WOWride Cycling Club aims to offer a variety of rides every week.
- 3 Weekly group rides: lead by our Let’s Ride (formerly NCCP Level 1), CPR & First Aid certified cycling coaches, a.k.a. our Domestiques, from April through September.
- Sunday rides: start time: 8:30am in spring / 7:30am in summer.
- Thursday West Side and North Shore non-guided rides: April, May and June: start time 6:00pm (new start location).
- Tuesday Stanley Park daytime rides: April, May, June and September: start time 9:30am.
- Sunday destinations will vary: Iona, Steveston, River Road, Cypress, Seymour, Horseshoe Bay, Deep Cove, SFU, Whistler, Fraser Valley, etc. See the events calendar on the website for more details.
- Our rides will have North Shore or West Side meeting points.
- Destination rides – Self supported ride for intermediate and advanced riders only.
Weather & Drop-In Policies
Wet weather policy: Rides will be cancelled if it is significantly raining one hour before our scheduled start. Check for updates on our website calendar.
Drop-In Policy: You are welcome to drop-in on the 1st scheduled Tuesday OR Sunday ride in April and May. YOU NEED TO BE INSURED to join us for a ride. You must either hold a Cycling BC Licence OR sign the 2024-Cycling-BC-Waiver-Final and our own WOWride forms, and you can join us for a ride. Please NO Tri-bars.
PLEASE FOLLOW OUR HEALTH GUIDELINES
Please stay home and do not ride if you are experiencing the following:
- Coughing or sneezing
- Runny nose or sore throat
- Fatigue, Fever, Chills
- Shortness of breath, loss of sense of smell
Our riders can choose from three speed categories on group rides.
23-25 Km/hour: You are looking to build your confidence and cycling skills while becoming stronger and faster as the season progresses. If you are unsure of your speed, come on out for a ride and see if WOWride is for you or contact us prior to registering. Rides will start at 25km and gradually increase over the season.
25-27 Km/hour: You are a skilled rider who wants to improve your cycling and group riding skills. We will help you prepare for those “bucket-list goals”. Weekend rides will start at 50km and will increase in distance over the season.
27+ Km/hour: You are a confident experienced rider who is looking for a challenge. You want longer rides, steeper climbs, and a faster pace. You are also looking to improve and connect with other experienced riders. Ride distances will gradually increase over the season and weekend rides will be 60-120km.
Our Goal is to Ride Safely with the Expectation of the Following:
- Be able to signal with right/left hand while maintaining control of your bike.
- Ride in a straight line and not deviate while shoulder checking right or left.
- Ride clipped in.
- If we feel a member is not riding safely or able to keep up with the 23 km/hour group, as per our society bylaw 2.3(b), we reserve the right to cancel the member’s membership.
How to Ride in a Group Pace Line
- Single file rotating pace lines will be used during our rides as this will help us all ride faster.
- A pace line is a string of riders who alternate turns riding at the front, pulling, then resting by re-entering the line and drafting in the slip stream of the other riders. Here’s how it works, for a safe ride for all.
- Generally, the lead rider will pull off to the left and slowly decrease speed and re enter at the back of the pace line. The new leader should maintain the speed of the group.
- Do not over exert yourself at the front. Front rider will pull for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Ride a comfortable distance behind the wheel in front of you. That may be 2 inches or 2 feet. No half-wheeling (crossing tires with the bike in front of you).
- Look beyond the rider directly in front of you to see what is ahead of you on the road.
- On an uphill, maintain your effort, not the speed.
- On a downhill, do not slam on the brakes. Slowly feather your brakes. Allow a little more room between the rider in front of you to allow for reaction time on down hills.
- Riders need to ride straight and smooth. Keep a steady pace and make no sudden movements.
- If a gap does open, slowly accelerate to close it. If a rider opens a gap and cannot close it due to fatigue, then slowly accelerate around her to close the gap.
- If you brush bars with another rider, do not panic. Stay relaxed and you will regain your balance.
- If you have a flat tire or mechanical issue, let others know and slowly slide out of the pace line and stop on the side of the road.
- If you feel the group is traveling too fast, let a Domestique know. Try to hang out in the middle of the pack.
- If this all sounds daunting, don’t worry… practice makes perfect and you will be able to do this in your sleep in no time.