Riding is energizing and engaging, but it is also more meaningful when you are joined by others. Instead of making excuses not to exercise over the weekend with friends, start recruiting fellow bikers who share your health interests.
I ride every other Sunday with a group of dads and business colleagues. This past weekend, for example, the Fit Fathers crew pedaled 30 miles from Riverdale, MD, to Anacostia Park, D.C. along its river trail. Typically, after posting socially, we receive inquiries from individuals looking for a bike-riding group in their city. Well, here are some tips for starting your own.
- First and foremost, go for a few rides yourself and begin posting on social media. Your sphere of influence will let your audience know you are a rider, whether mountain biking or road riding.
- Create a catchy name for your weekend outings and begin hashtagging it.
- To grow the group, begin texting or emailing friends, family, or work buddies who have bikes and ask if they can ride on a particular date and time.
- Once you have a good number of people, create a calendar invite and add everyone’s email. This way, the fitness appointment will be set in stone.
- Lastly, encourage each member to bring a friend or two on the ride to expand the group. For example, after we invited Jefferson Brown, he invited four Fit Fathers who all showed up.
The joy of group rides is the accountability, the increase in motivation, and the preparation of the spirit for exciting, calorie-burning mornings. Keep moving, people!
