My First Sky Ride

Assembling for the ride

I went along to my first Sky Ride on Saturday. The Go Sky Ride adverts have been hard to miss in recent weeks and I was keen to find out what they were all about.

The registration process was easy and the search facility which enables you to find local rides worked well. I liked the way in which the rides have been graded – for example “Ride Strong” which gives some guidance on the likely speed at which riders will ride as well as an idea of the terrain and the distance, so that you have an idea as to what sort of ride you are going on. There are a good range of rides from short family rides to women only rides and also longer and more demanding rides.

I got to the starting point of the ride a good 15 minutes early to find that there were already around 15 riders assembled. The ride leaders (there were 4 of them) were easy to find with their ride leader tops and a register was taken. By the time we set off there were about 30-40 of us.

Cake Stop!

The marshalling by the rider leaders was very good. With such a large group, junctions can be tricky but the ride leaders ensured that we all got through by stopping the traffic. Their help also extended to assisting two riders who suffered punctured tires along the route.

The weather was fair for most of the ride. There were a good group of people – mostly men and quite a few in lycra, but there were some women there too and I did not observe any macho behaviour. The impression I had was that the female riders were comfortable with the ride and did not feel intimidated by being in a minority.

Nobody was left behind and other riders did not mind waiting for a couple of riders who were a little off the pace.

Staffordshire Lanes

It’s nice to ride in a group and not just because of the shelter from the breeze, welcome though that can be, but also there is a camaraderie that makes a ride that much more pleasurable.

The next step up from this would be to join a road cycling club or get in to Audaxing but if you are just looking for a pleasurable ride of 20-30 miles along some nice country roads, and you're not a Tour de France wannabe, the then Sky Rides are just the thing.

More information on Sky Rides here.

written by Levenes Solicitor, Tim Beasley

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