| Green Group |
Blue Group |
| Goal of the RiDE Group |
| Gain the fitness and riding skills to complete a 34 mile ride. Learn safer riding skills and connect with the cycling community |
Master paceline and group skills while training for a metric century (62 miles). Connect with the cycling community and areas to RiDE. |
| What kind of cycling experience do I need? |
Previous cycling experience is not required, but being coachable is essential.
We require that every Green RiDEr complete a 10 mile classification ride at a pace of at least 10 mph. After you register, we'll reach out to ask for your ride information.
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You should have at least basic familiarity with the shifting and braking system on your bike.
We require Blue RiDErs to complete a 20 mile classification ride in 92 minutes or at 13 mph at a minimum. We will have a wide range of speeds. After you register, we'll reach out to ask for your ride information.
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| How far will we ride each week? |
| Rides progress from 12 miles to 34 miles. |
Rides progress from 25 miles to 50 miles. |
| How fast and hard will I ride? |
Groups typically begin at 10–13 mph and progress to 12–14 mph towards the end of the Green RiDE program.
Your speed will generally increase over the course of the program as your fitness increases. |
You’ll ride at a pace that fits your ability, and you’ll get challenged. You’ll get faster each week because you’ll be training and because you’ll be riding in pacelines. We group our RiDErs by average speed so that you can work together. |
| When and where are the weekly training rides |
| We will ride weekly on Saturday morning usually at 8:00 am. Weather conditions may change start time (heat may mean earlier start, rain may delay it) Sunday morning is our backup day, in case of weather. The ride locations will vary depending on the areas being taught that day. |
We will ride weekly on Saturday morning usually at 8:00 am. Weather conditions may change start time (heat may mean earlier start, rain may delay it) Sunday morning is our backup day, in case of weather. The ride locations are various suburbs so that we can quickly access open roads. |
| How hilly are the routes? |
| Generally flat and rolling terrain. Based on the Group’s ability, some challenging hills may be included at the discretion of the RiDE leader. RiDE leaders provide encouragement and regroups as necessary. |
The Kansas City area has rolling terrain. We ride on it. Some roads are more rolling than others. We avoid the steepest and longest grades in the area, but you will see hills and plenty of gorgeous open road. |
| Will I learn to ride in a rotating paceline? |
| No. We teach single file group riding, and we start with a healthy gap between bikes. |
Oh, Yes! Blue RiDE is all about advanced group skills and getting fit. We have broken complex skills into components that we’ll teach in a progression, We will ride in single and double pacelines and we’ll teach you to rotate.
Blue RiDE brings advanced group riding to life. |
| Will I need to ride on other days during the RiDE program? |
Yes, you will need to get out and ride at least once during the week to maintain the conditioning that you are building and you'll also do better on the Saturday rides. Weekday ride opportunities near you can be found on the CKC website &
we will suggest rides for you. |
At least two midweek workouts are ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. Group leaders will provide suggestions for workouts, and the CKC calendar is a great resource to access local weekday group rides. Without midweek RiDEs participants will not be able to comfortably complete the ever-increasing distances on the scheduled weekend RiDEs. |
| What type of bike do I need? |
A road bike is recommended, although hybrids (32 mm maximum tire width) are acceptable.
You should also have clothing, including, but not limited to, padded shorts and jerseys with storage pockets. This type of clothing it vital to physical endurance, comfort, and nutrition on longer RiDEs.
Not permitted in the RiDE program: recumbents, tandems, single gear bikes, BMX bikes, aero bars, baskets or panniers. Rear racks are allowed.
Your bike should accommodate at least one water bottles.
A working/flashing tail light is suggested. |
A road bike with drop bar capable of riding on all local roads/terrain is REQUIRED. No flat bars. NO EXCEPTIONS.
You should also have clothing, including, but not limited to, padded shorts and jerseys with storage pockets. This type of clothing it vital to physical endurance, comfort, and nutrition on longer RiDEs.
No mountain bikes, flat-bar fitness bikes, or recumbents.
No aero bars, TT or Tri bikes, no single speed or fixies. No panniers or bike luggage.
Your bike should accommodate two water bottles.
A basic cycling computer is REQUIRED. Smart phone apps are okay, but the phone must be mounted on your bicycle while riding.
A working/flashing tail light is suggested. |
| Do I need clipless pedals? |
Encouraged, but not required.
Some RiDErs will be clipped in, but the start of the RiDE program is not a good time to learn to ride clipless. We are simply focused on too many other skills. |
Highly encouraged, but not required.
Most RiDErs will be clipped in, but the start of the RiDE program is not a good time to learn to ride clipless. We are simply focused on too many other skills. |
| Will I ride with the same people every week? |
| Yes, and we have fun while getting fit. We divide riders into groups with different riding speeds, depending on each rider’s classification time. You will ride with this group for the entire program. |
Yes. All of our Blue groups meet and head out together. We group Blues by speed and target groups of 10 or fewer riders with 1 or 2 captains. After the first few weeks, you’ll generally stay with that specific group for the duration. We may need to switch a few people around after weeks 1 and 2, but that activity is minimal. |