2015 B-SIG
Details & RSVP for the February "All About The SIG & STS" Club Meeting are here
Online registration opens February 11
Need help with registration? Instructions are here.
Cue Sheets and GPS files for the 2015 B-SIG rides will be distributed via email during the week preceding each ride.
Do you want to ...
Learn how to ride safely in a group?
Learn good bike-handling skills?
Improve your strength, speed and stamina?
Learn how to work as a team to make any ride easier and more enjoyable?
Get to know some great NYCC routes?
Meet lots of friendly, enthusiastic cyclists of similar abilities, some of whom will become your best riding buddies?
Learn the best places to go for a cold beverage after a ride?
If the answer to a lot of these questions is YES, you'll love the B-SIG 10-week Progressive Training & Cycling Skills series for 2015! Come on, join in the fun!
Here's an overview of how it works:
The B-SIG is divided into 3 different pace levels:
B-16 − progresses from a 40-mile ride at 14 mph on the first ride, to a 70-mile ride (with an option to do 100 miles) at 16 mph by early May.
B-17 − progresses from a 45-mile ride at 15 mph on the first ride, to a 95-mile ride (with an option to do 105 miles) at 17 mph by early May.
B-18 − progresses from a 45-mile ride at 16 mph on the first ride, to a 105-mile at 18 mph by early May.
Remember: In NYCC terminology a pace (16, 17 or 18) is the cruising speed on flat terrain, not average pace over an entire ride.
Don't worry; we'll place you in the proper group.
When you sign up for the B-SIG you do not choose a specific pace level. Instead, your leaders will assign you to an appropriate pace level and group based on a your time for 4-lap ride around Central Park on week 1. 90% of the time this initial grouping works out fine. But we'll fine tune the groupings over the first 2 rides. By ride #3, all of the groups will be pretty well "dialed in."
Each speed level -- 16, 17 and 18 -- consists of 3 or 4 groups of 12 or so riders, plus one group leader and 2 -3 co-leaders. When you're notified of your placement (usually by midweek before the first ride), you'll be told both the pace level and the individual group within that pace level you've been assigned to.
In the B SIG, you ride with the same group for the entire program. That way, with everyone riding at approximately the same level, you'll all progress faster. And everyone will be happier!
Safety, safety, safety.
The New York Cycle Club and the B-SIG are committed to making our group rides as safe as possible. Group riding carries with it the need for enhanced safety rules, and these may be above and beyond what you're used to when you ride alone or with just one or two companions. The B-SIG will emphasize safe cycling habits throughout the program, and safe riding techniques and instruction are an integral part of the curriculum. As a B SIG participant, it will be your obligation to learn these rules and adhere to them on our rides. We take this very seriously, and any rider who, in the opinion of the leaders, is not cooperating in this fashion, or is otherwise creating unsafe conditions for the group, will be asked to leave the program. We urge you to review Bicycle Safe, an informative website for cyclists, in advance of the first ride.
What to expect each week
Each week, we start with a 10 - 15 minute "class" in a particular skill. When you're accepted into the program, you'll receive a copy of the B SIG Riders' Guide. Each week's class is covered in a few pages of the Rider's Guide. You'll be asked to read that week's section prior to the ride date, so the information in the class is not completely new. After the brief class, we break up into our individual riding groups and take off. The rides are coordinated with the day's lesson, so you'll be practicing what you've learned in class. Also, the skills and lessons are cumulative -- each one builds on the one before. Finally, the rides get a little longer and a little harder each week. But don't worry -- you'll be getting stronger and more skilled as you go along.
Dates
The B-SIG begins on Saturday, March 7 and continues through Saturday, May 9. The March 7 meeting will consist of a 4 lap ride around Central Park, during which you will be timed in order to place you in the appropriate group, followed by an indoor orientation session lasting roughly one hour. The actual group rides will take place over the next 9 weeks. If a Saturday ride needs to be postponed due to weather, the ride will be made up on Sunday.
Attendance
Signing up for the B-SIG means you have made a commitment to spend 10 consecutive Saturdays cycling with us this spring. You are not permitted to miss more than 2 of the group rides. In addition, you cannot miss more than 1 of the first 2 group rides.
If you do have to miss a ride, we urge you to try to make that ride up before the next one, if at all possible. In addition, missing 2 rides in a row may present a challenge to you in being able to keep up with the group when you do return.
For more details about the B-SIG, email [email protected].
Your Commitment
When you sign up for the B SIG you're making a commitment for the full 10 weeks, to cooperate with and be respectful of your fellow Siggies and leaders, and be good ambassadors of the NYCC and of cycling in general.
Importantly, you're also making a commitment to give back to the club. Towards the end of the B-SIG, the leaders will make suggestions on organizing and leading club rides. While the SIG is free, we expect that each participant will give back to the club, preferably by leading a ride or by volunteering for a club activity after the SIG.
It sure will!
Will the B-SIG teach me really good cycling skills?
Absolutely!
Will the B-SIG be fun, friendly and rewarding?
You can count on it!
See you out there!
Signups closed for this Event
