You may have noticed the VBC-USA calendar looks more colorful as of June 1. Here's why.
We've expanded our primary ride categories from two to four, making it easier for everyone, especially visitors and new members, to find rides that fit them. Think of it like the rating
system for ski runs, applied to club rides.
What to Know:
-
The ride title format is unchanged: Route Name / Pace / Elevation Gain / Length / Ride Leader / Start Time. It remains the best way to find your ride.
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The four categories represent increasing levels of effort: Easy (green), Moderate (blue), Challenging (gold), and Strenuous (black).
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Rating a ride is partly subjective, and
the ride leader is closest to the ride and best positioned to judge it. The guide below uses length, pace, terrain,
and climbing to suggest a category. A ride is rated at the highest tier it reaches on any single measure.
|
Category
|
Length
|
Pace
(Cruising on Flats)
|
Terrain
|
Climbing
|
|
Easy
|
Under 25 miles
|
Under 14 mph
|
Flat
|
Under 25 ft/mile
|
|
Moderate
|
25 to 40 miles
|
14 to 16 mph
|
Minor
|
25 to 50 ft/mile
|
|
Challenging
|
40 to 65 miles
|
17 to 19 mph
|
Moderate
|
50 to 80 ft/mile
|
|
Strenuous
|
65+ miles
|
20+ mph
|
Significant
|
80+ ft/mile
|
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Ride leaders: your judgment drives how your rides are categorized. If you have questions or want to revisit a category, reach out to Jim at roadcaptain@vbc-usa.com.
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Every category color was chosen to stay distinguishable in normal vision and in the two common forms of color blindness.
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New buttons at the top of the Calendar page let you filter by level of effort.
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The Ride Style Definitions page will be updated with these details in the next few days.
Ride safe, and see you on the next ride,
Paul Jensen / VBC-USA Webmaster