WE TWO

The Senior Cyclist

Who can I cycle with?


Cycling group

On a charity cycle ride

By and large, I have always been a solitary cyclist, setting out from home and either pottering along country lanes or speeding off on a pre-planned route for a day or half-day trip. This does have some advantages. There's no-one to argue with about routes, timings, stops and so on. There's no-one to give you peculiar looks if you break into song, converse with the sheep, or whatever.

On the other hand, it's not the most sociable approach. No-one in my family is interested in cycling and I have no cycling friends, so my solitary state on the roads isn't entirely my choice. If you have a spouse, partner, good friend (or just someone you don't detest too much) who cycles, it may suit you to ride together, at least some of the time. There is sense in this approach from the safety angle, of course. In the unlikely event that one rider takes ill or suffers an accident, the other can summon assistance and offer comfort.

For even more sociable cycling, you can join a group. There is quite a range of groups out there, from deadly serious cycling clubs to vague assemblages which come together on summer Sunday mornings for a tour of the local cake stops. The Cyclists' Touring Club has District Associations which organise various group runs and it's well worth getting in touch with your local DA to check on what's on offer.

There will probably be a cycling club of some sort in your area - check on the Web or try your local library for details. One word of caution, though - cycling clubs often have "veteran" sections which may sound just right for the Senior Cyclist, but many of these veterans are life-long competitive cyclists who continue to ride considerable distances at great speed well into their later years!