First Ride is in the Books!

Jon Proulx and Eric Lenning met this morning for the first ride of the Plainfield UMC Cycling Group. The route, a mix of streets and bike paths, made for a nice leisurely trip around northwest Plainfield on a beautiful May morning. Our distance was right at 12 miles.

I'll let everyone know when I figure out a date for the next ride. Or if anyone else happens to be planning a ride and wants some company, let the group know.

-- Eric

Proposed Route for 5/29/2010

Here is a rough idea of the route I was thinking about for Saturday morning. It comes out to about 11 miles, which would take roughly an hour depending on whether we stopped or not. Note that I don't plan on riding down Highway 30 from 127th to 135th. There's a bike path that parallels the road, next to the railroad tracks.

The purpose of the ride would be to demonstrate a couple of ways of getting between downtown and 127th Street, from which you can get to a multitude of locations north of Plainfield.


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Welcome!

Welcome to the information page for the Cycling Small Group at Plainfield United Methodist Church!

I was asked if I would organize a cycling group for people who indicated on their Small Group surveys that they would be interested in this activity. Obviously the goals and activities for this group will be designed around the needs and interests of those who are part of the group. I am very interested to hear what these needs and interests might be!

To get the discussion started, here are a few things we might consider pursuing:

• Schedule at least one group ride per week throughout the summer and into the fall. Or perhaps schedule one weekday evening ride and one weekend ride each week. There would be no obligation to participate on every ride, of course. We realize that people are very busy, but we just want to provide as many opportunities as possible. Some people might be more free during the week than on the weekend. Others (like retirees or teachers or meteorologist shift-workers) might plan to ride on a quiet weekday morning. Even if we get just 2-3 people on a ride together, that's more fun than riding alone. If nothing else, this group puts you in touch with potential riding partners.
  
• Become familiar with the many great bike paths around the area.
• Learn safe on-street routes around Plainfield, and routes for riding to various bike paths from the Plainfield area. For example, show people how to ride from Plainfield to Oswego to access the Fox River Trail.
  
• Learn how to navigate between various trails in order to create a longer or more diverse route. For example, show people how to safely and easily ride through Aurora in order to make the connection between the southernmost portion of the Fox River Trail (Oswego to Aurora) and the main portion of the trail (north of Aurora).
• Teach basic bike maintenance and show people what kind of tools and equipment they may wish to carry with them on their ride. Examples: frame pump, extra water bottles, patch kit, spare tube, etc.
• Publicize biking events around the Chicagoland area that members of the group may wish to participate in together. Example: Bike the Drive on Memorial Day Sunday.
• Set various distance goals to complete throughout the year. These could be for a single ride, a given weekend, or a cumulative total. Speaking from personal experience as someone who really only started riding (regularly) three years ago, at first I had no idea what I was capable of. Honestly, 20 miles initially seemed like an infinite trek, but soon I got to where 30 miles was the distance I rode after work if I was really short on time. And the first time I rode 50 miles I thought I was going to keel over. But about 6-weeks later I completed my first Century Ride (100 miles in a day). So there are all kinds of options!
• Plan some longer outings where we ride for a while, have lunch together, and then ride back home (to our starting point).
• Encourage others to join our group. We certainly want to make sure other church members are aware of this activity, but something like this is also a great way to introduce our church to non-members.
  

And just for the record, I am by no means any kind of serious cyclist. The bike I ride is an old Mongoose hybrid that I bought 13 years ago right after grad school when I had no money. It's probably the only Mongoose Crossway to have completed two RAGBRAIs. I don't wear special bike shoes for clipless pedals. And I normally don't wear all the fancy biking clothes. Unlike most bikers, if I'm only going 10-20 miles I'll just wear regular shorts, though for longer rides I do greatly appreciate the padded bike shorts.

What I am trying to say is: everyone is welcome in this group.

We can ride as fast or as slow as we need to. Those who like to ride faster just get a longer break while waiting for those who like to ride slower. It's no big deal either way. The point is to encourage each other and to have a lot of fun. Biking is something that all types of people can enjoy participating in together!

So...with those thoughts shared, let's hear what everyone else has to say. Speak up! Don't be shy!! What specifically are you hoping to get out of this cycling group???