Biking with non cyclists

So far this year, I've done 4 big rides with non-cyclists. And by non-cyclist, what I mean is that you can convince them to go on bike rides, but they won't choose to do it themselves, or actively pursue them on their own.

First was the McKenzie Pass scenic bikeway two days before it opened to cars. I got my dad and brother to join on this one. We had done it last year as well, but dad was switching from a mountain bike to an old road bike, and not getting a head start up the hill. It was cold and we had to deal with rainy mist all the way up the west side. Dad had to keep stopping and walk a bit to keep his legs from cramping. Eventually, I took off towards the top, and ended up waiting almost an hour for dad to be the last to arrive, absolutely miserable and shivering in the observatory the whole time. From there, descending was an interesting story. My dad and brother, who hadn't sat still for nearly as long, took off just fine. On the other hand, I shook so bad that I had to ditch the bike in the dirt early on. This became a characteristic of the rest of the descent, me grabbing the brakes and squeezing the top tube between my knees as hard as I could. Because of that descent, I can honestly say I think they had more fun than me.

Second was a camping trip. After a S24O three years ago, my girlfriend wanted to go again. We decided on a campground, and I figured out the route. It unfortunately had a lot of busy highway that I wish we could've skipped, because at times it unnerved both of us. We kept it slow. She occasionally had to walk up some of the hills. Of which there were many rolling ones. And we stopped for ice cream mid route. The next day took longer. She was tired. We found a way around one big hill. But it worked out and we made it back.

Third was another ride I planned for my girlfriend and I. It was composed of a couple of popular routes, plus a connector. Since I was familiar with the routes independent of each other, I didn't pay attention to how long it was, estimating to be about 25 miles. It was not. It was closer to 35, and I'm not sure she would've agreed to join if she knew that. There was another complication too, in that one spot I expected to be able to refill on water was out of service. The parks department had shut off drinking fountains due to Covid-19. This put us low on water with 10 miles still to go. She was having lots of problems with her saddle that day too. It's never been the most comfortable for her, and she's mentioned that before, but she rides infrequently enough to forget it's a problem until the next ride. We need to change that.

The fourth was one I mapped out on a whim. It combines part of a scenic bikeway in a big ring through several small towns. Turns out this ring is also a common ride, because I later found most of it in a cycling guide book. At just under 65 miles, it's a good route for riding a metric century, because there's no real shortcuts. If you wanna quit, you'll have to hang your tail between your legs and hope someone can come pick you up. Anyways, so I tried getting my brother to join the day before, but he said no. So I tried my dad. And he agreed, under the condition that he could call mom when he wants to be done. He set out in front, setting the pace, but we soon hit a headwind, so I jumped in front and had to make sure I went slow enough he didn't disappear behind. Flats were fine, but just like McKenzie Pass, he struggled up hills. Though he had fun on the descents. At close to 30 miles, he said he'd call it in the next town, but it came up quickly and he said nope, I'm gonna keep going. At the second hill of the day though, he really called it. We made it to the top, descended to the town below, and said goodbye. He still ended up riding 51 miles. Not bad for his second big bike ride of the year.

There's some lessons too from all of this:

• Let them set the pace. It's more fun when you're close enough to talk, aren't forcing them to go fast, and spending a lot of time just waiting for them to catch up.
• The best way to let them set the pace is to let them ride in front.
• You're likely stronger rider. If you're riding into a headwind, make it a little easier on them and stay at the front.
• Communicate where you're going. Both beforehand, and on the ride, they like knowing where they are and what's ahead. If there's a turn coming up, let them know what street they're looking for. If you know the terrain, let them know if that hill rolls down the other side, or secretly keeps going up.
• Be a tour guide. If you're familiar with the area, and they aren't, tell them about it. Distract them from their tired legs by pointing out the spot you once saw a turtle. Bonus points if you can still find a picture of said turtle on your phone. Describe how the parking lot in front of some fancy new tennis courts used to be a pile of cow manure that you helped deliver while working for a college grounds department 8 years ago.
• Be patient with stopping. On a route you've ridden a bunch of times, features on it don't stand out to you, but might to them. If the want to stop and watch something, take a picture of something, or detour slightly because something looked interesting, let them.
• Keep them comfortable. Some people's level of comfort differs. My dad and brother were fine riding in cold mist. My girlfriend wouldn't have been. Some people deal with close passes by big trucks better than others (Though I'm not sure anyone likes it). Plan your route accordingly, and depending on situations, don't be surprised if they want to bail.
• Help with their bike. They might not recognize when something is wrong with their bike, or how to fix it. In this vein, I feel like I pump my girlfriend's tires up before every ride, and once helped my brother fix a crooked stem so he could pump his tire up.
• Don't feel neglected if they don't want to ride with you. They don't always feel like doing some big hard all day effort. It just isn't a priority like it might be for you.
• Make it fun. Stopping for ice cream mid ride, making it an event like camping, or choosing scenic routes or cool destinations are great for this. The scenic route part is especially important. They probably don't like climbing hills, so your favorite route that's just a loop of a bunch of the biggest local climbs isn't going to be interesting to them.

Here's some things maybe not to do:

• Take them on a camping trip. Find out the campground 25 miles away isn't open for the season yet. Convince them that staying at a campground a further 20 miles away is our best option. Try and set the same pace on the return trip as you did leaving.
• Get drunk at a friend's wedding 2 towns over, and convince them to join you on a 35 mile ride the next day to retrieve your truck.
• Climb a hill from two different directions, planning to meet at the top. Descend before they get there, don't recognize them on the descent, and keep going.
• Tell them you just want to go fast and subsequently take off, leaving them all alone on the bike ride you convinced them to join you on.
• Bike-n-hike, but choose an uphill hike at the top of the steepest climb in town.
• Say that riding across town to your parents house for Christmas is a great idea. Ignore the fact that the forecast the next day when you'll ride back calls for rain.
• Want to go on a ride, but they don't have a bike, so they borrow one from a friend, and the rear tire comes unseated, which causes the tube to go flat, so they're forced to walk/carry it for two miles.
• Don't help them adjust their seat, so by the time the ride is over, they have a giant bruise on their taint.