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COME ON! JOIN US!
Whatever the reason we ride, we do it together, we make friends, we encourage and laugh with each other and we make every day better by doing something unique and FUN.

If this sounds appealing to you, please take a moment to read more about our little club on these pages starting perhaps with our "rides" page here:

MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED
All riders must be paid members. No exceptions. Sign up online HERE.

FEE
The membership fee for 2009 is $49 and it comes with a healthy list of perks and shwag... But remember: Since the club is a not-for profit we certainly don't want people who join to think it's like joining a gym where you are "buying" anything. Your $49 goes towards insurance, running the club and a few things like Radios and such.

Gord's Ski and Bike covers the other 80% of the cost of running the club... and we are all volunteer driven (except for ride mechanics). Please be so kind as to consider this when deciding where to buy your next socks... or bike for that matter. One thing is certain, you only get out as much as you put in.

For the complete list of membership options, please check out the following link:

$10 TEST RIDE
So you have commitment issues that prohibit you from jumping into anything without first dipping your toes in to test the temperature? It’s OK, we’ve finally given into your type and we’re now offering a one-time only Test Ride for a non-refundable fee of $10 (plus tax).

Available only on Wednesday Night Rides, this Test Ride must be arranged at least 30 minutes before the start of any WNR (there’s some paperwork involved). and allows you to join in on our most popular ride for one evening. We hope you’ll take advantage of this great offer and join us! Remember: “Test Rides” are only available on WNR’s.

RULES
Rides are organized and led by volunteers and all are governed by our Rules of engagement and our Ride Etiquette. It's one of those things, when you hold rides with this many people, where many different opinions, behaviors, and personalities come into play, it's not a bad idea to have a few rules, just to keep everything running smoothly. Some (like me) don't like overt structure so during rides we try to keep it mellow, mostly using some common sense guidelines to ensure everyone has a good time.

WHEN DO WE RIDE? (SCHEDULE)
We currently hold rides on most weeknights. Check out our complete ride listing on our ride page HERE. Members recieve regular emails with ride updates and ride invites and exact departure times and ride destinations.

HOW LONG DO WE RIDE
Great question. Depends on the ride... But we rarely ride for less that 2 hours... and then again, it depends on what ride we're on... Some rides are punctuated with many breaks, some, like the road rides, just go. We're very rider-driven so it depends on who's along. Remember, we happily ride for the slowest rider.

SKILL REQUIRED
Depends on the ride. Our recommendation, if you're not sure, is to start off with our tame Tuesday Night Family Rides or one of our Thursday Night Learn-to-Ride-Better Rides... Then work up to our Wednesday Night Rides and then just follow your nose. The biggest mistake potential riders make is the perennial "I'll get started on my own and join in when I've done a few rides by myself" it unfortunately doesn't work too well that way. The 'herd' starts off at the start of the season at a very slow pace and then as the season get's rolling it naturally inches its way to a faster pace... So if you want to hop on the train, get on when we're all rusty... the last thing you want to do is hop on a Wednesday Night Ride in October... the train, while still no bullet train, is nonetheless moving along at quicker pace at that point.

PICTURES
On certain rides we take pictures. Many pictures. It provides people with memories (with your membership you have access to our entire library of pics... from 2002 until now), ride pictures provides us a tool to promote riding and a healthy lifestyle... And it keeps those rides from becoming races. We've been doing it since day one and we're not intending on changing that just yet... so deal with it and for Pete's sake, SMILE!

REQUIRED HEAD-GEAR
All rides are helmet cumpolsory, patience
and sense-of-humor mandatory. If you are a die hard curmudgeon hammerhead who dislikes the company of others and derives satisfaction from incessant complaining and/or the practice of cutting other riders off and showing no respect for your fellow ride participant... If that's you, may we humbly suggest another club's ride instead? For while we profess that "everyone's welcome" we do unfortunately have a distaste for crotchety or impatient folk that make rides unpleasant. We're all in it for the fun of it. No one is forcing those people to ride with us. Come in with the right frame of mind and everyone has a blast. Simple.

GEAR
Right after the helmet, you'll need the following: [1] a bike that is trail-worthy (if it says "Supercycle" or "CCM" or "Infinity" or "Jeep" or "Sears" on the side of it, that's not a good sign). Your bike must have functioning brakes, tires and gears and it must pass a summary inspection showing it's in good working order. [2] you'll next need some sort of hydration (most of us use Camelbacks) and some type of food (our rides last a few hours so food and water is recommended). [3] we suggest (these are not mandatory) Bike shorts and gloves (for comfort's sake).

Should you have any questions, please contact JF@Gords.com or click on the links above for more information Gord's Bike Club and its unique culture.