I know that many of you have been waiting for the arrival of our recurring 2022 Club Group Rides, and I am happy to let you know that your waiting is over! Additional Rides will be added in the upcoming months.
As stated in my Winter 2022 email (1/9/22), there are some important changes to the procedures, form and content in providing prospective participants with notification of and registration for upcoming Club Group Rides.The changes from last year are based upon feedback from both group ride participants and from the Club Group Rides Leadership. The changes noted below were firmed up at the annual Club Group Rides Leadership (virtual) meeting held on Wednesday evening, April 28. If you haven’t already done so, please download or update your Personify (formerly Wild Apricot MEMBER) app. It is the easiest way to view, register and if necessary, cancel your reservation for Club Group Rides.
Here’s what you need to know about changes and what will remain the same:
CLUB GROUP RIDES
Beginning in May we will no longer be sending out Ride Announcement / Invitation Emails for both recurring and ad hoc Club Group Rides. Instead, they will be posted and accessible by clicking on the Ride on Club‘s Website.Calendar posting and also viewable in the Events tab of the Personify app- as they were last year.This will cut down significantly on "blast" emails being sent out by the club, especially when we have as many as 15 weekly group rides as we did last year during July and August.
We will no longer be posting Rides by category as we have done in prior years. The initial wording in the Ride Title will start with the anticipated average moving speed (excluding warm up, cool down and stops) followed by the length of the ride. For example, a 32 mile ride last year that would have shown as “C”15 mph Club Group Ride will this ride season be displayed as 15mph/32mi Club Group Ride.
CLUB GROUP RIDES REGISTRATION
The on-line registration process will remain essentially what we used for the prior two years. If you have logged into either the Club Website or your Personify app, you can select the ride you are interested in to see all the Ride Details information.
Recurring Club Group Rides postings for the entire upcoming month will continue to be made Public (viewable by all members and non-members) on the day of the ride no later than the last week of the prior month.
On-Line Registration will usually be opened by the Ride Leader 6 to 7 days prior to the Ride Date. All prospective riders must register in advance of the Ride - NO day-of walk-ins will be permitted to join the Ride.
When registering you will continue to be asked for your emergency contact information to insure it is current; if you have not logged in prior to starting the registration process, you will have to enter other information that otherwise would be automatically entered from our membership database (please make sure you have updated your profile if anything has changed).
All Registrants for every ride must acknowledge they have read and agree to accept the terms of the Club Liability Waiver, the Club Group Riding Requirements (safety and etiquette) and agree to make their name public to all prospective and registered Riders.
Registrants will continue to receive a Ride Confirmation Email indicating that their registration has been successfully completed and conditionally accepted (always subject to the discretion of the Ride Leader).
Most Ride Descriptions will have a number of details indicated as “TBA" (To Be Announced). Ride Leaders will fill in this information np later than three days prior to the Ride Date so that all the specifics of a particular ride are known to Registrants and prospective riders.
Registered Riders will receive a reminder email two days (for recurring rides) and one day (for ad hoc rides) prior to the Ride Date. The email will contain all the updated Ride Description information. It will also instruct you to use the online cancellation process if you are no longer able to ride, thus freeing up a spot for the first rider on the Waitlist if the Ride has reached its Maximum Number of Riders. If you find you have to cancel prior to receiving the Ride Reminder Email, you may do so by accessing either your Ride Registration Details using your web browser or using your Personify app.
COVID
Requirements to guard against transmission of Covid remain fluid. The club will always adhere to the minimal requirements in effect in the state/town in which we are riding.
Current Covid information will be posted on the Club website and updated as soon as possible.
We will continue to encourage those that want to adhere to more stringent requirements to join our Club Group Rides. All riders will continue to be sensitive to the comfort levels of others as well as the commercial establishments where we may stop at Ride Start, Ride End and for a refreshment break.
EVENT RIDES
The Club Website listing of Local and Regional Event Rides is frequently updated. If you haver more current information or know of a ride that does not appear in our listings, please email me.
We often ride as Team Sussex Cyclists and have a Team Captain to coordinate formation of ride distance and target average moving speed and the taking of group photos. These Event Rides are also posted on our Website Calendar and displayed on our Website Home Page and provides additional information including the availability of team discounts, options for car pooling to the event location, availability of and changes in route information, getting together after participants are done their rides, etc. If you are interested in serving as a Captain of Team Sussex Cyclists for an Event Ride, please contact me.
FIRST ANNUAL SUSSEX METRIC AND SUSSEX CENTURY EVENT RIDE. We are partnering with Meals on Wheels, Lewes-Rehoboth for their annual Wheels For Meals fundraising bicycle ride to be held on August 20, 2022 from Revelation's Beer Garden at Hudson Fields. There will also be a 12 mile Family Friendly Route and 25 Mile Route for those that desire shorter distances. We'll need some volunteers to supplement those coming from Meals On Wheels, too, A $5 Registration Discount is available if you sign up as a Team Member (vs. Individual Adult) and a greatly reduced Youth (under 18 day of Event) Registration Fee. EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION ends 11:59pm May 14.Additional Information is posted on the Club Website Home Page.
It's not too late to be part of our 2022 Club Group Rides Leadership Group. If you are interested in serving as a Ride Leader, Assistant Ride Leader, Sweep Rider, or if needed, helping out our Ride Leaders during a Club Group Ride, please contact me.
As your Ride Director, I continue to welcome all input and feedback (positive and negative) that helps make our Club Group Rides even safer and more enjoyable than they already are!
On behalf of the Sussex Cyclists Board of Officers and Directors, best wishes to all Club Members and their loved ones for a happy, healthy and safe New Year. And for those that ride, a year filled with many miles of safe and enjoyable riding by participating in our Club Group Rides.
Cycling activities for most of us decline significantly during the colder weather. Sub-freezing "feels like" temperatures, strong winds, snow and road debris are upon us and this winter to date we unfortunately have had fewer decent ride days than in recent years. Kudos to those that are still riding outside- individually, on Club Group Rides (yes, subject to weather conditions, they are posted on our website calendar) or in small groups - and/or cycling indoors on trainers (smart or not), exercise bikes (with or without on-line subscriptions for training and virtual rides) or participating in spin classes (at a gym or virtually at home).
Others choose to reallocate their time to cross training for building up leg and core strength, flexibility and aerobic capacity. Or maybe put additional emphasis on reading information posted on the Club website (some available only to current Club Members), on-line bicycling articles, magazines or books to increase our knowledge of cycling skills and bicycle maintenance. And a number of us just chill out to re-charge and visit friends and family members or spend more time on activities that tend to get crowded out during the prime riding months. And if you like Event Rides and want to plan ahead, our club website is frequently updated to reflect current information for both Local and Regional cycling events.
Any or all of the above are productive activities worthy of our individual and collective effort and time, especially as we push through dealing with additional COVID-19 variants. Please view our club website for current COVID-19 information germane to our Club Group Rides. And beyond all things bicycle, it’s an understatement to say that the adjustments we continue to make in our lives because of COVID-19 greatly increase our stress and impact on the way we relate to family, friends and community.
At least until our Club Group Ride Leadership Meeting in April, our 2021-2022 post season moratorium on sending out all-member (blast) Ride Invitation emails to all members (unless you choose not to receive any club emails) for all Club Group Rides will continue. All Club Group Rides - weekly and ad hoc- will continue to be posted (in a standardized format with a reservation link) by Ride Leaders on theclub website Calendar and accessible by clicking on the calendar event and/or using the Wild Apricot Member app (if you haven't already done so please update your former green app). Registrants will continue to receive a Registration Confirmation email after signing up for a ride and a Ride Confirmation email24 hours before the scheduled ride start time. Both emails will have a link to Cancel Registration if you can not participate- no need to reach out to the Ride Leader as our automated system will send them a copy of your Cancellation Confirmation email. And your name will be automatically removed from the Participant List so the first rider on the Wait List will be timely notified to have a chance to take your place). If you have any comments on how we advertise rides or register and administer participants, please contact me.
It’s important having group activities to look forward to, and for many of us, that includes group bicycling rides albeit for the third consecutive ride season when COVID-19 guidelines and governmental restrictions are in effect. In July and August 2021 we had 15 weekly Club Group Rides (plus a number of ad hoc and out-of-area rides) every day of the week and as many as 3 a day- in all Ride Categories from various locations between Bethany and Lewes. Sussex Cyclists will again have a robust Group Riding program in 2022. In April we will hold our Annual Club Group Riding Leadership meeting - whether in person or virtually as we did in 2020 and 2021 - to establish our Ride Program parameters and goals and conduct training to effectively implement our Club Group Rides. Our 2021 Club Group Rides Leadership consisted of over 35 Club Members who served as Ride Leaders, Assistant Ride Leaders, Sweep Riders, individuals who have an interest and expertise in a particular aspect of cycling they want to share with our members and also those that want to contribute to the success of our Group Riding program in real time. If you have an interest in joining our 2022 Club Group Rides Leadership, please contact me. Our Club Group Rides Leadership is the reason that the most frequent comment we continue to receive from riders new to our Club Group Rides - regardless of Ride Category - is "I wish my club rides back home were as safe and fun as yours [Sussex Cyclists]." Priceless!
To help us prepare I am asking for your feedback and suggestions so that our 2022 Ride Program is in line with the expectations of our members. Here’s some things you may want to comment on (please don’t do a reply to all- send to me and/or a Club Officer or Board Member) or a 2021 Club Ride Leader:
If you participated in our 2021 (or 2020) Club Group Rides, the good, bad and ugly about the rides you were on as well as our Club Group Rides Leadership (Ride Director, Ride Leaders, Assistant Ride Leaders and Sweep Riders);
Whether you would like to join the the 2022 Club Group Riding Leadership to help share the load;
Our on-line Club Group Ride reservation process and automated email system we used in 2020 and 2021;
Suggested changes and/or additions to our Sussex Cyclists riding gear;
Whether Sussex Cyclists should continue to provide members with training and support for Ride With GPS (RWGPS), Strava, GPS route navigation by bicycle computer or smart phone, competitive cycling events or any other area(s) pertaining to bicycling;
Whether Sussex Cyclists should continue to advertise or promote area and regional event rides and selectively ride as Team Sussex Cyclists;
Whether participation in Club Group Rides should only be for current club members (and occasional guests of members) or open to all riders who want to learn (if new to group riding) and exhibit safe group riding etiquette;
Whether you would like to see the club sponsor a series of rides in the spring (open to members and non-members?) for those new to cycling (road and/or trail) or group riding;
Whether you would like to see the club sponsor its own Sussex Cyclists Event Ride in 2022; and
Anything else you think would be appropriate for the Club to consider implementing in 2022.
Our club leadership looks forward to receiving your feedback before the February 15th so it can be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the Sussex Cyclists Board of Officers and Directors (usually held late February or early March) and Annual Club Group Rides Leadership Meeting (usually held mid to late April). At our annual Club Membership Meeting (usually held in May) I'll be making a full report on the 2022-2023 Ride Program. As you Ride Director, I welcome all input and feedback that helps make our Club Group Rides even safer and more enjoyable than they already are!
