How to find a road or gravel cycling group near you

Riding is more fun — and a lot easier to keep doing — when you’re not doing it alone. A standing weekly ride gets you out the door on the days you’d talk yourself out of it, and the miles go faster when there’s someone to chat with on the flats. You learn the good routes, the safe roads, and the quiet gravel without piecing it together yourself. The good news: road and gravel cycling groups are everywhere out West, and almost all of them are happy to see a new face.

Where to find a group near you

Most cycling groups fall into a few buckets. Bike clubs host weekly group rides, usually a standing day-and-time that anyone can join. Shop rides are open rides that often get sorted by pace into A, B, and C groups, so you can pick the speed that fits you. And gravel rides — on quieter, low-traffic dirt and back roads — are a friendlier, lower-stress way in, which is a big part of why they’re booming. Many towns have one club ride that’s been happening the same morning for years.

You don’t have to dig through a dozen Facebook groups to find them. The Outdoor Dispatch lists the recurring road and gravel cycling groups in each town — with the day, time, and meeting spot — so you can see what’s on this week and just show up. Pick your town and look under road & gravel cycling.

What your first ride is actually like

Here’s the thing first-timers worry about most: getting dropped — pedaling alone off the back while everyone disappears up the road. So start with a ride that won’t let that happen. A “no-drop” ride waits for everyone and regroups at the top of climbs, which makes it the right call for a newcomer. A “drop ride,” by contrast, is fast and may leave you behind, so it’s not where you begin. A C-group or a gravel ride is your safest bet. And don’t sweat pacelines — riding in a line and taking turns sharing the wind is a skill you pick up by riding with people, not something to master beforehand.

You also don’t need to be fast, fit, or kitted out to belong. Everyone in that group was new once, and the regulars remember it. If a listing is marked beginner-friendly, that’s a promise that no experience is required and you don’t have to know anyone — show up on whatever bike you’ve got and they’ll take it from there.

What to bring

You need less than you think. For your first ride, keep it simple:

• A road or gravel bike in safe, working order — whatever you already have is fine to start.
• A helmet — required on basically every group ride, no exceptions.
• Water — a bottle or two, more on a hot day or a long route.
• A spare tube and a way to fix a flat — a pump or inflator and tire levers; if you’re not sure how, the group will happily walk you through it.
• Layers for changing weather — mornings start cold and roads get windy, so bring something you can shed.

Skip for now: a fancy kit, a bike computer, clip-in shoes, and the latest anything. Borrow or go without until you’re sure you’re in — half the point of a group is that the regulars will happily tell you what’s actually worth buying.

Showing up when you don’t know anyone

Turning up solo to a group of strangers is the real hurdle, not the riding. Make it easy on yourself: arrive five minutes early, find whoever looks like they’re organizing, and say it’s your first time and you’re not sure of the pace. Someone will point you to the right group and keep an eye out for you on the road.

A little etiquette goes a long way. Hold your line and ride predictably, don’t overlap the wheel in front of you, and point out potholes and hazards so the riders behind you can react. Call out “car back” and “car up” when you hear traffic — passing it down the line is how the group stays safe. And double-check the meeting spot and time on the organizer’s own page before you head out, since schedules shift with the seasons. Then just keep showing up — a few weeks in, you won’t be the new person anymore.