HOW TO STAY ENGAGED WITH YOUR CYCLING COMMUNITY
By Philippe Tremblay, Marketing and Communications Coordinator with Cycling Canada
A cyclist’s social community revolves around weekly group rides, club get togethers, coffee stops, and the races and events that can quickly fill up free time, evenings and weekends. Spring club rides bolster fitness and events provide targets to build towards. Social distancing has put up roadblocks between us and the engaging community riders have grown accustomed to having around them, especially as the spring weather eases us towards the peak of the riding season. This separation can feel isolating and impact motivation but developing strategies to stay connected is possible and more important than ever. The Canadian cycling community is still out there, you just need to find new ways to stay connected with it!
Here are five ways to stay involved in cycling so the bedrock of your community remains strong.
- Buy your provincial race license and club membership
Now more than ever, your provincial cycling federation needs your support. Provincial federations rely on membership revenue. If you miss racing and intend to return to the start line when we are allowed to gather together once again, don’t put off buying your license if you can afford to purchase it now. Staying engaged with your provincial sports organization is vital to ensuring that they will be ready to keep putting on amazing events.
Likewise, clubs that rely on event or membership fees to help support the rides and programming you benefit from will greatly appreciate your support now. If you haven’t already, reach out to your local club, stay in touch with the community and join their online group rides.
- Shop local
Local bike shops are a hub for cycling in towns, cities and communities across Canada. They sponsor local clubs, put on events, support local riders, and provide timely services to riders of all skill levels. Social distancing has dramatically affected businesses and your local bike shop needs your support. If there are bike upgrades you were thinking of making, buy local. Many bike shops remain open as essential services making contactless tune-ups possible, and arranging curbside pickups of components and parts. If you’ve been shopping around for a bike upgrade, make sure to call or email your local shops to see what they have in stock.
- Ride with your community online
Staying connected to other cyclists when you can’t physically gather for the regular group rides is tough. Luckily, online cycling platforms like Zwift allow for virtual rides with cyclists across Canada and around the world. While the social aspect of a Zwift ride is limited to digital communication, it’s still a great way to remain motivated and engaged with other riders.
Canadian athletes such as Catharine Pendrel, Antoine Duchesne, James Piccoli, Marie-Claude Molnar and Ross Wilson are hosting Cycling Canada group rides on Zwift, so if you are longing for a community to join, keep your eyes peeled on our social media. Likewise, your local clubs and teams are also looking for ways to bring people together so make sure to join them if you are set-up to ride virtually at home.
FulGaz is another engaging online riding platform which allows you to keep riding, training and racing on outdoor routes. Cycling Canada members can get a free 4-week trial and will have access to exclusive training sessions and rider challenges.
- Join an Instagram live Q&A to engage with Canadian riders
Wondering what Olympic and Paralympic level athletes are doing in quarantine? How they are training and staying motivated? Cycling Canada has been fortunate to have athletes willing to stay connected with our community by hosting live Q&A sessions on Instagram. This is an amazing chance to get your questions answered from your cycling idols and world-class athletes. Interacting with some of the top cyclists is a great way to stay engaged in the cycling world – stay tuned for new Q&As on our Instagram account.
- Support the sponsors
Cycling events, teams, clubs and organizations depend on amazing partners and sponsors. Right now, their exposure within the cycling community is limited but their unwavering support will be more important than ever when things resume. To ensure those who support your local cycling community will continue to invest in the sport, think of ways you can help them if you can.
To stay connected, consider taking part in an initiative like Argon18’s #ThisIsMyRide on social media. If you need to buy new cycling clothes consider Garneau, a Canadian company that has unwaveringly supported cycling in Canada since it was founded. Subscribe to the Cycling Canada newsletter to get the latest updates and learn about new initiatives we will be launching to keep you active, fit and motivated to keep riding!
