Rider Information

Welcome

Welcome to the CCCC Rider Information Page. Our goal is to provide our member riders with a safe and enjoyable ride. To help you make the most of your riding experience with us, we invite you to browse the rider information below:

Club Rides

All of our club rides are led by member volunteers. These volunteers are called Ride Leaders and they are responsible for setting up and posting the ride to our Club Ride Calendar. We currently offer rides nearly every day of the week during the high season (Mid-May through Mid-November) starting from various locations within the 5 county area that our club covers (Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Antrim and Kalkaska). Our rides can start throughout the day as we offer morning, afternoon and evening rides. Several of our more popular rides offer multiple route lengths to suit the needs of our members and many of these rides break into smaller groups at a pace comfortable for them.

It is very important as a rider that you know your biking capabilities including ride length and pace (speed). We do not live in a flat area, so terrain becomes a factor as well. Make sure you read the description of the route provided by the Ride Leader keeping in mind route length, average speed and terrain. If you are unsure, contact the Ride Leader or the Ride Director for further clarification.

If a ride is cancelled due to weather, we try to give at least 1 hour of notice prior to the start of the scheduled ride. Please note it is important that you refresh your browser often when checking on the status of a Club Ride in order to see any updates to the calendar entries.

Rider Handbook

Newly available is a Rider Handbook (PDF). This document is something that all club members and guest riders should review before joining us on a ride. It covers your responsibilities as a rider to help ensure a safer and more enjoyable experience for all. Please take a few minutes and review this document.

Ride Calendar Legend Explanation

Our Ride Calendar legend uses a color coded system that allows users to easily differentiate by color, different types of rides or events posted on our Ride/Event Calendar. For road rides we use a ride classification of A, B and C type rides, more fully explained below.

“A” rides are meant to be faster paced, longer distance and/or a more hilly terrain and should require a high degree effort to complete. Riders should be in good biking condition for an “A” ride.

“B” rides are the most common club ride and in general are intended to be at a more comfortable pace of 14-16 mph over a mostly flat to slightly rolling terrain and a distance of not more than 50-60 miles. These rides can often have multiple routes to accommodate those wanting shorter or longer rides. Many of these rides do contain a social element (stopping for coffee, etc).

“C” rides are the most inclusive and social of our rides and are typically much shorter distances (10-30 miles) and conducted at a slower pace (10-14 mph) and almost always include a food or beverage stop along the way.

It is important that all riders properly assess their abilities and make sure they are capable of riding the distance, pace and terrain of the posted ride they have chosen. Maps will be provided at most of our rides, but not all. Please check out our new Route Maps page, where we offer downloadable RWGPS formatted files as well as printable PDF versions of 25 of our club’s most popular routes.

Honor Ride

So named for its’ starting point in the town of Honor, MI. This ride is held every Monday morning starting at 9am (10am in early Spring and late Fall) and leaves from Maley Park in Honor. The route of this ride changes every week and can range to Frankfort, Beulah, Crystal Lake, up to Empire and Glen Arbor. The route generally covers 35-45 miles and the terrain is mixed and can include some hills, but is always quiet, beautiful and fun. This is a very social ride which usually includes a food/coffee stop along the way and always has a short cut for those looking for less miles. Average pace is 14-16 mph. This ride is typically listed as a “B” ride.

Old Mission Peninsula (OMP) Ride

This ride is held every Wednesday morning out of East Bay Park in Traverse City and leaves at 9am (10am in early Spring and late Fall). Depending on your chosen route, this beautiful ride is 22-41 miles long with views of both East Bay and West Bay. This is a mostly flat ride with a couple of short climbs on the way out and on the way back. This is a very social ride and does break up into smaller groups riding at a comfortable pace for each group. Average pace is 14-16 mph. This ride is typically listed as a “B” ride.

Muffin Ride

This ride leaves out of Darrow Park near downtown TC at 9am (10am early Spring or late Fall) every Friday morning. This a trail ride from TC to Suttons Bay and back on the Leelanau Trail. The standard route is 32 miles roundtrip with a couple of longer options and sometimes a shorter option (Cruisers will start at the Fouch Road Trailhead for a 24 mile route). As the name implies, we ride up to Suttons Bay and meet up at Chimoski’s Bakery for coffee and a treat before returning to Darrow Park. Average pace is 14-16 mph. This ride is typically listed as a “B” ride, but certain groups will ride at a slower pace and shorter distance (“C” classification for that route)

Saturday Morning Hill Training

If you are looking for some exercise or want to improve your hill climbing, climb the Hills of Leelanau County. Ride leaves from Darrow Park in TC every Saturday morning at 8am. The route may vary from week to week but expect a lot of climbing. A typical route is a 40 mile loop with 12 miles of climbing with 2700-3000 ft of elevation gain and an average pace of 14mph. Some of the hills you will climb might include Grandview, Darga, Sullivan, Nash, Kasson, Gallivan, Lincoln, and Hoxie. There are also some fast descents as well. Although this ride is very hilly and typically a longer ride (40+ miles) this is a No Drop Ride with several regrouping points along the way. So if you are looking for a ride to increase your riding strength and endurance as well as improving your hill climbing abilities without the fear of being dropped this is a good ride for you. This ride is classified as a “B” ride on our calendar.

Bike For Fun (BFF)

A newer category of rides designed for those that are looking for shorter, slower paced rides with a social aspect. These rides occur through the week with morning, afternoon and evening events and are usually 10-25 miles with an average pace of 10-12 mph.  They will almost always have a fun stop included (coffee, lunch, wine tasting). These rides are all considered “C” rides. If you are interested in participating in a BFF ride, please contact Nancy Quinlan for more information at secretary@cherrycapitalcyclingclub.org