Walkers Cycling Club prides itself on its “something for everyone” approach, and this approach is very evident in the popularity of our leisure riding section.
The section rides regularly on Thursday evenings from April to October with rides usually about 1½- 2hours in duration. They are conducted a reasonable pace (approximately 8-10mph) and follow relatively gentle routes of around 16 miles, mostly starting from and returning to Walkers shop in Kimaurs.
The rides are suitable for the beginner, for anyone who is returning to cycling after a while or indeed for anyone who simply wants to have a nice leisurely and social ride at the end of a day. Any bike is suitable as long as it has the requisite number of wheels and a set of working brakes, and it is not uncommon to find a couple of tandems featuring on a Thursday night.
Apart from the usual rules of wearing helmets and having lights on the darker spring and autumn nights, the only criterion for riding is an ability to withstand the constant stream of appalling jokes and banter emanating from the ride leader.
The leisure section also occasionally embark on Saturday “trekking” rides and these can be anything from a road ride to an entirely off-road jaunt to the hills. Although the rides can be a bit more technical than the Thursday ones, the emphasis is still on going at an easy pace and enjoying the sights of the route. Typical examples would be a mountain bike ride in the hills above the Toward Peninsula in Argyll, a road ride round Loch Katrine or a hybrid route through the Whitelea windfarm. Sandwiches for lunch and a coffee stop are usually the norm.
