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There’s a reason nobody ever wrote a book called The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cyclist.
Cycling is a social activity. Sure, solo excursions make wonderful escapes, but cycling’s a
great way to meet people. Let us count the ways:
Group Rides
Just about every town has ’em, from hard-core hammer sessions to round-the-park jaunts.
Some bike hotbeds have informal training or fun rides nearly every day of the week. You’ll
learn group-riding skills, find new roads and trails, hang out with like-minded fitness buffs,
get tips about equipment, hear about cool events, and become fitter faster than you would
riding alone. Your local bike shop is usually a good source of information.
Bike Clubs
Most towns have at least one. Besides a pool of riding buddies, many clubs offer potluck dinners,
talks by cycling luminaries, swap meets, and other excuses to get together and lie about your
bicycle exploits. Clubs also sponsor organized rides and races.
Century Rides
Somewhere between a race and an informal ride, the century (so named because you ride 100 miles)
is a fantastic invention with no equal in other sports. There are hundreds around the country each
year. Some attract dozens of riders; the biggest draw thousands. Besides a 100-miler, most
century events also include shorter versions, such as a metric century (100 kilometers, or
62.5 miles), half century, and 25- or even 10-mile rides. Typically you’ll pay a small fee (say,
$10–$30) in return for a map, cue sheet, and markings on roads. Along the way—usually
every 15–20 miles—you’ll find rest stops serving goodies like fruit, cookies, pretzels,
sometimes even local delicacies like peach ice cream or apple pie. The Strawberry Fields Century
in Santa Cruz, California, for instance, offers a post-ride feast featuring big, juicy berries
dipped in chocolate sauce. You start when you want, stop when you want, and take as much time
to ride as you like. For mountain bikers, there are often multiday festivals in spectacular
locales featuring trail rides of varying lengths and difficulty, a product-expo area, entertainment,
and, of course, lots of food.
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