The very idea of CZ rides is to get people like you involved. Nobody gets left behind on these rides and sometimes old timers like myself and others ride CZ to help out with advice for new riders and to answer questions in general about biking. Come on out.
Kelly - the CZ ride is a "come as you are" ride - all types of bikes are welcome!!
Your post spoke to me as I can relate to being "alone" in regards to riding. It can be difficult, and discouraging at times, when you don't have the support you'd like. My wife doesn't have any interest at all in cycling, and neither does any of my family. Sure, it would be great if your husband would ride with you, but you can't always share the same interest, unfortunately. For what it's worth, I don't feel it makes you a bad wife or mother at all. If anything, you're setting an example as a mother to follow what you're passionate about.
I rode with this group starting in 2008 into 2009 and then moved to Hendersonville. I haven't ridden much at all since. With gas prices & being tight on money, I couldn't drive to Murfreesboro. I did find a club in Hendersonville, but there's just something about this group - there is an unspoken friendship and camaraderie. If you have any questions about anything, people here are more than happy to help. I went on a couple of Comfort Zone (CZ) rides within the last month, the first I've ridden since 2009, and it brought back a lot of great memories. It was like I picked up right where I left off.
Yes, cycling out on the road can be dangerous. As others have said, Sarah hit the nail on the head - there is danger in everything you do. When I first started cycling, I was scared to death of riding on the road, knowing there are people behind the wheel that don't pay attention, don't know (or don't care) that they are supposed to give cyclists three feet of space, and at times, simply drivers that purposely drive as close as possible to cyclists. With that being said, and as Sarah stated, there is safety in numbers. In my experience, drivers are able see a group of cyclists much easier than a single rider, and thus, less accidents tend to occur. I can tell you that I feel very safe riding with this group. After a bit of riding, I got one of those mirrors to put on my helmet so I knew when cars were behind me, which for me, made me feel a lot safer out on the road. This club is very safe, and every measure is made to ensure that all riders know when cars are coming in any direction. The Comfort Zone group would be perfect for you to get your feet wet in group riding and ease out on the road, and the ride leaders are not going leave you by yourself.
Do what makes you happy :)
Hey everybody! Well, after doing a ton of research and asking dozens of people hundreds of questions, I finally felt like I had progressed from knowing zero about bikes to slightly more than zero and I have ordered my road bike!!! Woohoo. I got a 2011 (only because I couldn't wait for the 2012) Jamis Ventura Race Femme and the shop agreed to swap out the 25 cassette with a 28 cassette because that's what everybody told me I should do if I went with a compact.
Anywho, I know your group rides will be ending soon but I'm hoping to participate in a few CZ rides before the season ends so maybe some of you can teach me how to ride my bike correctly. BUT, my question is, will there be any of those beginner rides in October? I think that might be a really helpful thing for me to do first as I have never ridden in a group and I don't want to do something wrong that could at worst cause somebody else (or me) to get hurt and at best cause others to have ill feelings towards me because I don't know the ins and outs of group rides.
Regardless, I really look forward to riding with you some and more than likely joining the club next year and becoming what I hope to be a regular participant! Once again, woohoo!!!
Kelly- get signed up for the ride/eat from The Blue Porch on Oct.8th- There will be a CZ short ride and it will be a great time to meet members.
See the post on the message board.
Call if you have questions-
Cary
615-893-0721
Kelly, there are CZ rides every Saturday in October. The weeknight rides have ended for the season.
Please join Susan Barber for the CZ ride this Saturday (10/1) at Rockvale Elementary @ 8:00AM. I am not sure how many miles she is doing but you will discover a great group of riders that look out for one another.
Bill G.
CZ Ride Coordinator
YAY Kelly!! Welcome!! Hope to meet you Saturday!!
Hopefully I'll have my bike by then. I ordered it last Friday, and they said it would take about a week. They've talked me into going ahead and putting on clipless pedals...my hope is to take it out to an empty parking lot a couple of times so I can get used to the bikes and the pedals before attempting a group ride. I will have a lot to learn about gearing as I have never ridden anything more than a 7-speed!