ACA Hosted Rides Program
Just in time for Bike Month we launch ACA's new hosted ride program.
The rides listed under this heading are group rides at a set pace and distance hosted by an ACA ride leader. This first sampling of rides is focused on commuters to help celebrate Bike Month and prepare for Bike to Work Day Friday, May 16th including a Bike Bus traveling down Parmer. (See the Hosted Ride Schedule for more details.) The ride leaders will continue to add new rides to this listing so be sure to check back whenever you are looking for a ride.
It's About Creating a Great Ride!
What do you remember when you think back to a great group ride? The camaraderie, the beautiful scenery or the new heights you've reached as the group conquered that climb together? The chance to get out and meet new people during a group bike ride can be a truly joyful experience. Now, the Austin Cycling Association is launching its Hosted Ride Program to help Austin cyclists create and experience great group rides. Presenting rides with a given pace, various starting times and locations are the basis of the new program allowing riders to meet up with a group that's right for them.
Listings for new group rides will be coming soon to the Southwest Cycling News and the ACA website. These listings will provide enough information so you can find a ride that's right for you and a group of like-minded cyclists. These rides will be "hosted" by a trained ride leader. The emphasis will be that the group stays together as a group.
Here's how it will look in practice. For you folks that need to schedule your lives out a month at a time, check the Southwest Cycling News for ride listings that have been scheduled by the printing deadline. Already, you have a chance to ride with a host who is just as organized (or as busy...) as you are. For the latest additions to the schedule, including cancellation information, check the website.
Read through the listings for the day you want to ride. (See the box below for a couple sample rides.) Look first at the ride rating - is the ride too fast? Is it too casual to get a fair workout? Or is it just right? The letter rating for each ride gives an approximate pace that the group will maintain. This is the heart of the system, setting the expectations to keep the group riding together as a group. The ratings also address issues such as how frequently the group will stop for refilling water bottles and snacks, how the group will handle mechanical issues such as flats and the level of sweep the host will provide. More on the details of the rating system later... For now, let's keep looking for our ride.
27 Thu (Mar) 9:30AM C 20mi. AUSTIN BY COFFEE. Depart from Jo's Coffee on Second Street. This will be a leisurely tour of some of my favorite coffee shops. Plan on at least 3 stops along the route including a stop for lunch. Eileen Schaubert cell phone emailaddress
27 Thu (Mar) 5:30PM A 15mi. THURSDAY HILL TRAINING. Depart from Nelo's Pro Cycles 3010-H West Anderson Lane. Use Ron's tandem as your rabbit for some hill practice after work. After all, tandems cannot really climb, can they? We'll warm up on Shoal Creek Blvd then repeatedly roll up Mesa, Adirondack, and Old Spicewood Springs to take the ride to a higher plane. Ron Burzese cell phone emailaddress
Next, check the details of the ride distance, start time and start location. The ride hosts are free to set the details that are convenient for their own schedule. Amazing, you can ride with other cyclists on a similar schedule! Do you have kids in school or are you retired? Those daytime rides can fit. Long hours at the office? That precious hour before sunset might be your only time you can get out from behind your desk. And of course, for you who just need a little more sleep, how about an 11:00 AM start time?
Let's look at the sample ride listings from above. The morning ride is at a C pace for 20 miles. The description tells you that there will be lots of stops so it would be perfect for someone with a free schedule that day. Someone looking for a continuous ride would not be happy here even if the pace and mileage are right. The next ride is scheduled for after work. The A listing indicates that this is a more intensely paced ride but the mileage is a short 15 miles. The description gives more details letting riders know that this is a hill training ride. This would be good for someone looking for a specific workout without spending a lot of time on the road. These are just some examples to show how to read the listings. Expect to see a variety of rides with all sorts of distances and paces, as the program grows.
Now that we've chosen a ride that looks like a good fit, arrive in time to have your bike ready to roll at the published start time. The ride leader will have a quick pre-ride briefing to talk about the ride, anything of note on the course, and ACA rules of the road. Then, it's time to head out and ride! The group stays together, having a fun time getting to know each other and exploring the beautiful roads around Austin.
Once you're done with the ride, the ride leader will be submitting the list of riders who attended. Not for surveillance purposes but so we can track your mileage for the annual membership contests! All ACA members will be automatically eligible for the most club miles ridden, most club rides attended (so you can hit the short ones and still win!), most rides hosted, and we'll be looking at some other categories, just to keep it interesting!
So it begs the question, who will be leading all these awesome new rides? The ACA members! We have created a training class to prepare enthusiastic volunteers to become hosted ride leaders. As a ride leader, you do not have to be a racer, fast, or a bike expert, just someone who wants to meet other cyclists in a setting that would be fun for you.
The training class will provide ride leaders with all the tools they will need to feel confident hosting rides. We start the day with learning bike safety, - aka vehicular cycling - driving your bike as a legal vehicle on the road. Group riding has its own rules and etiquette, so we cover that as well. We'll also demonstrate the quick fix of some minor mechanical problems, create some sample routes (trying out a couple of software mapping options), plus brainstorm some ideas for themed rides. (We already have one couple that wants to host a bird watching ride - what a great idea for a fun day!) Then we'll finish up with the online ride submission and mileage tallying process.
This program will be a grassroots effort driven by the ACA members. With 1,500 member households, the ACA has the potential to offer hosted group rides, multiple times every single day. With a similar-sized membership base, the Twin Cities Bicycling Club offered over 2,000 rides last year - and they have snow on the ground from November to March!
We are now scheduling our first Ride Leader training sessions and are looking for volunteers to sign up. The first training date will be Saturday, April 5th, from 8:30am to 4pm at the Texas Bicycle Coalition so we will have hosted rides on the calendar for Bike Month in May. For anyone who is a League Cycling Instructor, we will be offering a special session of the training class on Friday April 4th. And in the flexible spirit of the hosted ride program - if we have enough requests to hold a weekday or weeknight training class we will arrange one. Check the ACA website for further details. Contact Eileen Schaubert (eileenstx@yahoo.com) to sign up for training.
The Ride Ratings
Let's take a closer look at the ride ratings. We've selected some categories to help set the expectations for the rides: pace, frequency of rest stops, leader mechanical support, and leader support. The rider will self-select a ride that fits with their abilities and experience level.
|
Rating |
AVG Speed mph |
Rest Stops |
Leader Support |
Leader Position |
|
A |
18+ |
Every 25-35 miles |
Stop at leader's discretion |
Within group as desired |
|
B |
16-18 |
Every 20-30 miles |
Stop at leader's discretion |
Within group as desired |
|
C |
14-16 |
Every 15-25 miles |
Group stops. Leader helps with flats. |
At rear of group at 14 mph |
|
D |
12-14 |
Every 15-20 miles |
Group stops. Leader helps with flats. |
At rear of group at 12 mph |
|
E |
< 12 |
Minimum once an hour |
Group stops. Leader helps with flats. |
At rear of group sweeping |
Pace is the first category and you'll notice that we have a range within each letter. These are general guidelines, since the pace will vary with different terrain. The C range is given as 14-16 mph average. Our experience tells us that this is a maintainable speed for most recreational cyclists with a bit of experience. Novice cyclists or those just getting into exercising may find this pace a challenge. Race-oriented cyclists or those with a strong base of fitness from another sport would find the B pace of 16-18 a comfortable ride.
If you are not sure you can maintain the published pace, you have a couple of options. The first option we would recommend is to choose a slower paced ride until you are ready to face a potential challenge. The second option is to look at the leader position category for the faster pace and use that to guide your decision. Moving from D to C, you would find the host riding at the minimum C speed. This means that the rider is responsible for maintaining the minimum speed or is willing to possibly ride alone off the back of the group, using the map or queue sheet provided by the host. This system allows the host to keep the group moving together at the pace listed in the ride schedule. On the other end of this is the rider who finds the pace too slow. They have the option to inform the host and ride off the front of the group. This prevents that faster rider from pushing the pace up beyond the published listing. The ratings help ensure that everyone gets the group ride they expected.
The leader support category could also play into your decision. For someone who has not learned to change a flat, that can become a barrier to riding. ACA asks that you have all the necessary supplies to change a flat with you on all rides but with some of the ride ratings the leader will help change the flat as needed. Ratings C-E all have the group stop when someone has a mechanical issue. The host will help, to the limit of their knowledge - don't expect a pro bike mechanic but the ride leaders have been trained to change a flat or take care of some of the most common mechanical issues.
The A and B ratings allow the ride leader to decide the policy on the group stopping for mechanicals. A no-stop policy will be disclosed in the ride listing and again in the pre-ride briefing. This is to give some flexibility for the ride leader since these pace ratings imply more experience on the bike. Some of these rides will be designed as strenuous training rides on known routes, so other riders would prefer to complete the course, confident that all riders are self-sufficient. Other routes would dictate that either the entire group stop or the group split into two with some staying behind with the mechanical. Again, the expectation is set prior to the ride so the cyclists can self-select the experience they desire.
Rest stops are required somewhere between 1 hour and 1.5 hours for all rides. We know it gets hot and only so much liquid can fit on a bike! Any routes that don't have accessible water supplies will be disclosed in the ride listing and at the pre-ride briefing. Some rides will actually be designed to go from one food stop to another - perfect for those times when you want to just cruise around town sampling your favorite goodies.
The ride ratings will continue to be a work in progress. Other clubs throughout the country have adopted similar systems but with appropriate twists to reflect their unique bike culture and terrain. We welcome any feedback as we launch the hosted ride program and will make adjustments as the club continues to grow and change.