Pride ride
photo by Ange Bradfield
We have six levels of rides, organized according to ability. Riders at all levels learn and practice safe group riding skills. New members can join at any level and progress at their own rate.
Details and routes for the current week are found on our Ride Board.
We use two different measures to describe the expected speed of a ride: Average Strava pace and average moving pace on flats. We provide a range for each measure to account for factors such as elevation, ride distance, and weather conditions (e.g., heat and wind) that can affect performance
Average Strava Pace: This is the average speed displayed at the end of the ride on Strava. It accounts for factors such as acceleration and deceleration and excludes stopped time, resulting in a lower average speed than the average moving speed on flats. It also depends on the minimum moving speed you might have set on you computer below which the computer considers you stopped.
Average moving speed on flats: This is the speed the group can sustain for an extended period on a flat, straight road with no traffic, traffic signals, or stop signs.
SOCIAL Level
For riders who:
Know how to clip in and out of their pedals.
Know how to handle their bike safely (braking, navigating around obstacles) at an easy pace through the city.
Social riders are expected to ride at least 23 km in an hour. Riders will learn and practice how to ride in a group: drafting on other riders’ wheels, hand signals, how to choose appropriate gearing for the terrain you encounter, how to manage hills better. It’s all about learning, practice and having fun on the bike with great people. The Social ride is a no-drop ride (the group waits up for slower riders).
Intermediate Level
For riders who:
Have more experience with faster group rides and feel confident riding at any position in the bunch.
Have good bike handling skills.
Have the fitness to ride continuously for several hours at a good working pace.
This is our largest group of riders in the club and therefore on Saturdays throughout the summer it is necessary to subdivide into two or three levels of Intermediate rides according to group speed and distance. Intermediate rides are no-drop rides (the group keeps track of/waits up for slower riders). The difference between the different Intermediate groups:
Intermediate A: faster
Intermediate B: Easy going
advanced Level
For riders who:
Are very experienced.
Train regularly, including winter training.
Have excellent fitness and bike handling skills.
Can ride continuously at a fast pace for five to six hours.
Can fuel while riding fast.
Depending on rider needs and availability of ride leaders, we sub-divide the Advanced ride into Elite, A and B groups. All groups will ride the same route most of the time, with the Elite group departing first, followed a few minutes later by the A group and finally the B group departing a few minutes after the A group. Because this is a longer ride we always stop mid-ride for a coffee break. Advanced riders are expected to have appropriate riding ability and know how to perform emergency repairs on their bikes if needed. All participants must know the route and the way home. While Advanced A and B rides are advertised as a “No Drop,” riders are expected to have appropriate fitness and skill levels to participate. Should you struggle on multiple Advanced rides in a way that affects the progress of the group, Ride Leaders may ask you to participate in further Intermediate rides in future to bolster your fitness and skills. The difference between the three Advanced groups: