IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Can you feel the love? Every year we do a survey (ok, we only started doing this month ago), we ask our membership their thoughts on the previous season (you can read about it HERE) and at the end of this 6 page survey we ask everyone to write down their thoughts about the club. Here are a few of the many responses we received (cut-and-pasted, in their own words). Some verbose, some not so much. All honest to goodness good people.
"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.
~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle"
If you want quotes, we have a wheelbarrow full of quotes. From actual club members, some anonymous, some signed, most from bona fide real humans... All gathered from our annual Gord's Bike Club Survey.
Now where was I? oh yes, quotes, humans... like this one from Tony N. that went something like this: "Thanks for making a beginner feel welcome, learn some valuable skills, and bring a new dimension of fun & excitement to the biking experience. Joining the club has helped me to challenge myself and learn the positive experience associated with riding with a large group of equally enthusiastic riders. Finally, Thanks for uncovering our City's spectacular green & scenic viewpoints which are often hidden. Fun, skills, thrills, & exercise... what more could you ask for. Cheers!" (Gee, thanks, Tony) Read more interesting testimonials just a little bit lower.
"The people, the smiles, the milestones bested, the camaraderie, the laughter and the peer-pressure to not be a lard-ass tv watching sloth. Did I mention bike rides with my best friends, every week?"
"The satisfaction you feel after ever ride, both physically and mentally."
"EVERYTHING! JF took very good care of me last year with my purchase of a new bike.. the rides always are a BLAST! and defiantly the people! I've come to know some of those people so well, and its always great fuN!!! I LOVE GORDS BIKE CLUB!"
"loads of fun, got to meet new people."
"I've met the best bunch of people... developed a love of MTBiking... although I sometimes wish that I'd started when I was 5 instead of 35 - the fact that I've been able to take up and enjoy this rough and tumble sport at my age is fantastic thing. Keeps me young (and super cool)."
"Thanks for making a beginner feel welcome, learn some valuable skills, and bring a new dimension of fun & excitement to the biking experience. Joining the club has helped me to challenge myself and learn the positive experience associated with riding with a large group of equally enthusiastic riders. Finally, Thanks for uncovering our City's spectacular green & scenic viewpoints which are often hidden. Fun, skills, thrills, & excercise...what more could you ask for. Cheers!"
"Joining the MTB took my riding to a new level. I was just a causal rider, but having spent time with the club I became more confident in my skills and ability to tackle different rides, and began challenging myself on my own as well. I look forward to new challenges this season!!"
"The Gord's club is a nice blend of challenge, friendliness, fun, and good people. It has a more upbeat feel than other clubs, and there is plenty of encouragement from other riders. There are more than a few very talented cyclists to learn from, and never a lack of encouragement. If you apply yourself, you can become a better rider by going on club rides. Other bonuses: - Getting to see photos from rides you have been on. - The opportunity to experience DH riding out in BC, especially at a reasonable price "
"Over all it is a great experience. I especially like the late fall rides when there is the small core of riders that have been riding for most of the year. Last fall we had a great ride with 8 riders, I like to call the ride the Icicle Ride, it was about -6 or so but we had a great time."
"The bike club is great. There is a sense of camaraderie. Everyone supports each other and work together to make every ride enjoyable for all. "
"Last year was my first year, and I was really impressed with the experience. The riders are really friendly, and the atmosphere is fun. I loved the trails, and I look forward to an even better year in 2007 "
"When I showed up for my first Wednesday Night Ride, I was pretty nervous. I didn't quite know what to expect, and ended up being very intimidated by all the people I saw there with their $2000+ bikes, and me on my $450 Specialized Hardrock. Being in a situation like that is usually enough to make a person not want to go back. But I did. I kept coming back because I had fun riding with the group, and I loved seeing all the new trails I had no idea were there. But the main reason is because the core group of people and volunteers are genuinely good, fun people. "
"I love Gord's MTB Club. I wish there was something half as cool on the West Coast - Free of Attitudes, full of Motivation, and driven by a customer focused store. "
"Holy Cow! Best summer of my life! I will say that it was amazing fantastic awesome and the trip to Pano was by far the best vacation I'd ever had. I enjoyed everybody on the WNR's everybody was super friendly and I met lots of interesting people, and was able to learn allot from watching people. My skill lever was very beginner at the beginning of the year, falling over rocks, tree stumps... etc, and at the end of the year, after pano I was riding trails flawlessly that ejected me from my bike in the beginning. I can't wait to see where I'm at at the end of next season! Absolutely fantastic experience - I'd recommend it (and have) to lots of my friends and family, and anybody else who will listen. Thanks to JF and all the hard working staff who put in endless hours of planning, thanks to Carmen who gave me some invaluable pointers, and to Gavin, who always seemed to be around when I bailed hardcore - always there to help me up and make me feel better, and not throw my bike in the bush and storm away! "
"Empowering!!!"
"It's a good thing."
"The club is great. Thursday night rides are good because they are lees structured and you just ride. "
"Appreciated the experience and knowledge of the more experienced riders. The new friendships and a general goodwill for everyone to have a great riding experience "
"Do you want to get fit and have fun doing it? Gord's and the Bike Club are the way to do it. Gord's takes care of your heart, in both senses of the word. "
"The Gord's bike club has rekindled my love in biking and being outdoors. Its a ton of fun with a bunch of great people of all riding skill levels. There are rides for everyone ranging from the no pressure WNR's to the more edgy TNR and Epic rides where you can work on more technical skills. The Panorama trip is one of the most wild and crazy weeks I have ever had. The past 2 years in the club have been unforgettable and I am going stir-crazy waiting for the '07 season to start. Thank you Gord's for putting together and managing this amazing club which keeps many of us from being couch potatoes during the riding season."
"Scavenger hunts are AWESOME I think we always have too few people doing them :D if this gets on the site then come on PEOPLE! I never want to come (don't ask why) and I get suckered into coming or volunteered for the MANJANAS (Matt(me), Matty, Jana WOO!) and its always a blast. also exploring that trail at Ingolf was AWESOME would could have a killer trail in there if we do a weekend at it. The club is pretty sweet :D definitely got me out of my shell... I usually chill at the back and bitch about people getting flat tires, then I fix them and get back to the awesome rides :D"
"The love to quote our illustrious leader and the fact that it is a fun club."
"One word - PEOPLE."
"Rides are great way to get out with different folks to relax, de-stress, chat, crash, have fun, etc..."
"Hanging out, being outside, enjoying nature and RIDING MY BIKE. I can't ride alone, so this is the only way I can get out on my bike."
"The lack of attitude."
"Enjoying the company of great people who enjoy mountain biking and help push me to a new level in riding and fitness."
"Good group of people."
"The people it draws. I love the people we ride with."
"Having a good group of people to ride with, and finding new trails throughout the city."
"Learning the trails and watching people with more skill than myself!"
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It makes a workout fun."
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Fun riding, challenges, variety of rides, willingness to help (lots of breakdowns last year for many members and help was there)."
"IF, I had participated last year, I would have said that the opportunity to ride different trails (epics were always at a different location). I really liked the email updates too. I felt a part of the club, even though i never met a single soul. (can you tell, I'm super bitter for not participating last year!)"
"It motivates me to get out riding and I've made some great new friends too."
"You get to ride with a group who are serious about riding, but don't take riding seriously. The club takes an active roll on trail building/maintenance inside the city, and in the whiteshell."
And the very best Bike Club testimonial award goes to Carla: "I showed up at Gord's MTB Club on a whim three years ago. You'll never meet a better bunch of folks who love the ride and want to share the love of the ride, as much the crew at Gord's. I've seen places and done stuff on my bike that I never dreamed possible, and now I dream of those things. "
As for quotes, here are a few more for ya:
"Mankind has invested more than four million years of evolution in the attempt to avoid physical exertion. Now a group of backward-thinking atavists mounted on foot-powered pairs of Hula-Hoops would have us pumping our legs, gritting our teeth, and searing our lungs as though we were being chased across the Pleistocene savanna by saber-toothed tigers. Think of the hopes, the dreams, the effort, the brilliance, the pure force of will that, over the eons, has gone into the creation of the Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Bicycle riders would have us throw all this on the ash heap of history."
~P.J. O'Rourke"
"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike.
~ John F. Kennedy"
"Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There's something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout at the gym.
~ Bill Nye the Science Guy"
"As a kid I had a dream - I wanted to own my own bicycle. When I got the bike I must have been the happiest boy in Liverpool, maybe the world. I lived for that bike. Most kids left their bike in the backyard at night. Not me. I insisted on taking mine indoors and the first night I even kept it in my bed.
~ John Lennon".
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Gord's Bike Club re-emerged in the late 90's as a small group of customers and one shiny new staff member decided to re-inject some energy into a somewhat dormant entity, the Wednesday Night Ride. Everything has snowballed since Gavin, Matt, John, JF and Steve (The Ride) Anderson restarted the whole enchilada in 1999.
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. 
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).
Attention all bike lovers! Gord's is very proud to announce that we'll be offering 
We've said it before: It's all about the ride. The ride to Seven Eleven, the ride to your buddies house, the ride we call Ingolf, the ride at Panorama, Fernie, The Seine River, the ride through the monkey trails at Assiniboine Park, the ride with your 30 favorite buddies or the ride with your daughter.