The Saturday Social is just that . . . Social. The group maintains contact at each trail junction, ensuring you don’t get lost or left behind. We encourage those looking for their first taste of mountain biking to join this group, however we highly recommend you having ridden single track in the forest at least once, previously. If there are a lot of riders on the day we may break into a faster group and a slower group, but either way there is always a sweep rider for each group to ensure everyone makes it to the next trail junction, as we leave no one behind on a trail. We may not always have enough accredited riders to be able to have a slower group so, there are no guarantee you won’t have to push the limits a bit.

BEGINNERS

If you are just beginning it is requested you come to your first ride on the first Saturday each month, our ride leader and support riders are looking to help with trail knowledge and hints to assist in your ride as you build your confidence, however it is a challenge to have available accredited riders available every week to look after you. We have a wide range of fast to more casual regular riders so you will defiantly fit in, but you will still require a medium level of fitness at a minimum.

JUNIOR RIDERS

Riders under 17 years old need to be accompanied by a responsible adult (parent or family friend) on the ride. Alternate arrangements may be possible if you continue to ride with us and join the club. RATS is a family friendly club with many adult members who were once kids on this ride, so come along and join the fun.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON CHICKS RIDE (DAISY HILL)

Our regular Sunday Chicks Ride is specially for the ladies. With over one third of all RATS members being female, we have an active and thriving community of lady MTBers, so come and join our regular ride and meet some of them!

We provide a social-paced mountain bike ride every Sunday afternoon for ladies only, in a fun and supportive environment. We aim to have plenty of experienced riders on hand to provide encouragement.

The group maintains contact at each trail junction, ensuring you don’t get lost or left behind. We encourage those looking for their first taste of mountain biking to join this group, however we highly recommend that you have had some experience of riding single track in the forest previously. Whilst we LOVE to see new people joining us and getting out on the trails, this ride is not suitable for absolute beginners.

• Our regular ride starts from Underwood Park and heads over to the trails in Daisy Hill;
• The first Sunday of each month is an away ride, where we venture further afield;
• The third Sunday of each month is our P-Plate ride, to cater for the newbies, the less experienced and anyone who is concerned that they might not be able to join our regular ride. We use a buddy system to ensure that we ride at YOUR pace and are happy to advise you on whether the regular ride would be fun for you;
• Ride details are posted every week on RATS Chicks Ride Facebook page

You can purchase a monthly Lifestyle membership from AusCycling for $7. Of course, this ride is one of the advantages of being a RATS member in which case there is no cost.

AusCycling offer a Free Trial Membership – choose RATS Cycling Club as your club and you can try before you buy with the benefits of personal accident & public liability insurance for 4 weeks. All going well you can become a financial RAT!

• Departs Underwood Park bottom car park (unless an away ride);
• Starts at 3:00 pm during summer and 2:00 pm during winter;
• Approximately 1.5 – 2 hour duration (12 – 18 km are typical);
• Ride leaders will provide trail knowledge, entertainment and encouragement as they go;
• Please respect the ride timings and make sure you arrive in plenty of time to get yourself and your bike ready.

Tell your friends, bring some water, a helmet and a mountain bike (hybrids not suitable) and come and meet up with us for some Sunday fun.

General information for Club Rides

WHAT TO BRING

• Mountain bike in good working order.
• Cycling helmet meeting Australian Standards; downhill trails require a full face helmet.
• Basic tool kit of Allen keys, pump, tubes and tyre levers.
• Sufficient food, water and sunscreen for the length of the ride.
• For night rides: adequate front lighting and red rear light or reflector.

DURING THE RIDE

• If you have to leave early, LET OTHERS KNOW (preferably the ride leader).
• Respect the policies of the land managers: don’t make or use unauthorized trails.

DIFFICULTY

“Can I handle the ride?” All social rides are just that: social. Groups maintain contact at each trail junction, ensuring you don’t get lost. If you are just beginning make sure you come along on the first Saturday of the month to maximise we have enough ride leaders on the day to help you with trail knowledge and riding hints, on the day. We do however highly recommend you having ridden single track in the forest at least once, previously before coming along.

OTHER RIDES

Other club rides may be arranged on an ad hoc basis, and will be posted on our RATS Events Calendar.

WANT MORE RIDES?

If you have a group wanting more rides let us know and we can include them to be advertised as a weekly ride too.