cycling clubs

ba

hey, was wondering what the benefits are of cycling in a club? as i routinely cycle on the weekends and after work (but not much, 40Km)

i'm living in clontarf, 15mins north of the city centre on the coast of dublin bay.
and i have often seen small groups of cyclists zipping along the clontarf prominade on sunday mornings towards howth.

i am interested in joining a club, learning and getting experience/challenges from longer cycles.

Chips Lovell

Going out on a club training run is one of the best ways of becoming a stronger rider. Essentially you're being pulled along at a pace that you mightn't necessarily be doing on your own and mightn't be pushing yourself to if you ride alone. You'll also pick up on how to ride in a group and there's also the whole social aspect of it too. A long ride can be more fun if you've people to chat to.

I've just started going out with Bray Wheelers. They meet at ten at the Kilmacanogue flyover on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

ba

thanks for the quick response. a club sounds like the quickest way to improve.
unfortunately i think the boat has sailed for a cyclist of my caliber (however i have toured 500km over 4 days recently) to participate in most irish races/tours. e.g tour de munster, but a club will help me for the next year.

i'd be more likely to join a northside club, as commuting across the city or through it sounds like hassle.

Chips Lovell

If you're up for touring, then I wouldn't rule it out at all. I turned out fully expecting to get shelled out the back the first few times. Didn't happen on Saturday, but apparently it wasn't as fast as usual.

I live in town, but went for the Wheelers because a friend is already a member and I like riding in Wicklow. Means having to do the 20k out there beforehand and getting home afterwards, but that means I get a little more riding in than everyone else. I think there's one or two clubs on the Northside. Also someone told me Dundrum go Northside every second week.

EDIT: Actually, Cycling Ireland has a list of clubs on its site.

ba

i have never tested the waters with tours/races, so i imagined i would also get left behind eating dust. i still wanna cycle the tour de munster tho'.

'cycling ireland' seems good for finding clubs but i'll have to wade through them all in preference for discipline, location + route. i cant imagine myself going as far as bray for another trek. although the wicklow mtns make for a nice backdrop.

if there's a club in my area, or nearby, even as far as dundrum, i'll certainly short-list them.

el tel

Seconded what el tonto say - riding with a club has numerous benefits.

Apart from the company and being towed along on rides of longer duration and greater speed than you might do yourself, it's also a great way to learn new routes like the small back roads and to see some different scenery. As well as that, it's a great motivator to get you up and out on a weekend morning, especially when the weather looks marginal (or you feel marginal ) and would otherwise not bother with it.

Give it a go!

ba

yeah, thinkin this saturday would be good. the Dublin Wheelers meet saturdays 9.30am up in Santry, as so as soon as i get in touch with them, I'm there! 50miles average spin.

also, can you believe someone stole my speedometer mount? the little plastic thing that supports the computer?!

...anyways cheers for all the advice + encouragement.

Junior

One of the other benefits that's not mentioned there is a lot of clubs do subsidied gear. It's always good way to get gear relatively cheap.

Raam

I am also thinking of joining a club. Was thinking of the Swords one or the Santry one. I'm based near Raheny.

Ba, let us know how you get on with your first spin

P

ba

my first spin, 50miles, with the dublin wheelers went great. given that most of the riders will be racing tomorrow, the pace wasnt typical (about 3-4mph slower) so from my point of view it was a comfortable pace. not too many climbs, and they were never anything in comparison with howth.

theyre a very friendly and welcoming crowd, and i wasnt alone as a newbie.

cycling from 9:45am, break for half hour, home at 1pm (in clontarf). just under 3hours on the bike. rained for a while, but weather was good overall, not much of a breeze either.

garo

I'm breaking in my new bike - getting used to a racer after 10 years on MTBs - and should join you guys in a couple of weeks.

Raam

ba, where abouts did you meet up?

oobydooby

Hi, what kinds of bikes were the club members' on? Was it all racers?

ba

the club meets outside santry park entrance, the entrance at the T-Junction with the M1 turn off into santry. the spot is further north of OMNI shopping centre. photos of the meeting point can be found on the dublinwheelers website.

they all ride racers.

check out www.dublinwheelers.com

just in case anybody decides to spontaneously join, a decent level of fitness + tolerance for long rides is vital. not to mention proper gear, cotton is a no-no. 50mile spins aren't anything like your 15min spin into work.