Group Rides Aren’t Just for Roadies – The Joy of Family Rides

We spent a lot of time on bicycles back in Charlotte, and we still do here in Sydney (serious understatement). The biggest difference is that we spent a lot of time riding around with friends back home. We didn’t realize how much we missed this until we discovered one of the family rides in Sydney that leaves from Glow Worm Bicycles in Marrickville.

We loved Charlotte’s thriving and inclusive bike community. There were social rides, road rides, and trail rides, listed on multiple sites, and it felt like everyday offered a good ride option. We enjoyed dropping in on the rides when our schedules lined up, even though we never became “regulars” in any group.

Sydney also has a thriving bike community, with group rides, advocacy groups, and loads of riders. Since we waited almost a year to put CZ on the bike, we have had time to ease into the cycling scene. Now that we seek family friendly rides, the selection is quite limited. Long (and fast) road rides and casual night rides just aren’t feasible with infants and toddlers. We almost gave up on the idea of finding likeminded riders, when we were introduced to the Glow Worm Cycles ride.

When searching for CZ’s bike seat to put on the Bobbin a while back, Jessica at Omafiets told us about a family ride in Marrickville that sounded promising.  She mentioned that they leave every Saturday afternoon at 4pm. (Side-note: With the recent time change, there are talks of moving the ride forward to 2pm on Saturdays.) Since the ride left from Omafiets’ sister-shop, Glow Worm, we decided to buy the seat we chose there, and head out on the family ride.

We arrived at the shop around 3:15pm for the seat installation before our first Glow Worm ride, and other riders started trickling in around 3:45pm. When the shop closes at 4pm, everyone pitches in to help clean up a bit and move the bikes inside.

The age range of riders varies; there is a variety of smaller children/toddlers riding along as passengers, along with some of the older children who ride their own bikes. For the rides we attended so far, the range seems to cap out towards the low-teens, and the young rider skill level ranges from beginner to daredevil.

The ride is a little less than 5km from the bike shop to Steel Park in Marrickville. The majority of the ride is through parks, in bike lanes, or on the greenway; however, there are a few areas where we cross streets and ride on the road before turning. Since we ride in a large group, one person will take point on stopping cars so the entire caravan can cross the streets safely.

Attendance varies week to week, but seems to fluctuate between 10 and 15 riders. There are a few people who are always in attendance.  Ali, from Glow Worm, tends to lead the ride, and Rob brings his amazing ice-cream bike! He rigged up a solar-powered freezer on a cargo bike, and ensures the kids are properly motivated for the ride by sharing ice-cream at the park.

One of the best parts of the ride is how much we learn, and how it is shaping our approach to sharing our love of cycling with CZ. Here is a list of our biggest learnings and why we recommend finding or starting your own family rides:

• Learning routes – We picked up several new routes to connect the inner-west suburbs to where we live, by leveraging neighborhood streets that we otherwise would never found.
• Motivating your children to ride – Creating a peer group for the children that is full of riders ranging from newbies to bike-junkies will go a long way to increase your child’s interest and excitement. For the Glow Worm ride in particular, some children look forward to the playground and ice-cream, while others try to tackle huge hills without having to push their bikes.
• Safe riding techniques – The best way to avoid accidents is to be a predictable bike rider.  This means following the traffic signs and lights, but more importantly, it requires proper use of hand signals.  I am continually impressed with the children’s use of hand signals. Cecilia is similarly impressed and often gestures with the group – which is the best brainwashing we could wish for 😉
• Group riding – Riding a group is an essential skill for everyone who rides in the city.  Even if you often ride alone, there are always clusters of cyclist at stoplights, rail crossings, and other locations during rush hour.  Knowing how to signal and space yourself within a pack is critical, especially for newer rider who are potentially still a bit wobbly.

We look forward to more rides with Glow Worms as the weather gets cooler. If your child needs practice before joining the family ride, check out the mini-city riding course in Sydney Park. It is well used, so head out early on the weekend!