up their game rather than just bringing together already strong riders.

It's not that i'm anti-men but just that I know a lot of women don't like the "wait at the top of every hill rolling our eyes, rib you for being slow and call you names when you think we can't hear" attitude even if it is a perception rather than the reality

 

[Fiona N]

There speaks a club member - (the snidy club )

Why ?

I read your original post and thought pretty much the same. I've been along on a few forum rides, mainly ColinJ's, and met up with forum folk on sportives (Big G last year, for one) and Audaxes and always found them to be a great group of people. Pretty much like the folk I've met in the various clubs I've belonged to and on training camps I've attended. I do wonder about the mentality of someone who gets annoyed by something on a forum post and then generalises to all the rest of forum posters AND club riders - someone pretty immature and insecure, I'd say

 

[apollo179]

Why ?

I read your original post and thought pretty much the same. I've been along on a few forum rides, mainly ColinJ's, and met up with forum folk on sportives (Big G last year, for one) and Audaxes and always found them to be a great group of people. Pretty much like the folk I've met in the various clubs I've belonged to and on training camps I've attended. I do wonder about the mentality of someone who gets annoyed by something on a forum post and then generalises to all the rest of forum posters AND club riders - someone pretty immature and insecure, I'd say

Id be the first to admit to some level of insecurity especially regards cycling. Also to the fact that some of the aggressiveness and hostility and nastiness ive witnessed and experienced on this forum has negatively impacted on my perception of my fellow cyclists in general , including clubs.
I dont say all forum posters AND club riders are like this , indeed its a tiny minority ,but the fact that it exists is enough to put me off. Youve tried some rides and have fit in perfectly - thats great im happy for you. Colinj comes across as a v nice individual.
You may think its pretty pathetic but im operating on the basis of why put you toe in the water when you know there are a few pirannas in there.
If you feel that makes me immature then go ahead and knock yourself out and call me anything you want sister.

 

[snorri]

Id be the first to admit to some level of insecurity especially regards cycling. Also to the fact that some of the aggressiveness and hostility and nastiness ive witnessed and experienced on this forum has negatively impacted on my perception of my fellow cyclists in general , including clubs.
I dont say all forum posters AND club riders are like this , indeed its a tiny minority ,but the fact that it exists is enough to put me off. Youve tried some rides and have fit in perfectly - thats great im happy for you. Colinj comes across as a v nice individual.
You may think its pretty pathetic but im operating on the basis of why put you toe in the water when you know there are a few pirannas in there.
If you feel that makes me immature then go ahead and knock yourself out and call me anything you want sister.

Perhaps the world of cycling and cyclists is just not for you.

 

[Baggy]

Id be the first to admit to some level of insecurity especially regards cycling. Also to the fact that some of the aggressiveness and hostility and nastiness ive witnessed and experienced on this forum has negatively impacted on my perception of my fellow cyclists in general , including clubs.
I dont say all forum posters AND club riders are like this , indeed its a tiny minority ,but the fact that it exists is enough to put me off.

Cyclists are just people - they come from all walks of life and backgrounds, and there will be negative and aggressive ones amongst them (and it's easier to be like that when you're sitting behind a computer screen). These will be outweighed by the number of generally decent, pleasant and very lovely people out there (and on here). This forum just reflects real life and people we encounter within it - don't be put off by a tiny minority or you might just be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

If there is a CTC group local to you, maybe try going out with them, generally their the rides are informal, will involve cake, and most CTC people seem to be very friendly and welcoming.

 

[ColinJ]

I've been along on a few forum rides, mainly ColinJ's, and met up with forum folk on sportives (Big G last year, for one) and Audaxes and always found them to be a great group of people.

Colinj comes across as a v nice individual.

Oh, shucks, you didn't have to ...

(Could you remind me where to send the cheques - I've lost your addresses! )

I have only met one or two cyclists who rubbed me up the wrong way! Obviously, in any large group of people there could be some that you don't like, but there hasn't been an obnoxious rider yet out of more than 70 CycleChat members who have turned out for my forum rides.

Some clubs are definitely full-on and wouldn't suit me. I felt quite offended when a Manchester Wheelers chaingang overtook me at warp speed going up the steepest part of the local Cragg Vale climb, and not one of them responded to my cheery wave and 'hello'; in fact, nobody even looked at me. Thinking about it though - they were probably riding at their limit to stay with the fast guy on the front. They probably didn't even see me or hear me.

If you look around, you will find some good people to ride with.

As for eyes rolling at the top of climbs ... For the whole time that I've been a CycleChat member, I've been overweight and slow. I have been waited for at the top of every hill and nobody has ever complained, or rolled their eyes at me. If somebody did that, I would ask if they could read - I always make a point of saying that my rides are slow and inclusive so if somebody wasn't satisfied with that, then they clearly hadn't taken my message onboard!

 

[Fab Foodie]

Id be the first to admit to some level of insecurity especially regards cycling. Also to the fact that some of the aggressiveness and hostility and nastiness ive witnessed and experienced on this forum has negatively impacted on my perception of my fellow cyclists in general , including clubs.
I dont say all forum posters AND club riders are like this , indeed its a tiny minority ,but the fact that it exists is enough to put me off. Youve tried some rides and have fit in perfectly - thats great im happy for you. Colinj comes across as a v nice individual.
You may think its pretty pathetic but im operating on the basis of why put you toe in the water when you know there are a few pirannas in there.
If you feel that makes me immature then go ahead and knock yourself out and call me anything you want sister.

Apollo 179, I'm not sure I know what you want out of this debate? Maybe it might help if you give us an insight into what your insecurities are regarding cycling and cyclists? Perhaps then we could be of some use.
Maybe we could start with a clean sheet?

Perhaps forums are not for you, or maybe others may be more to your taste, there's Bikeradar, yacf, CTC and I'm sure MTB and other forums I'm not aware of that suit you better, either way, forums change, they're just a reflection of their members at any given time. Many here are refugees from forums that became to infantile and peurile, that's maybe why we have the demographic we do, but it's ever changing.
If clubs aren't your thing, have you been on any Charity rides or similar where there are all the benefits of riding with others but on your own terms and without any commitment?
What age group are you looking for? What kind of people would you like to ride with? Maybe try and emphasise some positive attributes of what you'd like in an ideal world and let's see if anything fits.

Regarding Pirahnas and toes, don't assume everything unknown contains badness, that's not a happy way to look at the world.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I must admit I really like that website, but it doesn't give me the impression it's a good club for beginners. I considered making contact to join their Saturday rides, but I fear I'd be told "come back when you're faster"



+1

I'm often out on the road at the same time as cycling clubs in my area. As a ditzy female in my late twenties, the packs of MAMILs, (and often OAPILs) I encounter just look scary. Plus, the phrase "no one gets dropped" only says to me "we won't drop you, but we'll wait at the top of every hill rolling our eyes, rib you for being slow and call you names when you think we can't hear"....but that could be a girl thing.
The Ladies rides I've been on have been too slow and some not long enough to warrant getting the bike out for.

Faced with no middle ground I'm, left with riding alone, or not riding at all.

Hi, I've meant to respond to this earlier.

Couple of things, Tr-clubs seem to have a very high number of female members compared to 'Road' clubs. Also, Triathletes seem to come from mainly running backgrounds and are often poorer on bikes, so Tri clubs cater for a far wider range of cycling abilities than pure 'Road' clubs. It would be worth checking your local club.

Regarding the getting dropped thing, I have 2 angles on this. Firstly as a ride leader it's very hard to keep a road-group together, especially as there is ALWAYS a mix of abilities. Also, it's hard to ride to the pace of the slowest rider especially on rolling terrain. In Freewheeling we really try to have a tail-end-charlie (TEC) to remain with newbies or slower people, but again that it's hard to ride at a pace much slower than is natural. Hence it's not uncommon that the group goes away up the road and waits at the top of the hill or the next junction. They should then let you catch-breath, rest and put you to the front of the group when they restart. It's tricky and I know it's a bit soul destroying, but it's worth persevering. Like ColinJ's case, I'm old, overweight with a mild heart condition, so there are often rides where people have to wait for me, same as I have to often wait for slower riders in my group rides. It's how it is, it's good Kharma. Everybody has somebody who's slower and somebody that's faster.
Secondly and importantly, group riding makes you much faster in a short period of time, so where you struggle initially, you'll soon start to reel them in until you become as fast as the rest of the pack. There's nothing like club riding to improve speed and endurance.

Please don't give up.

 

[apollo179]

Perhaps the world of cycling and cyclists is just not for you.

Yes thats prescisely the conclusion i had already come to as well.
Jonny no mates .

 

[apollo179]

Cyclists are just people - they come from all walks of life and backgrounds, and there will be negative and aggressive ones amongst them (and it's easier to be like that when you're sitting behind a computer screen). These will be outweighed by the number of generally decent, pleasant and very lovely people out there (and on here). This forum just reflects real life and people we encounter within it - don't be put off by a tiny minority or you might just be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

If there is a CTC group local to you, maybe try going out with them, generally their the rides are informal, will involve cake, and most CTC people seem to be very friendly and welcoming.

Did you say cake ? That throws a completely different light on things, sign me up right now.
Yes your probably right in that the forum probably reveals a harsher impression of things than if you actually attended an event.
I wasnt saying i had any kind of a problem btw i was just saying i didnt really fancy joining a middle aged boys club particulary in light of some of the things ive been called on here for expressing an alternative opinion.
I might take your ctc advice or try a sportive.

 

[Fiona N]

...Like ColinJ's case, I'm old, overweight with a mild heart condition, so there are often rides where people have to wait for me, same as I have to often wait for slower riders in my group rides. It's how it is, it's good Kharma. Everybody has somebody who's slower and somebody that's faster.
...
Please don't give up.

Besides some of us old, fat slow ones used to be young slim fast ones and learnt that's its good to be generous and patient to the old and slow as you will get to be them some day

 

[Fab Foodie]

Besides some of us old, fat slow ones used to be young slim fast ones and learnt that's its good to be generous and patient to the old and slow as you will get to be them some day

I think that is what they call experience!