Going nowhere
Like the in the UK, the aim is to
ensure everyone in the group feels they have been challenged, but not
freaked out, by the ride. Some of this is achieved by allowing people
to ride certain sections at their own pace before regrouping, another
part is in setting challenges that focus people to think about
elements of their riding. One of my favourites for this the slow
race. You set a short, straight course – about half a dozen bike
lengths – and race head-to-head. The last person over the line
wins.
I was never a rider who enjoyed flying
down hills at high speeds. Maybe one too many trips over the
handlebars dampened my enthusiasm. I used to enjoy powering up hills
but these days I get the most pleasure from going nowhere. Years of
commuting by bike and obeying traffic lights have given me impressive
track-standing skills – even if I say so myself. A track stand, to
the non-cyclist, is stopping the bike while keeping balanced with
both feet on the pedals. This is where the slow race comes in.
While all the young people tried their
best to ride slowly I would role forward a couple of bike's lengths,
turn the handlebars slightly uphill and stop. They'd draw level and
seeing what I was doing try their best to imitate it. For some this
meant feet falling off pedals almost instantly, a few managed to
balance for a couple of seconds and one seemed like they would really
get it with a bit more practise. With the ride safely concluded,
everyone went home having done more than they thought they could,
which goes to show that, just sometimes, going nowhere can get you
somewhere.
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