One of the biggest bits of feedback I receive from club members and ride leaders alike is that our current system of ride classification works well for most cases, but we almost always have groups that go out and ride faster or harder than originally advertised.
This can lead to a number of things including unexpectedly shelled riders, unsafe ride conditions, and ride leaders trying to figure out why the A19 group they rolled out with is now doing 24 down Evergreen. Over the winter I worked a great deal with our core group of ride leaders and the "Chain Gang" to come up with what will hopefully be a better way for us to classify our rides.
Much of what you'll see is familiar, with a few added details to give riders a better picture of what to expect on a typical ride. This coupled with an effort for all ride leaders to communicate the intent of the group before the ride rolls out of our starting destination should lead to a better experience for our members, ride leaders, and the frequent guests we have on our rides. Starting April 12th 2008, the Saturday Rides will be broken up by designation listed here. If you have any questions, please feel free to visit the Ride Leaders Forum or drop me a mail at matt@portlandvelo.net
About Carlo Delumpa
When Carlo is not on his bike, he is usually thinking about his bike - or biking, bike accessories, this web site and the cute chick that shares his tandem. Carlo is a native of the SF Bay Area, where the weather is warm and the climbs go on forever. He's slowly winning the NW rain game with other sports, like skiing and hockey. And the climbing in Portland can go on forever if you don't mind going downhill a few times in the opposite direction.
Carlo is a co-founder and director of this illustrious cycling club, and the lead designer of pretty much anything Velo you see out there (with the possible exception of the race team swag). It lets him get out his creative yah-yah's and now that he's got a new iMac, watch out - you may see Portland Velo logo tattoos in the not-so-distant future.
Ever-so-approachable, Carlo is always open to ideas, suggestions and even criticism if it means making this an even better community. You can reach him at carlo@portlandvelo.net. Please keep the criticism limited to 25 characters or less, please.