Cycle North Carolina

Hi everyone... doesn't look like many people are here yet.

I signed up for the spring ride. I am totally new to cycling and have never even ridden with someone else, much less ridden in a ride! I am a little nervous not knowing what to expect or exactly how to prepare. From what I read, this spring ride should be easy and seemed to be ideal for a first time ride. I suppose I have options as to how far I want to ride each day, right?

Since I am totally new to this, I'd love some advice, tips, and info on what to expect, etc. I am going to be going alone, which scares me even more, but hopefully it won't be that bad.

Contact me if you are interested in helping me feel a little more at ease about the whole thing! I want to do this, or I wouldn't have signed up. I tend to jump into things and fly by the seat of my pants. Hopefully I didn't make a big mistake though!

My goal is to do the Fall ride at the end of the year. I have a friend who invited me last year, but I wasn't ready and didn't even have a bike yet!

Thanks for any help you can offer in advance!!!!!!!!!

-Kate

Hello Kate.  The nice thing about the spring ride is that you can ride short distances or long.  Ride one route in the morning and another in the afternoon.  You can choose to not ride at all!  You will find plenty of folks to ride and socialize with but you need to always ride at a pace that suits you, even if it means you ride alone for a time.  The CNC maps are pretty good and the pavement is marked, plus the sag wagon patrols the route to help out if you have a bike or body failure.  I recommend that you go on-line to Google and get familiar with where towns are located so that you know if you just get way off course, which is not too likely (but this advise comes from someone who, in 2005, found himself riding into South Carolina, about 8 miles the wrong way).  I also like to figure out where the restaurants and watering holes are before I get there.  Do enough training so that you can ride back-to-back days of around 40 miles.  Begin checking the weather 10 days prior to the ride because April is always "iffy."  Count on wind.  That's about it.  Look for the Cape Fear Cyclists banner and come say hello.  Richard