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Road Rides

Overview

We have two weekly road rides, on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings, from April through October (weather permitting). We ride as a group in a double paceline. All rides are no-drop, i.e., we adapt the pace so it's comfortable for everyone. If you're new to group riding, the draft greatly reduces the effort required to ride faster (e.g., ~5 km/h faster for a similar effort relative to cycling solo). A road bike is required, as is a helmet. We usually end rides at a coffee shop near the starting point for refreshments and socializing.Once scheduled, upcoming group road rides are listed on our Spond group and on our Strava club page.

Sunday Road Ride

Meet at Crescent Drive Park at 9:00 am. Our usual route is 50-60 km total, south to St-Adolphe and back. We take three breaks along the way: at St-Norbert Heritage Park, in St-Adolphe, and again at St-Norbert Heritage Park on the return (washrooms available at each stop). We often split into two groups in St-Norbert, and regroup at each stop: a fast group (~35 km/h) and a moderate group (~28 km/h). Once a month we ride to another destination, e.g., St-François-Xavier/Headingley or Selkirk/Lockport. We have one longer ride later in the summer: 100 km/160 km.

Thursday Road Ride

Meet at the No Frills supermarket on St-Anne's Road, north of the Perimeter Highway, at 6:30 pm. Our usual route is to ride south to Grande Pointe, ride two or three laps, and return, for a total distance of 40-50 km, depending on the number of laps. Evening rides always return to the start point before sunset.

Club Membership for Participation in Road Rides

Participants in our group road rides require a paid 2024 adult Red River Cycling Club membership, available through ccnbikes.com. Individual rides are coordinated through Spond, accessed either by a web browser at spond.com or through the Spond mobile app (available on Google Play and the Apple App Store). Spond is free to use. Route details, meeting times, locations, a list of riders, discussion about upcoming rides, etc., are all on Spond. Participants in every group road ride are required to confirm their attendance on Spond. New members can contact us by email to request a link to join our group on Spond.

Register for a 2024 Red River Cycling Club membership.

Pace, Effort and Safety

Safety is our topmost priority. While our group does not seek to break speed records, we do enjoy cruising at a fast pace while remaining safe. Riding fast requires some effort, which decreases with efficient group riding. One of the joys of group riding is being able to share the work with others and enjoy the speed advantage of the draft, where you’ll find yourself riding faster while putting in less effort. If you’re not up to the effort on a given day, you can always “sit-in” and benefit from the draft at the back of the paceline for the entire ride without being expected to pull at the front of the paceline (which requires greater effort).No rider is ever left behind. If you find yourself falling off the back of the paceline or struggling to keep up, inform the rider beside you so they can help communicate with the group to adjust the pace. If the effort remains too high, at least one ride leader will accompany you to the next rest stop to rejoin the group or back to the start point.

Riding in a Paceline

If you are new to group rides or would like a refresher, we suggest reading the following short article that explains group riding in a paceline. RRCC rides in a double paceline most of the time, but we are occasionally forced into a single paceline if the road is narrow (e.g., cycling on the shoulder of Hwy 75 on the return from St-Adolphe) or if the group is too small for a double paceline to be used. Occasionally we use a rotating paceline if it's very windy. We will discuss the key points of pacelines as a group before rides to help remind everyone.

Club Kit

Red River Cycling Club's new kit is available to order. The kit design is by Tétro Design, and is manufactured by Pedal Mafia. Contact the club by email if interested in purchasing any items.

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Kids of Mud

Please contact the director of our Kids of Mud program by email for additional information and inquiries regarding registration to our Kids of Mud program.

Click here for information on Kids of Mud coach certification.

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Join Us

We provide additional information by email to anyone considering joining. Please write us an email if you are interested!

New Members

New riders are always welcome! It can be intimidating to join, but we encourage you to try one of our group rides! Prospective new members can join one group club ride free of charge before deciding whether to commit to a paid membership. Contact us by email if interested. In the absence of a paid club membership, the Manitoba Cycling Association requires signing a release of liability waiver.

Open House

We schedule an open house group ride during the spring for all interested cyclists. This provides an opportunity for road cyclists who are new to group riding to try it out (membership purchase not required). The open house includes a brief orientation session and an introduction to cycling as a group in a paceline. Our 2024 open house rides will be held at 9:00 am on Sunday May 12 and at 6:30 pm on Thursday May 23.

Membership Benefits

An RRCC adult membership provides the following benefits:

See our Kids of Mud section for benefits provided by a RRCC Kids of Mud membership.

Registration

An annual adult membership for Red River Cycling Club costs $35 plus the cost of a Manitoba Cycling Association Membership. Both memberships can be purchased together at the link below.

Register for a 2024 Red River Cycling Club membership.

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Resources

Manitoba Cycling Association

Red River Cycling Club is registered with the Manitoba Cycling Association.

Bike Winnipeg

Bike Winnipeg is an advocacy group that supports cycling in Winnipeg and provides resources and information for cyclists.

City of Winnipeg

The City of Winnipeg provides resources for cycling in Winnipeg, including its map of the city's cycling network.

Road Cycling Clubs in Winnipeg

In addition to Red River Cycling Club, the following cycling clubs host group road rides in and near Winnipeg:

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Contact Us

Club Executive

The club executive is elected by the membership at the club's annual general meeting.

Email

Please contact us by email if you have questions.

email: redrivercyclingclub@gmail.com

Partner Cycling Club

Red River Cycling Club maintains a partnership with Green Route Cycling Club.

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Special Events

Red River Cycling Club hosts various special events throughout the cycling season in addition to our usual weekly road rides and Kids of Mud training sessions.

Terry Fox Ride of Hope

On Sunday June 16, 2024, Red River Cycling Club and Green Route Cycling Club co-hosted the inaugural Manitoba edition of the Terry Fox Ride of Hope in support of the Terry Fox Foundation. The Terry Fox Ride of Hope is held across Canada, but this was the first time it was held in Manitoba. Darrell Fox, brother of the late Terry Fox, flew from BC to participate in the ride in Winnipeg! In 2024, our ride raised $7,444 for the Terry Fox Foundation! We plan to host this event annually in Winnipeg.The Terry Fox Ride of Hope is open to all road cyclists. There is no charge to register and ride, but participants and their supporters are encouraged to donate to the Terry Fox Foundation.

Ahead by a Century

Red River Cycling Club hosts its annual Ahead by a Century ride, with 100 km and 160 km (100 mile) routes.
All road cyclists who possess a current MCA membership and who have experience with group riding in a paceline are invited to join. A road bike and a helmet are required. There is no fee for participating; no advance registration is required. A RRCC membership is not required for this ride. In 2024, our Ahead by a Century ride was held on July 7.

Open House Group Road Rides

Red River Cycling Club hosts two open house group rides annually for prospective new riders who are interested in trying a club ride. In 2024, these were held on Sunday May 12 and Thursday May 23. The open houses provide opportunities for road cyclists who are new to group riding to try it out (membership purchase not required). A road/gravel bike and a helmet are required. The open house includes a brief orientation session and an introduction to cycling as a group in a paceline.

Monthly Destination Rides

At least once every month, one of our Sunday or Thursday group rides follows a different route to visit a new destinations. Recent destination rides have included

MCA Provincial Road Championships

The Manitoba Cycling Association hosts the annual Manitoba Provincial Road Championships, presented by Green Route Cycling Club in 2024. Four of our members represented our club at the race in 2024! Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who raced! Thank you Green Route for organizing!

Red-Green Challenge Cup

For our final Thursday Road Ride of 2024, Red River Cycling Club challenged Green Route Cycling Club to an informal race around one lap of Grande Pointe. The winning team was awarded the Red-Green Challenge Cup! A new plaque will be added every year to commemorate future winners!

Wednesday Night Race Series

The Red River Cycling Club's Kids of Mud group hosted a mountain bike race in the 2024 MCA Wednesday Night Race Series.