[DVBC] Beginner rides

[domzdvbc at att.net]

I'd like to remind everyone that in April 2006 and 2007 the club listed beginner rides on Sundays.  I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Irwin the first year but I can count on one hand the number of new riders who attended all of those rides.

We also sponsored a general membership meeting this past April entitled "Maintenance Clinic and NEO (New Enthusiast Orientation)."  One brave newbie attended that meeting.

When I joined the DVBC, I first started out by attending Tuesday night C rides lead by Dave Trout and weekend C rides lead by Bob Leon.  Betsy Ffrench and Valerie Shinbaum have followed in the steps of these notable members by posting C rides, and I thank them for their time and enthusiasm.

Which came first?  The C rider or the C ride leader?  As I've been told many times, for a small bike club we have an unusually large number of members who lead rides, volunteer for club fund-raising tours, or support cycling advocacy.  And members volunteer to lead rides based on their ability and family/work obligations.

I learned to lead rides by example.  My DVBC mentors displayed patience as they waited for slower riders, knowledge of the course for the day's ride, safety and the rules of the road, and the fun of riding a bike with friendly people.  I was a little scared at first, but I knew I no longer enjoyed riding by myself and wanted to give back to the DVBC.

If you want to learn to lead rides, come out, observe, and ask questions.  For a more formal setting, we'll schedule the September general membership meeting as a round-table session where experienced members can field questions from prospective ride leaders.

Thanks to everyone for their congenial comments, observations and suggestions.  Please keep them coming!

Dom
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://ccs2.craftech.com/pipermail/dvbc-list/attachments/20070725/67ac2117/attachment.htm