A family of cyclists in Southwest Florida since 1988

2019 Club of the Year

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HomeGetting Started

Getting Started with Group Riding

New Riders

We want you to be successful and have fun on your first club group ride. It can be intimidating to be a new rider joining a new club. Most of the rides are "no drop" which means the group will stop if someone has a flat tire or other mechanical problem and help change the tire or fix the problem. However, our rides do have expected speeds and distances. You will have fun on the ride if you are confident that you can ride at the posted speed for the ride distance. That means you need to do some training rides on your own with a bike speedometer or phone app, so you know how fast you are comfortable riding.

Condition

First of all, you should be an active rider who can ride for at least 1.5 hours at the listed minimum ride speed. If you can’t ride at 12 mph for 1.5 hours comfortably, you need more conditioning before joining a group ride listing 12 mph as the minimum speed. Do neighborhood rides or bike paths on your own and build up your conditioning till you are ready to join Monday Minions.

Skills

You should be able to mount, steer, brake, and shift gears on your bike and dismount. Minions and the Learn to Group Ride rides are skill developing rides, and we will actively teach you bike handling and group riding skills, but you should come with the basics.

Equipment

Required:

Mechanically sound bike
2 water/sports drink bottles
Spare tube
Fitted helmet
Front and back lights
Speedometer or phone app
Identification

Recommended:

basic tire repair kit (levers, CO² cartridges & valve, small pump)
sunglasses
gloves
snack bar
sunscreen

E-bikes and recumbent trikes

E-bikes and recumbent trikes are becoming popular options for cycling. For both types of cycles, please be sure you are familiar with the controls and have confidence controlling the bike and regulating the speed. Caution: E-bikes can offer riders speed that exceeds bike handling skills. To be safe, be patient and take your time building balance and handling if it's been a number of years since you have been cycling.

Trikes, both motorized and not, are welcome as long as you can maintain the advertised pace of the ride. Flags are recommended for visibility.

There are three classes of e-bikes.
Class 1: Only pedal assist and stops helping at 20 mph.
Class 2: Pedal assist, but also has a purely throttle-powered mode.
Class 3: Only pedal assist and stops helping at 28 mph.

Caloosa Riders allows Class 1 and Class 3, pedal assist, e-bikes on our club rides.

Disclaimer about flat tires on e-bikes.
E-bikes can have a mid-drive motor positioned at the center of the bike's frame at the bottom bracket location, or they can be hub-driven with a motor within the front or rear wheel hub. If your motor is within either your front or rear wheel hub, you will need to have the tools and knowledge to remove and replace the wheel from your bike if you have a flat tire. Ride leaders can only assist with changing an inner tube once the wheel is off the bike. You may need to arrange a ride with Uber or a friend in case of a flat tire on a hub-driven wheel.

The CRBC beginner rides

Monday Minions 19 miles at 12-14 mph w/ active teaching of group riding skills

Wednesday Minions Plus 24 miles at 14-16 mph w/ active teaching of group riding skills and beginning pace line practice

Sunday Welcome Ride 25-30 miles at 14-16 mph w/o active teaching

Learn to Group Ride at 13-15 mph for 20 miles w/active teaching of group riding skills

CRBC Ride Calendar

Where to start

The question is where should a new rider start? Once you are confident that you can keep riding at 12-14 mph for 19-20 miles, the Monday Minions ride will be a lot of fun. It's very welcoming to new members, a place to practice group riding skills, and a place to find other club rides appropriate to your current level if you're beyond a beginner rider. If you are comfortable at 14-16+ mph, the Wednesday Minions Plus ride or the Sunday Welcome Ride are also recommended. Visit our Calendar for all our ride descriptions to find your match.

We plan to add more beginner level rides on Saturdays this coming year, so keep checking the Calendar for those if you are unable to come to evening rides.

Where to practice

We are sometimes asked for suggestions on places to ride. First of all, your own neighborhood might be the easiest place to start. Look for bike lanes or multi-use paths. Sidewalks are an option, but can be crowded and dangerous as you learn to ride faster.

Consider these bike paths:

Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization Bicycle Facility Map
Lee MPO Map

Fort Myers - John Yarbrough Linear Park, 6 miles one-way
The trailhead with parking, water and restrooms is at south end off Six Mile Cypress, but you can access it from Colonial Blvd, Landing View, Danley Dr., Crystal Dr., Daniels Pkwy, or Six Mile Cypress Pkwy.

Fort Myers - Six Mile Cypress multi-use path

Fort Myers - Daniels Parkway multi-use path

Fort Myers - Summerlin Parkway multi-use path/sidewalks

Fort Myers - N. Colonial Linear Park, Trailhead Neighborhood Park

Lehigh - SR 82 multi-use path, start at Colonial near Treeline Ave.

Cape Coral - Veterans Parkway multi-use path

Cape Coral - Del Prado Linear Park, starts at Pine Island Rd. and extends north

Cape Coral - Official City Bicycling website with map showing routes
City of Cape Coral Bicycling