what's here
Intro
Most people find that road bicycling is more fun if they can do it with other folks
some of the time.
We've been lucky to find some fun
partners for our style of riding -- it's not trivial to find someone else
who wants to first drive to some little-known starting point and then head out
for 70 miles on the roads for a day. First and still foremost is Tony, and
we've also been glad to ride with many members of the Mid-Hudson Bicycle
Club.
The simplest way to get started on this in the central Hudson valley is to
join the Mid-Hudson Bicycle Club and
go out with them on some rides. The club offers a wider variety of styles,
routes, and dates and times.
And if you think you might be compatible with
us and our style of riding, we often send out
E-mail about when and where we're going to be riding on weekends in the
Mid-Hudson valley area. Please contact us and let us know you're
interested.
People often decide informally to meet together somewhere with their bikes
and then ride together. This can be done on very short notice and offers maximum
flexibility. But expectations can be unclear (unless there is careful
communication), and no one is designated as responsible for managing the
situation if something goes wrong along the way.
Often members of a club get together for informal riding that does
not show on the club's official calendar. Another good reason to
join a bicycle club.
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Bicycle clubs (see list) usually have more rides than an informal group, often scheduled at least
a month in advance. Clubs often have insurance to cover their officers and ride
leaders. They are usually a good place for new riders to find partners. Club
rides are often better organized than informal riding.
But you cannot just assume
that. Check if the club's
documents, ride leader training -- and practice on real rides -- actually follow principles
that you have found acceptable for good riding.
see List of clubs and
organizations
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In many popular bicycling events, support is provided by
non-riders. Typical forms of support include food stops, and a
"SAG" vehicle which drives around and helps out riders who
have gotten tired or have mechanical problems with their bicycles.
Usually they paint direction marks on the roads, which makes following a
route a lot easier. And there is more organization, and more
riders, than for a normal club ride. We enjoy seeing other riders
out there, and at various times we get to match speeds for awhile with
some folks and share stories and cheer each other on.
To see what rides are coming up, check our Events
page. To see groups which organize supported rides, go
to our Supported Rides page.
There are bicycle tour guide services who organize rides, often spanning
multiple days. Bicyclists may pay them a fee to take clear responsibility
for many aspects of organizing and leading the rides. We think this is an
excellent idea. There are several
such services which organize tours in various regions of the world, but so far
only few offer trips in the Hudson valley -- see List.
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