Group Ride Intro
Hey! Nic here 👋
We run a workshop called “How To Dismantle the Patriarchy, One Group Ride at a Time”. It’s a workshop designed to motivate people to start their own, mission led, community vibe. Until there is a WTFNB led vibe in every region of the world, there is work to be done. Anyway, in that workshop, we share NFORC resources that could prove helpful for some one starting up their community.
This blog post exists so we can link to it in the resource pack and for anyone who might be hanging out on our website and come across it, obviously.
We don’t want NFORC to be a blueprint, the patriarchy needs dismantling in a 1000 different ways so we encourage people to take a piece of what we are doing and build on it and make it their own. As such, this is Nic’s group ride intro. Each NFORC ride leader has their own spin and you will have your own.
I have a note on my phone which reminds me of what I go through at the beginning of the a NFORC group ride. It’s brief and only takes between 5 - 10 minutes to go through. Please tell me what you think I’m missing!
“Welcome into the bosom of the matriarchy, we’re really glad you’re here. 🥰
💥Name and where you ride.
💥Have you ridden with a group before?
💥Heads up, we document our rides, let us know if you’re not keen.
💥She’s gays and theys to the front.
💥 Is this an additional space you get to be or the only space you get to be?
💥Mechanicals, we lean in to them as a learning opportunity. Speed isn’t king.
💥Info about the route.
💥Anyone gotta be back at a certain time?
💥Any covid recoverers? Saaaaaaaame.
💥Name and where you ride
Why? A small amount of facilitated social lubrication to start off. Such a small gesture but really powerful in helping to set the tone.
💥Have you ridden with a group before?
Why? Nice way to establish who might be a bit nervy. We acknowledge their bravery in showing up.
💥Heads up, the only thing we do aggressively in this matriarchal space is document our rides, let us know if you’re not keen.
Why? We let people know that if they see someone shooting off ahead, it’s not because they are setting a new pace, it’s because they are off to get a certain shot. This also gives people license to say if they don’t want a bike portrait. Wanna know more about how we show people that We’re Out Here? We run an online workshop where we share all our tips including our communications strategy. You can learn more about it here.
💥She’s, gays and theys to the front.
Why? We say this right at the top and some times it needs repeating. Often, for the cis white men who join our rides (anyone who wants to lift themselves outside the patriarchy is welcome), this space is an *additional* place they get to be. For a lot of other people, it’s one of the *only* places they get to be their most authentic selves.
💥 Is this an additional space you get to be or the only space you get to be?
Why? Our rides are for everyone but we centre the experience of women, trans and non binary people. For some people, our rides are the only place they get to be their authentic selves in the cycling scene. For other people, our group rides offer them another opportunity to ride bikes in addition to a long list that already exists for them. We ask. this question at the top of our rides and ask for people to reflect on how they might want to interact with others and how much space they take up.
💥Mechanicals, we lean in to them as a learning opportunity. Speed isn’t king.
Why? Not much else to say here apart from we always have 2 ride leaders on a ride so we can accommodate being able to split up if someone needs to get back.
💥Info about the route
Why? We like to let people know a little about what they can expect. We want people to come back.
💥Anyone gotta be back at a certain time?
Why? Primary care givers will often need to get back at a certain time. This info helps steer length of pitstops etc.
💥 Any covid recoverers?
Why? Saaaaaaaame. I’ve found it harder to talk and ride my bike since covid. And I can point blank not talk whilst going up hill. I share this to help people be put at ease.
After we’ve done the intros’s we sometimes do an M check, then we roll out.
Here are a couple of other resources you might find interesting whilst you’re here.
This is what we’re doing differently since we did our outdoor first aid training.
This book is incredible and forms a lot of what we’re about here at NFORC. There’s some great tips for how to hold space for different ideas.
