When this ride was mooted- None of them even had cycles. The MD had ridden many Years ago but that was about it and I had his 30 year old Giant in for "Renovation". Hybrid Cycles were acquired from one of their suppliers and it was great fun watching them attempt the 2% slope for 1/2 mile and even changing gear was a problem. But gradually those that were keen got in the miles- several of them got road bikes but to be honest they were just a bit above "Wally Mart" status and they would have been better off staying with the hybrids. The ride was planned for earlier in the year but they were not capable of a 50 mile ride- let alone 160.
My job was maintaining the bikes and going out with those that needed assistance on learning hills and improving speed. The ride last Sunday was cut from the original 20 down to 10 and they were finally cyclists. Last ride I did with them was 60 miles with no stops and repeat runs up an average 14% hill for 1.5 miles. Average of 14 but the steep section at the end was 20%.
But they surprised me that all managed the ride and the time was down to the slowest rider. They stayed as a group which probably helped the tearaways to conserve energy and For a first real ride- the "Idiots" did well. A Ride is planned for a couple of weeks time so we shall see who is going to stay riding.
__________________
How long was I in the army? Five foot seven.
Spike Milligan