Originally Posted by
Hermes
What is interesting is that there are many "racing" clubs where only a few members actually race. However, the non racers usually have access to the same deals with the exception that some deals may require a minimum number of races per year.
Part of the problem for cyclists joining teams or clubs is the lack of promotion of the clubs describing their features and benefits of membership.
When I started racing my thinking was simple. Get a coach, find a pro bike shop and join a racing team. And I became a member of BF and learned a lot from all concerned. YMMV.
That's kinda a big point of contention for me; not that I race a ton, but we have people that don't race at all and have no interest to do so. They just show up for their free stuff and go. It more or less undermines the actual race team. I get why the shop does it; at the end of the day a casual rider showing up to group rides is going to put out more exposure than a racer. Everyone at races is already committed to a bike shop, but the easy group rides? That's where you get the numbers.
Next year we're going to have a nice team; 2 domestic pro caliber racers, and 4 other really fast guys, all great climbers. Unfortunately I'm 45+ and they're all under 30.