Work is dragging and you are losing focus. A ride could really spark your day right now. Good news, you can go for a lunch ride. While the rest of your coworkers wait in line for unhealthy food and eat it in windowless break rooms, you can pedal your bike with friends for a quick mid-day spark.
Mid-day Recharge
A lunch ride is a great way to get away from work to get some exercise and be social. You can meet up with your riding friends and spend some time outside. It will give you a fresh perspective when you head back to work at the end of the ride. Trudging straight through eight hours of work should not win any prizes, but having your head in it, focused on your tasks should. A lunch ride can reclaim that focus.
Seeing friends in the middle of the day that you would not normally see is another great benefit of the lunch ride. Talking with someone other than coworkers can brighten up your day, unless you plan on smashing the entire ride so nobody is talking. But it will still be nice to be with them.
Starting Your Lunch Ride
There are a few things that are necessary to start a regular lunch ride. You will need an area that is dense enough to draw enough cyclists from the various workplaces to a central meeting point. The definition of enough cyclists depends on you – two people might be enough for your group ride, or maybe twenty is enough.
Find a time and day that works well for the friends you want to ride with. If others want to join, that is fine, but make sure the people that you want on the ride are able to make it.
The route needs to be short enough that people can get back to work in a reasonable time. A bit less than an hour seems to work well. All in, expect that it will take about an hour and a half out of each person’s day, between getting ready, riding and changing back into work clothes. The route should be as interesting and traffic free as possible (like every ride, right?) to accommodate the group on the road. A route with a few escape points to head back to work early if necessary is a nice touch.
With social media, it is easy to connect with the people that will go on the ride. Starting a group to give updates and notifications on the lunch ride is a good idea. It can also be an attendance list – you will know who to wait for at the start. This is a place to be clear about the expectations of your ride: pace, aggressiveness, traffic negotiation,
Etiquette of Your Lunch Ride
The lunch ride will have a few more considerations than your standard group ride because of the tight timing.
Be on time. Most people are depending on a set schedule so they can get back to work. If anyone is late, they are holding the group back. That said, leave on time. If someone does not make it on time, that is now their problem.
Make sure your equipment is in good working order. If your equipment fails, chances are someone from the group will wait, but probably at the expense of some time at work. Make sure you equipment is dialed in so this situation does not arise.
Do not assume everyone knows the route. Just because you have done the route every week for a year does not mean everyone else does. Point out obstacles and turns, otherwise people will be late for work, either because of wrong turns, broken equipment, or broken bodies.
Upon Return
Being prepared makes your personal lunch ride experience better. Have your work clothing organized so you can jump back into them as quickly as possible. Plan on eating your lunch while you are working; you used up your allotted free time to eat while riding. Getting proper recovery food is necessary to keep you productive for the rest of the work day.
Have Fun!
The lunch ride is a great way to add a fun break to your regular work routine. Talk with riding friends near your workplace and organize a regular quick training session. You will look forward to it each time.
