Women Only Social Ride

Please join me on this women only social ride starting in Cookham. I'll vary the route from week to week, therefore distance and bike suitability will vary, but will be approximately 20 miles.

My Phone Number is :- 07900 831870 for any questions, please do save my number to your phone if you sign up.

The routes may take in some climbs, there is no pressure to ride up, pushing is fine and we will regroup at the top. The rest of the ride is largely flat.

Cycle helmets are highly advisable for this ride. Please bring a lock if you have one, else we can share. Please bring water for the journey, money/card for the coffee stop, a spare inner tube and a pump (I will bring a puncture repair kit and a pump for both valve types, so don’t let not having these stop you coming).

We will meet on the grass verge at the junction of Whyteladyes Lane and High Road, Cookham, SL6 9LD. There are public toilets next to the car garage on Sutton Road or at Costa at the bottom of High Road – there is a gate at the side of Costa where there is space for you to leave your bike. You can enter the rear of the shop from this garden area where you’ll find the toilets at the rear of the shop on the left-hand side.

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ADDITIONAL GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT RIDING WITH HSBC UK BREEZE COOKHAM ROCKETTES :

Cookham Rockettes Facebook Group:
Please join the HSBC UK Breeze (Cookham Rockettes) Facebook group for information and ride photos. If you do not wish to have your photo taken during a ride, please let me know
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CookhamRockettes/

Cookham Rockettes Letsride.co.uk Group:
Please join the Cookham Rockettes letsride.co.uk group as members will receive an automatic email communication when new rides are posted https://www.letsride.co.uk/groups/cookham-rockettes

Rides often fill up quickly; full rides will no longer be listed on letsride.co.uk ride search but you can see the ride list and join a wait list by viewing rides via this link https://www.letsride.co.uk/groups/cookham-rockettes#riders

Breeze Leaders:
Breeze is run by a network of female, unpaid, volunteer British Cycling Ride Leaders. Aside from leading the rides, Ride Leaders invest a significant amount of time into route planning, pre-riding/risk assessing routes, administration and maintaining their bikes and equipment, often fitting the role in around full time jobs and sharing their free time for the love of riding and to facilitate and encourage other women to ride.

Commitment When You Book:
Cancellations are of course sometimes unavoidable and understandable; we all lead busy lives and have other commitments that quite rightly need to take priority. If you need to cancel your place for any reason, please do so at the earliest opportunity so that someone else can take your place.

If you book a ride, I recommend you add a reminder to your calendar and get your bike and kit ready 24 hours in advance as a minimum to avoid ride day stress & cancellations.

No shows and last-minute cancellations from riders are sadly common and always disappointing, please respect your Ride Leaders and co-riders who may be waiting at the start for you to arrive delaying the start of the ride.

If you are nervous about joining for the first time, or unsure about anything, do contact me.
Ride numbers are currently limited to a total of six places including leaders per government guidelines.

Rides will typically go ahead unless snow, ice, high winds, lightening, extreme heat or very heavy rain are forecast. If I need to cancel a ride, I will send a message on letsride.co.uk that will trigger an email to you, I will also text you if the cancellation is short notice if you have entered your mobile number in the letsride site.

If you are a fair-weather cyclist who would prefer not to ride in inclement weather, please hold on booking your place until near the time of the ride when you’ve checked the forecast.
If you are unwell or showing any Covid-19 symptoms, please cancel your place.

Ride Suitability:
Check in the ride details which bike types the ride is suitable for and what the distance is to make sure this ride is suitable for you. If you ride a mountain bike, the tyre resistance on the road will be greater and you will be working much harder than riders with other tyres. I generally restrict mountain bikes to rides of 15 miles or less, but if you are you are confident in your fitness levels and speed then contact me to check if you can go ahead and book a ride where mountain bikes are not listed as suitable.

Pace :
We will always ride at the pace of the slowest rider.

Ride Duration:
The ride duration listed is a guide only, the end time is not guaranteed as rider speed, punctures and length of break that riders need can impact time taken.

Safety & Admin:
It is very important that your contact details in your letsride.co.uk profile are correct, ideally with your up to date mobile number in case of incident during the ride, or if I need to inform you of a ride being cancelled at short notice.

It is also very important that your emergency contact’s details are correct, ideally with a mobile number in case of incident during the ride.

Checklist (tailor this to your needs, the weather forecast and the time of day):
Helmet, a drink, suitable clothing, gloves, glasses, lock/key, money, face mask for coffee stops, hand gel, snacks, tubes, repair kit, front & rear lights, mobile phone.

A Easy Tips That Can Make A Big Difference To Your Riding:
Have a good meal around two hours before the ride begins to ensure you have enough energy to sustain you throughout the ride. Bring snacks to top you up along the way if you get tried, Jelly sweets or cereal bars are good options.

Is your saddle at the optimal height? A saddle too high or low can restrict the amount of power you can push through the pedals and can cause aches and pains https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxUJPHwDELo

Do you know how to use your gears correctly? Climbing can be extremely challenging if you don’t use the full range of front and rear gears https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i78Rym5hKas

Do you know how to change an inner tube? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GNqTHVp6RU
Learn how to do an bike M Check to make sure your bike is ride ready & prevent further issues/damage https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=JwSi-AGwm5g&safe=true

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First-timers welcome!