One way ride to Melun, R train home

Details

• When -- 9h Sunday, March 29
• Where -- Bois de VIncennes, under the arch at the entrance of the Jacques Anquetil Velodrome
• Length -- 54+ km
• Average speed -- 20 km/h
• Strava route -- Bois de Vincennes to Melun return by train

This ride is with the "gruppetto," which is the Italian term for the group of cyclists that often forms on mountain stages of the professional grand tours behind the main peloton. It is typically populated with sprinters and domestiques who may lack the climbing skills of the contenders or are saving themselves for another day.

We will head southeast from Bois de Vincennes before turning south toward Melun, where there are food options -- there are cafes near the station and a boulangerie in the station if you'd rather grab and go. The R line departs this Sunday at :19 and :50, lasts about 30 min with no stops and arrives at Gare de Lyon (there is an alert on the schedule, but it appears to be just slightly altered departure times). By the end of the bike ride we will have averaged about 20 kph, with higher speeds on flat stretches of the route and slower on the climbs, of course.

As always, please check the following before you arrive Sunday:

• do you have the cycling fitness and experience for this ride? no half-wheeling, try to stay around 30cm away from the wheel in front of you.
• safety comes first: no helmet, no PCB ride.
• this ride is for road bikes/velos de route, not for mountain or city bikes etc.
• bring spare tube, bidons, energy bars, gels, etc.
• bring money/card for the train ride back.

REMINDER*: PCB rides are no-drop with a focus on staying together. Our rides fill a niche and are designed for people who want to ride in a group, together, at a medium pace with others who are more interested in the experience than in riding as fast as possible. We regroup at the tops of significant climbs and key turns, so no one gets left behind.

If you are looking for something different, perhaps a weekend training ride with a faster group of cyclists who compete in races and triathlons, then this is not the group for you. I recommend checking out Paris Cycling Group, which typically feature rides at an average speed of 25-30 kph. There are other groups, as well, which are organized by several bike shops in Paris.

For more information about Paris Cycling B-group, please check out our What We Are About section on our MeetUp landing page.