Clapham Chasers - Saturday Group Ride

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Saturday Group Ride

The Saturday group ride is the principal long training ride of the week. We have a selection of routes that take us into the country lanes and roads of Surrey and Kent. We usually offer two routes, a long one between 80-105Km, and a shorter one between 55-75km. We split riders in pace groups according to the criteria below. Details are posted on the FB members page each week, usually on Thursday. The second Saturday of the month we welcome new riders to join for their introductory ride.

Before you ride

To join Saturday group rides, all members are expected to:

attend an Intro Ride.
be familiar with and abide to Group Riding techniques and etiquette.
be self sufficient in case you get separated from your group. Check the list of essentials to carry on each ride.
volunteer to lead a group on an intro ride when required (once, twice a year, max; read on for details).

Group Pace

Our pace groups are determined by an average rolling pace for the ride. These times will vary depending on factors such as headwind, elevation and number of riders in the group, but are a helpful reference point in deciding which group to join:

G4

Group 4

G3

Group 3

G2

Group 2

G1

Group 1

22-24 km/h

24-26 km/h

26-28 km/h

28 km/h and above

We aim to run groups 1-4 every week. If you are unsure about which pace group to join have a chat with one of our members or ask during your intro ride where an experienced leader will be able to advise. Be prepared to leave the group if the pace isn't right for you. All of the groups will normally ride the same route, so that you may have the opportunity to drop back to the group behind if you are finding the group you are in too fast. If you are unable to keep up with the slowest group, you may be asked to get a train home from the nearest stationor continue the ride on your own.

Intro Ride Leading

Once a month the Saturday Group Ride will be used to welcome new members and run them through their introductory group ride. If you ride with us regularly you will be expected to help running one of these every now and then. To split the workload evenly, the responsibility to organise the intro ride will be assigned to each pace group by turns. The group leader will provide instructions as to what is expected from leaders during an intro ride. In normal circumstances you should be expected to help in no more than one, maybe two intro rides per year. The club is run entirely by volunteers, and this will help keep the club running for others, as others did for us when we joined.

Coffee stops

By default, group rides have no scheduled coffee stop during the ride - other than brief snack or regrouping stops where agreed - so that riders can finish early and carry on with their day if they so wish. If you fancy a coffee stop, check with your group first that they would be ok to make a long stop - most times you will not find much resistance to stop at Box Hill for a well earned break! We usually get together after the ride for food and refreshments.

Routes

We normally alternate between Kent and Surrey for our group rides. When conditions are not just perfect we might take a detour to Windsor every now and then. Have a look at our full catalogue of Routes.