New Riders

Cycling can be a great way to get out on the road to get fit.
Mid Oxon are a friendly club, & members will always offer advice freely.
 
Club rides

• Sunday rides all start from Carfax at the centre of Oxford.
• The club’s Winter Sunday club rides are generally taken at a steady effort.  We tend to ride at a pace where we’re all still able to chat.  Average will be something like 16mph, & roughly 50-55 miles.
• Summer rides tend to be longer & slightly faster.  Each ride will be 60 miles plus, & ridden at 17-18mph average.  Again, we’ll mostly be chatting all the way round, but there will be faster efforts.
• We avoid A-roads whenever possible.  It’s rare that rides will venture onto trunk routes.
• Each Mid Oxon club ride will have a café stop for a quick drink & some food.
• Any rider that comes with Mid Oxon will get the support of our friendly group, & will be looked after.
• Other clubs in Oxford will ride at different paces, so you’ll find one that fits your needs.
• Riding in a group will lower your required effort by 20-30%, so if you’re able to ride 30-40 miles comfortably then you’ll be able to stay within our group.  If not, one of us will drop back.

 
Riding in a group

• Riding with others in a group takes extra care & attention.  Avoid sudden manoeuvres where possible.
• Be aware that getting out of the saddle throws the bike backward, so pay special attention on climbs where that will be expected.  As a precaution, ride in a slightly offset position to the rider in front.
• Enjoy the experience.  It’s easier to ride in a group, because the riders at the front will be bearing the adverse effects of the wind.

 
Be prepared

• On any bike ride, you’ll need to be prepared for the possibility of a puncture & in case of an emergency have the means to call for assistance. 
• Most club riders will carry one or two spare tubes, have a working pump, & will have tyre levers.  Carrying emergency patches is an option too.
• If riding alone, carry a phone in a waterproof bag, & some change in case you need to buy water or food.
• Ride at a pace that you’re comfortable with to get you back in one piece.
• Make sure that you’re prepared for the weather.  Nothing worse than getting caught in rain, & not having a jacket that will keep you dry.  There are many that you can easily tuck into jersey pockets.

Items on the web that may help

• Take a look at the following helpful advice for club rides in these RoadcyclingUK pages.
• Lots of useful stuff in the bikeradar.com road beginners forum too.

Above all else, look after yourself & enjoy the freedom of roads round Oxfordshire.