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The Bike Fest

09.19.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

This morning I decided to forego my usual Saturday morning ride to volunteer for the Kiker Bike Fest. This is the second year in a row that my club, the Circle C Ranch Cycling Club, sponsored the bike fest at Kiker Elementary School in southwest Austin. It’s a chance for kids to learn cycling skills and have some fun in the bargain.

Last year, the bike fest attracted about 300 kids from the area, and we expected that many or more this year. Stations are set up to fit kids with new helmets, do quick bike repairs, learn the correct way to start and stop, ride a tight figure 8, ride in traffic with correct hand signals, and even ride a mountain bike trail behind the school.

JoeJoe, who leads our Sunday morning A group rides, fits a girl with a new helmet donated by the Texas Medical Association.

Stay inside the lines!
Stay inside the lines!

Pat and I handled the Straight Line – Scanning station. The kids had to ride a straight line between two chalk lines 18 inches apart. Then, we brought them back again to practice looking over their shoulders. Once they got halfway down the lines, I yelled “Look!” and they were supposed to look back, make eye contact with me, and continue. Because most of them were quite young, I did not point one way or another, as is usually done in this exercise, and they did not have to say which way I pointed. For many of them, staying upright on the slight downhill track was challenge enough.

It’s been awhile since we had kids at home, and both Pat and I were disconcerted to see how some parents hover over their children. One mother grabbed her little girl’s handlebars, and pulled her down the lines — nearly tipping her over several times.

But mostly, people seemed to enjoy the event. Parents liked how well organized the whole affair was, and many indicated they would be back again next year.

DebDebra gets a young rider rolling on the traffic safety course.

One highlight of the morning was a group ride on the nearby Veloway, led by former Tour de France racer (Motorola, Cofidis, U.S. Postal, Telekom) Kevin Livingston. This was assuredly not a hammerfest, as kids on BMX bikes jockeyed for position with their sometimes-wobbly parents and fully kitted-out weekend warriors.

KevinKevin Livingston waits for the group ride to begin.

RideHold your line!

“Just to show you how committed I am to this,” said my friend David, “I’m missing ESPN Game Day — and it’s here in town.” Texas is playing Texas Tech today, so I guess that is a good barometer of club participation. Besides, the game isn’t until this evening. Cycling education AND football — now there’s how to spend a Saturday.

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Categories // clubs, Community, Safety Tags // clubs, education

More thoughts about bike clubs

05.10.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

The bike club post drew more comments than most posts have recently. Obviously, riders would like to exploit the social aspects of cycling. The problem is, are most bike clubs set up to help them do that?

From the comments here and elsewhere, it appears that most bike clubs are dominated by what I call the “A” riders — the ones who can go long distances at good speeds. Most of these riders are experienced and well conditioned. For many newbie bikers however, those kinds of rides are intimidating. As Ramon commented in the previous post, once you combine a 40-mile ride with a 16 mph pace, it’s not a beginner ride anymore.

I’ll say one thing for the A riders: They show the rest of us how far we have to go to get better. In that regard, they serve as inspiration. Some of us set a goal of improving to the point of being able to keep up with the A riders. In my case, I realized that although I’m not destined to be an A rider, I am aware of room for improvement, and I have made it a point to build my speed and endurance, and mainly my hill-climbing ability.

What many clubs seem to lack is an organized effort to accommodate riders of all levels. Most of what I’ve learned about biking has come from tips by a friend or two who are experienced, but not necessarily fast. Some bike clubs conduct certification classes for their members, and require them to pass these classes before going on the more challenging group rides. But if a club’s primary purpose is to get together and ride once a week, instructional activities take a back seat.

I’m glad to see that there are bike clubs that work hard to cater to the needs of newbie cyclists. If you’re new to the game and want to join a club, shop around. Area bike shops should be aware of the local clubs, and might be able to point out the differences between them. Try a ride — or to be fair, try more than one — with a club to get a feel for the atmosphere. You’ll be able to judge if they’re into speed, hill workouts, or socializing.

I’m sticking with my club. Through it, I have met other bikers of my ability who are a pleasure to spend time on the road with. I’ve gotten better, especially in terms of endurance and climbing ability, if not speed. And finally, remember that no one gets paid to run clubs. If you want to see some changes in policy, get involved yourself and make it happen from the inside.

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // clubs

Do you belong to a bike club?

05.07.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 17 Comments

Once I started biking, I looked for ways to make it a more social activity. Just as I was about to join a large area-wide bike club, I discovered a club based in my own neighborhood.

I’ve written before about it. We do regular Sunday morning rides. They’re supposed to be no drop rides, but I’ve managed to get dropped more than once. The 15 or so riders who show up on Sundays are nice folks, but they’re too strong for me.

Sometimes, we slower riders get a “B” ride together. That’s a lot of fun, and it’s the kind of experience I had in mind when I decided to join the club. We don’t go as far as the regular group, or as fast. But we’re all at about the same level, so the ride holds together. The trouble is, we can’t seem to sustain a regular “B” group ride.

It also turns out that a sub-group of the club is into mountain biking, and they’ll get together for some trail rides in the area.

The club’s original intent was to provide something for everyone, including families with children and older folks who might ride cruisers or hybrids, and wouldn’t mind going several miles, but don’t want to make a hammerfest of it. However, if we do any of that family-oriented riding, I’ve never heard about it.

In fact, the more active members of the club seem to be heading in a more hard-core direction: racing. A club racing team formed this spring, and one of our members recently took first at a local criterium. A number of members ride in a time trial in the neighborhood every other week.

I’m not interested in racing, and since we have trouble putting a “B” ride together on a regular basis, I find myself skipping club rides and heading out on my own. It’s been a bit of a disappointment to me, although not a big enough deal for me to mope about it. I suppose the active members of any organization will set the tone for the rest of the group to follow.

So I wonder: Are you in a club? Why did you join? Does your club specialize in any particular type of riding? Are you getting out of it what you wanted?

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