The Wayside
Locally Sourced Speed
Every week, all over the map, riders line up to push their limits alongside their neighbors.
The first cycling race on record was May 31, 1868, in Paris. It covered 1,200 meters and was won on a wooden bicycle with solid rubber tires.
Racing has come a long way since then, with the likes of grand tours, single-day classics, and ballooning team budgets. It’s aspirational and unrelatable. Yet far from the high-flying glitz and glam of the World Tour, the basic principle of riding hard and fast is alive and well at countless grassroots events around the world.
If there are people who ride, there are also people who race. From California to Arizona to New Hampshire, they’re always looking for one more to join in.
It’s those latter races — or more often called “group rides” — where community thrives. They’re rides that don’t have a city permit, an official time keeper, or a podium. At the front, it’s attack after attack, throw caution to the wind, and test your fitness against your neighbor, who might happen to be a professional cyclist, or might happen to be a librarian. It doesn’t matter.
In the back, the speed might be different, but the effort isn’t. It’s hang on for as long as you can, and then hang on a little longer. Bonking happens, riders get dropped, and everyone keeps pedaling until it’s all over and the leaders are no better off than the stragglers. There’s a winner, and plenty of bragging rights to go along with it, but there’s never a loser. It’s just a group ride, after all.
"Group rides are one of the things that I really look forward to on the bike. It’s just such a great way to get out, have a bunch of fun, and get in a proper workout. I feel like these kinds of rides really just bring me back to why I started racing/riding in the first place, which is just to get out and go hammer on the pedals with friends! "
Tuscon, AZ
Every Saturday, Tucson’s Fair Wheel Bikes hosts The Shootout (closely followed by the Scootout and Old Old Man rides). It’s 70 miles of rolling terrain, with a couple of sprints added into the mix, and a gas station stop at the halfway mark.
In the winter, when temperatures are more conducive to riding hard, the Shootout regularly sees over 100 participants. In the summer, when temps are absolutely not conducive to riding hard, or even being outside, the ride still attracts around 20 people looking to suffer together.
It starts on a street corner at the University of Arizona, ends in a parking lot across town, and often plays host to some of the fastest riders in the business.
"The weekly group rides in the Upper Valley are how I first made friends when moving to the area... When I first started riding, my goal was just not to get dropped. Now I enjoy practicing different race tactics to see if I can animate the ride, hang on a little longer, or be more strategic."
Upper Valley, NH
Back on the East Coast, the riding season is shorter and much more humid. Gravel roads weave through the woods, laying out a course that sees more bikes than cars on any given summer day.
"I’ve attended the Upper Valley cycling institution known as the WNR for more than 20 years. For me, what began as a weekly training ride to hone fitness, learn ride etiquette, and practice race tactics became a tight-knit community of cyclists and life-long friends."
Once a week, starting in another parking lot, riders aren’t stopping to smell the flowers. They’re leading, chasing, digging deep, and blowing up. All in the name of, well, nothing really. Or everything. It’s no small feat to roll into the finish ahead of everyone else, just don’t expect a trophy. Because while that first rider might have been the fastest today, the glory doesn’t come until everyone else rolls in — their neighbors, friends, doctors, and baristas. The people who make the Upper Valley what it is, and without whom this ride wouldn’t be notable at all.
Montrose, Los Angeles, CA
Bright lights, big city, fast riding. In the entertainment capital of the world, there’s perhaps no greater show than the Montrose Ride, and no bigger prize than not getting dropped. At least to the people there on Saturday at 7 am.
"There’s something powerful about showing up together and pushing through something hard. These rides bring together all kinds of people, but the shared effort levels the playing field. You don’t have to be the strongest—you just have to be willing. That’s what makes it so special "
To any passerby, the only thing worthy of a second glance is how many people in spandex just rode by going 30 mph. To the people in the ride, it’s do or die. Hold onto the wheel, jockey for position, don’t pull for too long, and go all out at just the right time.
For pretty much everybody, just the right time is, in fact, the wrong time. Or it’s right, but the legs aren’t there, the headwind kicks up, a piece of dust gets in your eye, or any other excuse they’d care to share. For one person just the right time, unbelievably, is in fact enough to get to the finish line first. Spoiler alert: it’s another parking lot.
Exhausted, battered, bruised, and victorious, for at least one week. But there’s little time to celebrate. Other riders are rolling in, and there’s a story to tell of the final sprint, just as there’s a story to be heard of the blown-apart efforts of riders who didn’t have it in them today.
"Maybe I can make the break this time, maybe I can hold on a little further. Maybe this time I can launch a counterattack that sticks. Maybe I get dropped! But the chance to ride that hard, roll the dice, and know that you’re amongst friends and on your home roads makes it rewarding every time. "
Across the map, it’s the parking lots, dirt roads, and local bike shops that keep riders showing up every week and digging deep. Everyone is welcome, and there’s always room for one more, as long as you show up ready to leave it all out on the road.
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