Clubs are the backbone of the cycling scene and community, and an invaluable source of knowledge and advice that can help you improve as a cyclist.
You don’t have to sign up and join a club straight away to ride with one. Solomons Island Cycling welcomes you to come on three rides before asking you to join, so you can find out if you enjoy our company. In fact, most cycling clubs offer this same type of opportunity.
When you turn up, be prepared just as you would for a solo ride, with water, food, spare tubes and tools, and follow instructions from the rider leaders.
Here’s why you should club together.
More riders on the road are good for us all!
You may not be a group rider and that’s ok, but when you support your local bike culture by joining a club we all achieve a common goal of more riders on the road. The more riders there are on our local roads the more visible we are to drivers. Local cycling clubs put more riders on the roads and that benefits you as a solo cyclist.
Meet like-minded riders
Clubs have personalities, so finding one that matches your interests is a great way to meet like-minded riders. Some clubs are just about riding; others are centered on racing, while your local Solomons Island Cycling group is dedicated to the overall spirit of cycling. We ride, of course, we ride! But we also combine lots of activities like mountain biking, camping, kayaking, running, community service, eating and enjoying each other’s company.
New roads and routes
We offer some regular rides that occur on the same day each week and generally travel the same routes but we also offer unique rides that change the course and distance of the ride.
Skill building
Riding with a club is a good way to learn useful road skills. It’s a bit circular, as they’re mostly the skills you need to ride in a group, such as warning of hazards and following a wheel, but anything that teaches you finer bike control is a good thing.
Cafe expertise
We often enjoy supporting our local establishments after a ride or activity. That makes social club rides a great way to find out about those little cafes that you always wanted to try but never got the chance or to enjoy an ice cream cone like you were six again.
Companionship
You might like riding alone, and that’s fine, but club rides give you the chance to chat while you whizz along, and they’re one of those rare social situations where you won’t be considered odd for going on about bikes.
Being in a group is also invaluable if things go wrong. You should have spares, tools, food and drink with you anyway, but if you suffer a significant mechanical the chances are there’ll be someone in the group to fix it.
SIC sponsored rides are mostly ‘no drop’ outings. Fitter riders might get a bit frisky on hills, but they’ll wait for the group to reassemble at the top. If you’ve over-reached a bit, and the ride turns out to be further than you can manage comfortably, you’ll get help in the form of a wheel to follow or even a helping hand up hills.
Training
As mentioned above the club runs many riding sessions during the season and we offer indoor training in the winter, which is a great way to stay in riding shape from November to February. We also enjoy winter mountain bike/trail bike rides in places like St. Mary’s Lake, Cedarville, and Rosaryville.
Community Service
Solomons Island Cycling participates in community service. SIC has a section of highway in Calvert County that we clean up via the Adopt-a-Highway program. We participate in trail improvement projects and we also offer group participation in organized charity rides like End Hunger in Calvert County and the St. Mary’s Century for the Semper Fi Fund. These rides often offer a group discount when riding together.
Discounts
We are fortunate enough to have our local bike shop, Patuxent Adventure Center, support our club and offers Solomons Island Cycling members a 15% discount on most purchases (except bikes and labor). In addition, Bike Doctor of Waldorf also extends the same discount to our club members. See each individual store for details.