Cycling4Fun MAY BE ENDING!!
In 2006 Jerry Kruse established Cycling4Fun. This cycling group was, for the most part, supporting the California Coast Classic. Since 2008 Cycling4Fun also had a website (www.cycling4fun.com) which promoted weekly rides for bay area cyclists. I joined Cycling4Fun in 2012 and started to help Jerry organize/operate the rides about 2015. Commonly fifteen or so riders attended each event including a number of regulars who still occasionally ride today.
In about 2015/16 the attendance began to drop and to sustain the group a MeetUp was established using a new web-based application. Attendance grew sufficiently to make it worthwhile to continue Cycling4Fun. Sadly, in this time period Jerry Kruse passed away. Since I had been helping Jerry for a while I was able to pick up Cycling4Fun with the intention of keeping it available for local cyclists. This effort was hurt by the pandemic which occurred soon after Jerry’s passing. Many rides were shuffled and cancelled to maintain some activity with Cycling4Fun during the pandemic era. This instability hurt attendance further. In 2022,23,24 attendance came back somewhat but nearly all rides averaged less than ten riders.
In 2024 I was injured and could not ride for more than a year. I continued Cycling4Fun by posting rides and finding experienced members to lead them. Again, the instability in the overall program damaged attendance. Now I am facing surgery in May which will prevent my riding until late June (Cyclin4Fun will be paused during this time). This will create new stress on ridership. Additionally, a number of long-time Cycling4Fun riders have issues of their own which are interfering with their participation in rides. Five or six of our most experienced and regular riders have dropped participation. While some new blood has come and gone, recent participation has fewer than five riders typically attending a Cycling4Fun ride.
The effort to plan and organize about thirty events a year, maintain the web presence, manage the expenses, address the logistical and time demands involved in actually conducting the rides, is very high given so few riders are currently benefiting from the Cycling4Fun program. According to the MeetUp statistics, nearly 1,300 riders have registered to ride Cycling4Fun events since the MeetUp it was established. The MeetUp has maintained a 4.9 satisfaction rating since it started. So, people are finding Cycling4Fun and are satisfied when they participate. But they are not maintaining their interest in the group. As a result, current participation is at its lowest point since I joined in 2012, and at a point where Cycling4Fun’s future comes into question.
To help analyze how to maintain Cycling4Fun I have produced a survey which I hope you can complete. It’s here: https://forms.gle/7xp161VpTsPEW2y27 It is also available through the website at www.cycling4fun.com . You can also text suggestions to me at robtcarlson@gmail.com Look for changes in day and time of future Cycling4Fun rides as I will be experimenting to see how effective different days and times might be. At this time I am tentatively planning to close Cycling4Fun in October/26, after this season is finished. Events could change this decision especially if ridership has a significant improvement or another qualified cyclist wants to provide group leadership. It is a difficult decision to stop an organization which I have been a part of for fourteen years and led for seven, but it seems like the time has come. We will see how it goes between now and October. I will keep you informed on the website as plans progress.
Bob Carlson
