Here’s a compilation of questions we get frequently by e-mail. If you still don’t see your question answered here, please contact us.
Q: Do I have to be a member to join you on rides?
A: No. While we’d love to expand our club, the best way we can do this is to be welcoming to potential new members and help them enjoy their time on a bike and on our rides. Review the posted rides in our calendar and our general guidelines under Our Rides and pick the ride that best suits your current ability and/or interest level. A great place to start is with our Monday Beginner/Casual rides and then move up from there as your interest and/or fitness improves! Please be aware that we’ll ask you to accept the waiver and release once each season. You should also review the Ride Descriptions ( doc / pdf ) and Rules/Etiquette documents ( doc / pdf ) before joining us.
Q: Can I join “ride X” on “day Z”?
A: Generally, our rides are open to anyone. That said, you should be realistic about your current fitness or cycling experience level. It can be discouraging to join a ride that’s too fast for you if you’re relatively new to the sport. Check the Our Rides section for information about each ride (distance and average speed) and be honest with yourself. If you’ve done those distances and speeds alone, then you can most likely do them in a group. If they’re a reach, pick a shorter and/or slower group for your first few rides with us and work your way up. You’ll have more fun that way, too! Also be aware that ride leaders are responsible for the organization of the ride and you. They may have to adjust the ride’s speed or distance for many reasons (ex., weather, other riders, traffic, etc.) You should also review the Ride Descriptions ( doc / pdf ) and Rules/Etiquette documents ( doc / pdf ) before joining us.
Q: I’m vacationing on the Cape! Will “day Q’s” ride happen this week?
A: Welcome to Cape Cod and enjoy your visit! Be sure to check our Just Visiting page for bunches of links to rides and things to do. Scheduled rides can be cancelled for a variety of reasons, but it’s pretty rare. Typically, the best place to look for up-to-the-minute updates on rides that might be cancelled due to weather, traffic, holiday events, etc. is our Facebook page. If we have a potential weather event, a conflict (or several), or ride leaders aren’t available or can’t make it, we’ll post there. You don’t have to have a Facebook account to view the page (at least on the web). You do have to be a Facebook member and an approved member of the group to post. We try to update the calendar when specific rides are known to be cancelled due to a conflict, but Facebook is really best for any last minute changes.
Q: Do you have a ride on “day B” at “time C” at “location Y”?
A: Our organized rides are posted on the website under the Our Rides section and in the calendar. C4 members ride every day of the week in various places, sometimes alone and sometimes in small groups. You’ll see us all over the Cape. That said, we can only have so many truly “organized” rides each week. In 2016, there was a ride (either organized by C4 or by one of our sponsor bike shops) almost every day of the week. Your best bet is to come out to one of these organized rides and find folks that live near you if you’d like to find riding partners.
Q: Do you hold regular meetings?
A: Yes. We meet monthly almost every month of the year. This is a great place to meet members and get to know the club. Our current meeting place is The Portside Tavern in Hyannis on North Street. We meet on the first Thursday of each month. During the colder months when we’re not holding our weekly Thursday Night ride, we typically start the meeting at 6PM. During the riding season, the meeting is often pushed back to 8PM. Our best suggestion is to check the calendar or our Facebook page for up-to-date information regarding meetings.
Q: Do your members ride mountain bikes? Do triathlons? Run?
A: Many members of C4 participate in a variety of cycling disciplines including mountain, time trials, triathlons, and more. Primarily, C4’s focus is on road and cyclocross (in the late summer, fall, and into early winter). Our organized rides and those of our bike shop partners are usually road rides. If you’re primarily a mountain biker, we encourage you to check out our friends at the Cape Cod Chapter of NEMBA (New England Mountain Biking Association). If you’d like to cross train in other sports, we also encourage you to check out Cape Cod Triathlon Club and Cape Cod Athletic Club.
Q: Can I join your rides on a mountain/cruiser/hybrid bike?
A: Generally the answer is “yes”. We prefer that you have a road bike for various reasons including safety (yourself and others). You may be asked to ride with one of the more novice groups until we can assess your fitness level and control on your bike of choice and determine whether it’s appropriate for you to ride in larger/faster groups.
Q: Can I ride with aero/tri bars?
A: You may have them on your bike but you may not ride in them unless you’re on the front of a paceline or trying to catch a group. You may not ride on them within the group. You don’t have the same amount of bike control or braking ability on aero/tri bars. This is a safety issue and is non-negotiable. We follow USA Cycling’s guidelines for group rides on this topic.