CYCLING TEAM
OUR TEAM
A collection of pictures of our team
ABOUT US
We are the Young Life Cycling Team. We are not a race team, just a bunch of fun loving folks who like to ride with friends! Come ride with us!
Our Mission
Team Young Life is a group of cyclists, from all skill levels, riding together for camaraderie and in support of the ministry of Young Life. You can find out more about Young Life here: http://www.younglife.org/AboutYoungLife/
CONTACT US
Our Mission
Our Mission
Team Young Life is a group of cyclists, from all skill levels, riding together for camaraderie and in support of the ministry of Young Life. You can find out more about Young Life here: http://www.younglife.org/AboutYoungLife/
Our Values
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Young Life as a mission is based on relationships. Team YL is too. We hold the value of relationships higher than the value of training.
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We are welcoming of all cyclists regardless of their skill level or ability. There is no “membership”, and you don’t have to subscribe to a certain set of beliefs or values to be in our group.
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We want to have fun. Cycling is an adventure. Young Life has always incorporated fun in our mission. The gift of laughter is an essential part of life!
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We want to be safe. Cycling is an inherently dangerous sport. We want to observe the rules of the road and take “Safe Risks”.
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We want to improve as cyclists. We are teachable. We want to improve our fitness and our riding skills.
Our Efforts
There are two ongoing efforts within Team YL.
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The weekly ride. We will host/lead a weekly ride every Saturday from March 1-October 31. There may be rides in the offseason as well, but they will be less structured. There will be weekly communication about the ride as well as informative pieces about cycling.
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The Big Ride. Each year we will pick a Century ride in a far-away place. This ride will be a fundraising effort for the mission of Young Life. We will seek sponsorships (advertisement on the kit) and partners. Partners are riders who either pay or raise the funding goal for the Big Ride. We’ve gone to Colorado and New Mexico. California, Utah, Tennessee and Georgia are on the radar for future rides.
Our Rides
On average, the routes will be challenging with hills and 40 miles in length (see Mellowton for options). During some months the route will increase to prepare the Team for the 100 mile Century ride. In an effort to meet the needs of as many riders as we can (realizing that we can’t be all things to all people, we hope to get as close as possible), we will offer the following groups within our rides:
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Breakaway. This group is for experienced cyclists and will travel as fast as the majority of the riders can handle on any given Saturday (likely above 20 mph avg). There will be some regrouping, but not much. Drops will happen. Riders should be familiar with the route. Instruction and correction will be a regular part of the ride particularly for newer riders as bike handling is a key ingredient at high speeds.
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Peloton A. This group will ride hard but will regroup multiple times during the ride. There will be an emphasis on improving ride skill, endurance and speed. Drops might happen. Rotating pace-lines and echelons will be a normal part of the ride. The average speed will be around 18 mph.
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Peloton B. This group will ride hard and regroup multiple times during the ride. There will be occasional segments of rotating pace-lines and echelons, but the emphasis will be more on camaraderie and fellowship. There will be no drops and we’ll have a sweeper to make sure no one is left behind. The average speed will be around 16-17 mph.
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Mellowton. This group is for new cyclists, or cyclists who aren’t interested in the 40+ route of the other groups. The route will be around 25-30 miles with less elevation change. The pace will be around 15 mph as determined by the group. There will be no drops. There will be a teaching element centered around safety and group riding.
Our Race Team
While Team YL is at its core a recreational cycling club, there are a number of members who desire to race under the Team YL banner. For that purpose, we purchased a USA Cycling license. The values of the race team are in line with the overall values of Team YL. Relationships and the value of healthy families will ALWAYS trump race preparation and results. We welcome anyone who wants to race with us under this premise.
How We Ride?
In our continuing efforts to provide the best ride experience we can the Team YL Cabinet has been doing a significant amount of research and discussion. We are still in the growing phases of our ride and we want to establish a good culture.
First. Saturday mornings with Team YL are a group ride, the key word being ‘group’. I love riding alone. I love riding in a small bunch. But there’s something magical about rolling down the road in a large group, with the wheels humming in the quiet space created by the draft of the 10 riders in front of you.
The rules and the requirements of a group, for safety and efficiency are different than riding alone or in a bunch. As we’ve pondered the challenges of managing our rides, we’ve landed on an interesting thought, “Is it possible that Strava can be a deterrent to a great group ride?” Now I love Strava as much as the next guy. It’s a great training tool. I love the social media aspect. I love testing myself against others on familiar segments. I love trying to “play the game” with wind aided KOMs. And I love increasing my average speed. But sometimes in life, the very thing that is attractive… can become addictive. In cycling the personal achievement can sometimes be a detriment to group ride dynamics. No judgment, just food for thought.
We’ve decided that on Saturday mornings, we want the Team YL ride to emphasize the GROUP aspect of the ride as much as we are able. So from now on, we will not allow Strava to be used… just kidding (although we might conduct an electronics free ride this summer just for grins). What it means is that we’ll work to keep our groups together. The Breakaway is likely to be the most spirited and competitive. That’s fine with us. But in Peloton A and Peloton B, we want to work to keep our groups together, develop good ride habits and enjoy the benefit of rolling along in a large peloton. To that end, here are some guidelines that we will be following:
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Roll Out. We will roll out in distinct groups allowing adequate space before the next group rolls.
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Regroups. The Breakaway may or may not have regroups. Peloton A will have one or two regroup spots for each ride route. Peloton B will have 2-3 regroup points. The Mellowton will regroup as necessary.
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Ride Two Abreast. We’re beating a dead horse, but that’s better than a dead rider.
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Mind the Centerline. Again with the horse and the rider.
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Flats & Mechanicals. If someone in any of the groups has a mechanical or a flat, they are to call it out. As a group, we will pull over and take a minute to assess the situation. If it’s not safe for the group to pull over at that point of incident they will proceed up the road until it is safe. If the problem can be quickly fixed, the group will wait. If it is severe and requiring a ride home, we’ll make sure the rider has the tools they need. If it’s a flat, it will be up to the rider to change the tire as quickly as possible. At this point, the rider has the option to tell the group to go ahead, or one or two riders may stay back to assist and help reconnect. Part of the reason that we have multiple groups on the same route is so that you can drop back and catch on with another group. Sometimes the rider needs to put their own expectations for that ride on hold, and sometimes those in the group need to do the same. It’s a delicate balance but on the whole, we want to be more about relationships than the ride.
It is our sincere hope that you will join us in embracing the Group Ride experience and help us to be as safe and efficient as possible. It takes more than up front Ride Leadership, it takes leadership from within the group to achieve what we are hoping to achieve.
Cheers. And see you on the road!
Sponsors
Let's tell these folks thanks ....
Title Sponsors
Tour Sponsors
Century Sponsors
