There is happiness to be found on the seat of a bike. Just ask Anne Hyman. She said, “When you ride by yourself, you stay very much in your own head. Some people don’t ever stop to look up and see the scenery around you. But when you have that social aspect of riding, your mind opens up; your world opens up around you. That is one of the absolute joys I find about riding with other people.” Anne is President of Potomac Pedalers Touring Club. “We want to foster a community for all types of cyclists,” she explained.
In the club, Anne meets, “people of all backgrounds, all abilities: Everyone from the occasional casual rider who started riding their bike again to keep up with their children, to professional cyclists. Everyone has their own reason for joining. Some people want to do it to stay social. Some have moved to the area and don’t know anyone. They know that we share a common bond in cycling.”
Anne’s journey to cycling started about a dozen years ago when she began commuting to work on a borrowed bike, to avoid high gas prices. When she moved to the Potomac area, while training for her first ironman trialthon, she sought company on long rides, for safety and companionship. Her coach recommended Potomac Pedalers.
Of that first Potomac Pedalers ride, Anne said, “I loved that I was able to challenge myself and have an amazing time with an amazing group of cyclists.” Soon, she became a member. Eventually she joined the board and later became president. “It was a way for me to get more involved in my new area and to give back to this club that pretty much adopted me from the get-go and really bolstered my love and passion for cycling.”
For a $35 annual fee, members can participate in any of the club’s more than 1,000 annual rides, access the club’s online ride library, and enjoy discounts at special events and bike shops. There are different membership levels for families, students and multi-year memberships.
Potomac Pedalers is having a membership drive in May. “We have a lot of (cycling) events in May in our region,” said Anne, citing Bike to Work Day, and the Armed Forces Cycling Classic. “We are encouraging members to bring new people along on a ride, as well as meeting people in the public during the month of May and encouraging them to try a ride.”
The club provides details about each ride to help members make informed choices, including info the scenery, the steepness of the terrain and overall difficulty, plus whether a ride is good for tandems or recumbent bikes, whether it’s a social ride appropriate for families, a more grueling ride, or somewhere in between. For navigation, riders use printed cue sheets or download GPS instructions to a bike computer, smart phone or watch.
Most rides range from 10 to 75 miles. The club assigns codes to each ride, indicating the pace class: from an average speed starting at 8-10 mph and ascending to 20 mph. Most club rides attract between 12 and 25 people. Regional rides attract several dozen, and other events might have 100, or even thousands of riders.
Most rides include built-in rest stops, and every ride includes a ride leader, each of whom has a different style. On “no-drop rides,” there might be two ride leaders who ensure that no one gets dropped behind. Other ride leaders might require that all riders stop at every stop sign and every light to regroup and move on together. Even on more challenging rides, where riders tend to space out more, “We definitely do have rest stops to regroup, and get water,” Anne said.
Some rides include rest stops with safe bike parking, restrooms, and free water. Others include social post-ride events at breweries or restaurants. “It’s all very accommodating,” said Anne. “We give them business and we patronize these places on a weekly basis. And they are very welcoming to us. It’s a wonderful symbiotic relationship with our community.”