club rides

"dreaded" wrote in message
...
hello cyclists. i am an avid commuter and capable of longer rides and
considering riding with one of the local clubs. perhaps cascade bike
club's
weds ride from gasworks park. their web site says "steady". im not sure
what
this means in terms of avg speed.

"Steady" is the new term, replacing "Social". "Social" was confusing to
people, but maybe "Steady" is too. "Steady" means 12-14 mph

You can find the ride classifications he
http://www.cascade.org/EandR/Ride_Classifications.cfm


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
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"David L. Johnson" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 21:00:40 -0700, dreaded wrote:

hello cyclists. i am an avid commuter and capable of longer rides and
considering riding with one of the local clubs. perhaps cascade bike
club's
weds ride from gasworks park. their web site says "steady". im not sure
what
this means in terms of avg speed. they list beginner, moderate,
strenuous
etc. i think my avg speed on a 25 mile ride would be about 18 to 20. is
this
a beginner speed? moderate? advice/suggestions solicited.

18-20mph for 25 miles, unless you are talking dead flat terrain, is quite
good, faster than most club rides But I've heard lots of riders
estimate their average speed with some inaccuracy, so perhaps caution
is in order.

Start with a ride that you think will be slower/easier than you can
handle, and work up to find your comfort level with that club. Clubs
vary, and some are more competitive than others. A competitive ride
can also be a great experience, but you should know what you are getting
into. Also, it is not good for a ride to have to slow down or wait for a
rider who is not capable of keeping up with the rest of the group. It can
destroy the experience for everyone else if one rider is in way over his
head.


--

David L. Johnson

__o | The lottery is a tax on those who fail to understand
_`\(,_ | mathematics.
(_)/ (_) |


i was also wondering if for the purpose of rating the speeds in these
raitings if they are taking into account the starting and stopping in the
city. it's hard to say what my true avg speed is because of all the lights i
have to go through, all that starting and stopping slows the average; but
with city riding the average on my computer is usually about 14.5. when i
can ride steady terrain for 40 miles or so the average jumps up to 18, so i
was thinking 18-20 for 25 miles. if it were a century i would estimate maybe
15 or 16 but it sounds like good advice to be conservative...
-alan

"David L. Johnson" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 21:00:40 -0700, dreaded wrote:

hello cyclists. i am an avid commuter and capable of longer rides and
considering riding with one of the local clubs. perhaps cascade bike
club's
weds ride from gasworks park. their web site says "steady". im not sure
what
this means in terms of avg speed. they list beginner, moderate,
strenuous
etc. i think my avg speed on a 25 mile ride would be about 18 to 20. is
this
a beginner speed? moderate? advice/suggestions solicited.

18-20mph for 25 miles, unless you are talking dead flat terrain, is quite
good, faster than most club rides But I've heard lots of riders
estimate their average speed with some inaccuracy, so perhaps caution
is in order.

Start with a ride that you think will be slower/easier than you can
handle, and work up to find your comfort level with that club. Clubs
vary, and some are more competitive than others. A competitive ride
can also be a great experience, but you should know what you are getting
into. Also, it is not good for a ride to have to slow down or wait for a
rider who is not capable of keeping up with the rest of the group. It can
destroy the experience for everyone else if one rider is in way over his
head.


--

David L. Johnson

__o | The lottery is a tax on those who fail to understand
_`\(,_ | mathematics.
(_)/ (_) |


i was also wondering if for the purpose of rating the speeds in these
raitings if they are taking into account the starting and stopping in the
city. it's hard to say what my true avg speed is because of all the lights i
have to go through, all that starting and stopping slows the average; but
with city riding the average on my computer is usually about 14.5. when i
can ride steady terrain for 40 miles or so the average jumps up to 18, so i
was thinking 18-20 for 25 miles. if it were a century i would estimate maybe
15 or 16 but it sounds like good advice to be conservative...
-alan