The 2010 Gears Girls season is fast approaching! Time to start thinking about cycling -- and of course about joining or re-joining Gears Girls!
The Gears Girls season will "officially" begin the last weekend of May, but unofficially, depending on group interest and leader availability, the season may begin earlier. We are still looking for more ride leaders! If you, or someone you know, is interested in helping out on Saturday rides - even if it's just for one Saturday during the summer - please drop us a line at gearsgirls@hotmail.com. Men are more than welcome to help out with rides - in fact, there will be some great husband/wife duos helping out this year! Ride leaders should be comfortable either leading a group or acting as sweep - they should also be able to navigate the route using a map or GPS. All of the routes we'll be riding will be well-known to most folks that ride regularly with Gears and other affiliated groups so no need to worry about getting lost! Those that express interest (or who have already expressed interest) in helping out will receive an email in late March/early April asking for your preferences and availability for the season.
Over the coming months I will start forwarding information about ride schedules and group events. If you have any requests for specific Saturday ride destination please let me know; we're open to suggestions. New this season, we'll start many of our Saturday rides at locations other than Gears Bike Shop. Wednesday night rides will still start and end at Gears, but Saturdays will begin and end at a variety of locations - all in areas with low traffic and interesting terrain and views. And of course there will be stops along the way for things like buttertarts and coffee!
Also new this year is our affiliation with the Oakville Cycling Club (OCC). More specific information can be found in the attached forms, but in a nut shell, Gears Girls members will have the opportunity, for an additional $25, to join the OCC and ride with them in addition to Gears Girls. The OCC offers great touring pace rides (and brisk pace rides for you very speedy GG members) on Tuesdays and Sundays. The OCC's touring distances and pace options will suit Gears Girls members well. Plus they're a really nice bunch of folks so the affiliation will be a great addition to the season. Check out their website for more information: http://www.oakvillecc.com/
Drop us a line at gearsgirls@hotmail.com if you have any questions about Gears Girls or if you would like to receive additional information about the club or a membership application. Membership forms will also be available at Gears as of Wednesday, February 10, 2010. Alternately, check out the Gears Bike Shop website at http://www.gearsbikeshop.com/ and click on the "Group Ride" link located on the left hand side of the page. Once you're at the Group Ride page, scroll down to the Gears Girls section - there you'll find a link to additional information and the 2010 membership forms.
Looking forward to the upcoming season, meeting new friends, and exploring new routes!
Hope to ride with you soon.
Mel
