In association with the Hamilton City Council we have been building a programme designed for trained volunteer riders taking social rides. Ride Leaders are trained by Cycling New Zealand on free courses to get more people out riding.

We encourage people to participate in group rides, which are either on cycle pathways or roads, being assisted along the way by Leaders who enjoy sharing their love of cycling with others, and help encourage regular participation in cycling by providing a supportive and engaging environment to ride. We always try to end the ride with coffee and a chat.

We have currently four new groups starting:

Tuesday morning Alan Messenger leaves from the Glenview Library at 10am and will be riding about 20km around quiet local roads. It is not a fast ride, focus on keeping the group together and having a coffee stop at some point during the ride. It is suitable for beginner riders and people who are getting back on their bikes.

Tuesday evening Sean Christian will be holding beginners skills sessions for those who need some confidence building to help them back onto their bikes at the Hillcrest velodrome from 6pm until 7pm. This is designed for people who would like to join a group, but would like a refresher on starting off, stopping and turning.

Thursday evening ride with Mike Young leaves from Café Fresca 78 Alison St (off Kahikatea Dr) and will be riding about 20km around the shared path network, around the lake and some river paths. It is not a fast ride, focus on keeping the group together and having a coffee at the end the ride. It is suitable for beginner riders and people who are getting back on their bikes.

Every second Saturday Geoff Purkis leaves from Hayes Paddock car park on Jellicoe Dr, Hamilton East, near Hayes Common café. The ride will be around the shared river pathways on the Te Awa network with some quiet roads to link up pathways. It is not a fast ride, focus on keeping the group together and having a coffee stop at some point during the ride. It is suitable for families, beginner riders and people who are getting back on their bikes.

For any questions on the rides please phone 07 823 0716 or email sean.christian@cyclingnewzealand.nz