Monday, May 2nd: Level 1 ride

It’s finally here! Our first official Level 1 evening ride of the 2016 season. If you are not sure what a Level 1 ride is, read about it here. Level 1 is the easiest, making it suitable for those newer to cycling, unsure of what level to start at, or even those who know they can ride faster and longer but welcome an opportunity for a casual, social, and supportive spin while perhaps coaching others on things like how and when to change their gears. The ride stays at a Level 1 pace, no one is left to ride alone at the back or ever gets dropped. Each Level 1 ride is preceded by a short safety talk covering different topics weekly. This is a very welcoming and supportive group of people and we have a lot of fun!

We usually get a huge turnout for this first ride. This week we are going to stay in the industrial park in the east end of town so we can offer some instruction and practice riding in a group setting in a relatively quiet area. Level 1 ride leaders are qualified CanBike instructors (a nationally recognized program for safe cycling education), or at the very least a CanBike 2 graduate. We always have a sweep — someone designated to stay at the very back of the group to watch that we stay together, help riders at the back, and ensure that no one gets left behind.

Please leave a comment if you plan to join us. It will help us to determine the format for Monday. If you want to know if someone else has commented after you, click on the box below your comment that you wish to be notified of additional comments. By doing so, you will also receive an email if the ride is changed or cancelled for some reason. Otherwise it’s up to you to keep checking the website for details of that particular ride.

Helmets are mandatory. If you wish to join but haven’t done so yet, you can bring your form and payment to any ride. Guests are allowed to try up to three rides with a completed guest waiver and $5 per ride which is a great way to try the club out without committing right away. If you decide to join up to and including that third ride, any money you’ve paid in guest fees will be deducted from the $45 club fee so you don’t lose anything! Please make sure your bike is in good working order. If you haven’t put air in your tires this year because you don’t know how to or don’t have access to a pump, come early and we’ll help you out.

Date: Monday, May 2nd
Ride Leader: Maria Siemiaszko
Time: 6:00 (which means get there before then)
Start Location: parking lot in industrial mall, Wilmot Street, Cobourg