Cycling Group - Easy Riders
Objective
We are a special interest group for cycling that aims to mix exercise, conversation, exploration and conviviality in almost equal measure.
Members
All levels of expertise and fitness, and bikes new, old, and electric are welcome. DO feel encouraged to join us. Easy Riders are easy-going folks and this SIG is a great way to meet members of the Emeritus College. Come on out. We are a homespun crowd, not the legendary MAMILs (Middle-Aged Men In Lycra) associated with hard-core cycling groups. We avoid foul weather, and don’t leave anyone behind (at least intentionally). We are informal, and have neither crest nor motto, but were we so inclined we might borrow the latter from a rather larger organization: Tuum Est.
New members are welcome, and should contact Graeme Wynn (wynn@geog.ubc.ca) to be added to the mailing list.
Easy Riders Melinda Suto, Philippe Kruchten, Doug Filipenko, and Susan Kennedy enjoying lunch and conversation In Garry Point Park as summer 2022 made its appearance. L-R.
Activities
The group currently meets about every month once the weather warms up between the Spring and Fall.
Many of the routes planned intend to follow the City of Vancouver's enjoyable AAA rides (All Ages and Abilities).
Scheduling will attempt to accommodate diverse preferences, though we try to avoid weekends, so options are not endless.
We are open to spawning new groups (in 2021 we floated the idea of NSERC – the Not So Easy Riders Club, for example) or entertaining proposals for outings longer than our “usual” 25-35 gentle kms.
Meetings
You can find the upcoming meeting by clicking on the link and search for the category "Easy Riders".
Easy Riders never know what they will discover: Ken Reeder, Rhea Tregebov, Ron Barr, and Graeme Wynn admiring a piece of street art in Dunbar
History
Finally escaping the confines of the COVID pandemic, a congenial group of emeriti (and some partners) formed the Emeritus College’s new Special Interest Group, The Easy Riders, in the summer of 2021. Our first outing, a get to-know-you event that set out from the Hasting Mill Store and circumnavigated False Creek included a stop at Mario’s Gelato for a mid-ride refreshment and further conversation. There was clearly a deal of enthusiasm for the SIG, but participants displayed varying levels of fitness and purpose. To accommodate those who wished for longer, more demanding rides, the Easy Riders spawned a spin-off, appropriately called the Not-So-Easy-Riders Club (or NSERC -- granting opportunities for those in search of serious exertion). The NSERC group is self-identifying and self-organizing; we share a list of those interested in longer, faster rides and leave it to them to set up partnered or small group rides). The Easy Riders committed to riding together about once a month. We relish the exercise and the camaraderie, and make these the main goals of our outings, but our aim is enjoyment rather than intense fitness training.
In 2021 they had five enjoyable “circular” rides. After the False Creek circuit we ventured from West Memorial Park through Pacific Spirit Park, South Campus and parts of the UBC campus, with several stops en route for conversation and informative discussion of the changing landscape and some of its most symbolic features (such as the Reconciliation Pole on Main Mall). Our third outing took us from the Arbutus Greenway through East Vancouver to Trout Lake and back. Then we met at the Richmond Olympic Oval to ride the Middle Arm, West and South Dyke Recreational Trails, returning to ROC via #4 Road and the Richmond Greenway. Our fifth outing, departing from Science World to circuit Stanley Park (by seawall or roadway) was postponed by inclement weather. Although the rescheduled ride took place in cool and windy conditions, no one was hindered by coyotes.
To date some forty people have expressed interest in being included on the Easy Riders mailing list, although turn-out for rides (which have been scheduled on different days and morning or afternoon) has varied between 10 and 15 or so–– which is a good number for easy, found conversations. Most outings are in the 20– 30 km range and speed is not of the essence. E–bikes are welcome. Thanks to one of our number, cookies sometimes appear, and we go our separate ways after each ride imbued with a warm glow from participation in a shared enterprise. Riders come from many different departments and corners of the University, and all are welcome. We may have one more ride this fall, but will then take a break for the winter, with the intention of resuming in the spring of 2022. Written by convenor, Graeme Wynn for the November 2021 Newsletter