It's Time To
Get Back In The Saddle! 

Ride Dates: April 10th to June 5th

 

 

Once again STS means SPRING Training Series! 

 

Whether you're training for Pride Ride (June 13th) or GFNY (May 16th), or just need to get back in the saddle after a winter off your bike, STS can help you achieve your cycling goals.

 

 

What We Are About
 

You may have ridden with other cycling clubs – our style of riding probably differs from those other groups. We like to keep our rides fun, friendly, and informal. Rather than emphasizing going as fast as we can in a straight line along a busy road, we try to follow the quiet roads. Sticking to the quietest roads means our routes are rather "intricate" and involve a lot of turns (compared to the routes other clubs use). These routes give our rides a more relaxed, social feel. If a faster/stronger rider gets too far ahead of the other riders in the group, they simply pull over and wait for the other riders to catch up. We offer a variety of route choices each week so that riders can find a group that best suits their ride speed and duration.

 

• We don't do formal rotating pacelines.
• We discourage drafting (especially in the COVID era).
• We discourage riding side-by-side in most situations, but we don't keep riders in tight, structured, straight-line groups. 

 

Another important difference is while our rides are no-drop (we won’t abandon you by the side of the road) we don't have formal leads and sweeps. We ask all our riders to be comfortable navigating with GPS routes/files we provide. If you are unsure what any of that means, don’t worry — it’s not complicated and we will help you through it!

 

 

Safety and Social Distancing – Our expectation is that COVID will still be with us in some form this spring, but we've got a far better handle on how to deal with it than we did last summer. We will keep our group sizes below mandated maxiums and take other precautions (face coverings, etc.) to keep everyone safe.

 

 

Training Objectives & Types Of Rides
 

We know there are diffrent styles of riding in our club, and different levels of skill and speed. We've tailored each week’s route choices to accommodate as many of the groups of riders as possible.

 

Our core training plans, based on the most common riding styles and training objectives of our club members:

 

• Rides building from 30 ➜ 50 miles at 12-15 mph 
  Ideal for intermediate cyclists who want a relaxed ride, but still stay healthy and in shape. These rides are very casual and friendly, but you'll get a workout.
  
  
• Rides building from 40 ➜ 65 miles at 14-17 mph 
  Great for riders who are starting to build up to longer rides, but don’t want to live in the saddle. These rides are perfect to build up to a "metric century" (100 km, ~62 mi).
  
  
• Rides building from 50 ➜ 80 miles at 15+ mph 
  Good for advanced riders who love long rides, but like to keep their speed moderate and relish the scenery.
  
  
• Rides building from 60 ➜ 100 miles at 17+ mph
  Perfect for most advanced riders who want more challenging rides.

 

* Speeds shown are typical speed "on the flats". They are not the average ride speed shown by your GPS app.

 

 

When possible we also offer these other options: 

 

• New Riders should sign up for the "Introduction to Road Cycling" rides which are a series of formal training sessions the first three weeks of the series. The Intro Series covers all the fundamentals, like how handle traffic, how to ride in a group, how best use your gears, fixing a flat on the road, etc. After you complete those training rides you can ride with the larger group the last four weeks.
  
  
• Shorter Distance Options are available on many of the rides for people who prefer shorter rides or simply don't have the time for a longer ride that day. Many of the shorter distance options require a train or subway ride on return to the City. In the list of rides to the right (or below if you're on a mobile device), when you see 🚇 after a mileage number it means that distance involves a subway return. When you see 🚆 after a mileage number it means that distance involves a commuter train return (MetroNorth, NJ Transit, LIRR).
  
  
• Hill Climber Options are generally add-ons to one of the core ride types and are for people who love hills. If you see ⛰ after a mileage number in the list of rides on the right, it means there's a hill climber option available and that's the distance for hill climbers.
  
  
• Multi-Surface Rides strive to get away from cars as much as possible by riding on quiet back roads, paved and unpavd trails, and occasionally even dirt roads. These rides usually require wider tires. The minimum and recommended tire sizes are listed in the ride descriptions. 

 

 

Please know your speed and be certain you can keep up with the stated speed of the rides you sign up for. As stated above, we are a no-drop club, but finding the right group ensures that everyone has the most pleasant and safe ride they can.

 

You are not tied to any one training plan. It's completely understandable that one Saturday you may be full of energy and want to do that long, fast ride and the next you may be tired and just want a shorter, slower ride to unwind. Listen to your body and do what suits you best each week.

 

 

What Happens Each Week…

 

Rides take place on Saturday each week, starting Saturday April 10 and running through Saturday June 5 (skipping Memorial Day weekend). Rides will pushed to Sunday in the event of bad weather.

 

"Week 0" Self Timed Ride - you will ride around Central Park four times as quickly as you can without it being unpleasant. The elapsed time will translate into your ride speed. Knowing your ride speed will make sure you pick rides that are right for you throughout the series.  Join us for brunch in Central Park afterwards.

 

Knowing your speed is important because we ride informally – rides do not have leads and sweeps. So in the first couple weeks you'll get a sense of who is compatible with your speed and style of riding and then it's usually best to stick with that group throughout the series and "buddy-up". Though riding with a slower group is always an option if you're willing or prefer to slow down for any given ride.

 

Weeks 1-5: Training - you'll gradually build up distance (and speed) depending on your particular goal as explained below.

 

1. (NJ) Market Diner + Piermont, Nyack or Rockland Lake
2. (NY) Bronxville & Larchmont + Scarsdale, Rye or The Bronx
3. (NJ) Rockland Lake + Nyack and/or Saddle River
4. (NJ) Saddle River Trail + S. Mountain Road or Market Diner
5. (NY) Bronx River + Rye, Armonk or Pound Ridge

 

Week 6: Ride & Picnic - a more relaxed, social week with plenty of food and fun.

 

"Week 7": A bonus ride - We're adding an additional ride this year – to Oyster Bay. It will take place the week after Memorial Day and before Pride Ride. It involves more urban riding than the other weeks, and a bit less structure overall. 

 

 

So lots of options for all types of riders. Sign up today.

Price

*Included with 2021 Membership. Members, sign in to RSVP for rides.

Not a member? Join OutCycling now or sign up for the series here.