Bates College Cycling Club | Group Rides & Racing in Lewiston, Maine
Bates Cycling
{{ p.alt }}

Bates Cycling Club


Weekly group ride

Every Sunday

{{ nextRide.time }} · {{ nextRide.meet }}

{{ slideLabel }}

No drop, every time.

The Sunday ride waits for the last rider at every turn. A ride leader stays at the back the whole way.

You don't need a road bike.

Mountain bike, hybrid, the one from high school in your closet. If it shifts and stops, it works.

No experience required. Bring a helmet.

Haven't ridden since September? Most of us hadn't either. Show up, we'll handle the route.

A Bates rider cornering in a cyclocross race by the water Heath Fellows in a blue kit sharing a post-ride snack on a curb Five Bates riders smiling on a back road during a summer group ride A Bates rider catching air on a mountain bike trail in the pines

About the club

We're a student-run club that rides the roads and gravel around Lewiston–Auburn together every Sunday. Most members just ride. Some race in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference in the spring and cyclocross in the fall, and anyone who wants to try it can. Nobody has to.

Rides

One ride a week. Nobody gets dropped.

We ride together every Sunday. Just show up, no fitness test. If you're new, tell whoever's leading and they'll ride with you.

Every Sunday

DayTimeRideDistancePaceMeet at
{{ s.day }} {{ s.time }} {{ s.ride }} {{ s.distance }} {{ s.pace }} {{ s.meet }}
{{ s.day }} {{ s.time }}
{{ s.ride }} · {{ s.distance }} {{ s.pace }} · {{ s.meet }}

What to bring

  • A helmet. The only hard rule.
  • Any bike that shifts and stops.
  • A water bottle and a snack for anything over an hour.
  • A spare tube and pump if you have them. 
  • Front and rear lights from October to April.
  • Your phone and student ID.

What to wear

Dress for 10° colder than it feels standing still. Running tights and a fleece work fine.

50° Short-sleeve jersey or tee, arm warmers, shorts. A light vest in your pocket.
45° Long sleeves over a base layer, knee warmers or tights, light gloves.
40° Thermal top, full tights, full-finger gloves, wind vest, headband over the ears.
35° Base layer and a winter jacket, thermal tights, winter gloves, shoe covers or wool socks.
30° Everything above, plus a windproof shell, a cap under the helmet and toe warmers. We ride a shorter route.

Trails too.

Got a mountain bike? Some Sundays we skip the road and ride singletrack. Same rule: we regroup at every junction.

Two riders on a rocky mountain bike trail through the woods A Bates rider jumping on a wooded trail

Route library

Difficulty runs 1 to 5. A 1 is flat and short, good for a first ride. A 5 is long with real climbing.

Difficulty
Surface
Sort

{{ routeCount }}

Strava
{{ r.name }} {{ r.dist }} {{ r.elev }} {{ r.time }} {{ r.surface }} {{ r.dotsOn }}{{ r.dotsOff }} Route ↗ —
{{ r.name }} {{ r.dotsOn }}{{ r.dotsOff }}
{{ r.dist }} · {{ r.elev }} · {{ r.time }} · {{ r.surface }} Strava ↗

No routes match.

Racing

Collegiate racing in the ECCC.

Bates races road in the spring and cyclocross in the fall as part of the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference. Categories run from category 5 (first timers) to category 1/pro.

A rider in a blue skinsuit on a time trial bike at speed
{{ e.date }} {{ e.event }} {{ e.host }} · {{ e.where }} {{ e.type }}
Podium at the Green Mountain Stage Race Mountaintop podium at the Green Mountain Stage Race

Club president Heath Fellows '27 on the podium at the Green Mountain Stage Race, Vermont.

A Bates rider in club kit racing up a climb A Bates rider celebrating on a race podium

What a race weekend involves

Friday. We leave campus in the afternoon in club vans, bikes on the rack, and check into a shared hotel near the course.

Saturday. Usually a road race or time trial. Your category races once, for about an hour in D, longer as you move up.

Sunday. Usually a criterium: short laps on closed streets. We drive home in the afternoon and are back for dinner.

Points from every rider count toward the team's conference standing, so a D finish matters as much as an A finish.

Two riders in sleeping bags in the back of a car with mountain bikes on the roof
Not every trip is a hotel.

What it costs

{{ c.item }} {{ c.cost }} {{ c.who }}

Getting a USA Cycling license

  1. 1Make an account at usacycling.org.
  2. 2Buy a membership that includes collegiate racing and choose Bates College as your collegiate club.
  3. 3Send your license number to the race director so you're added to the roster.
  4. 4Start in cat 5 unless you've raced before. Upgrades come from results.

Questions? Email {{ site.email }} or message us on Instagram.

Join

Joining is showing up.

{{ site.dues }}

{{ site.dues_note }}

What you need to show up

  • A helmet
  • A bike that shifts and stops (any kind)
  • Water and something to eat
  • That's it. No kit, no clipless pedals, no Strava.

Officers

{{ o.name }}, {{ o.role }}
Photo: {{ o.name }}, square headshot

{{ o.name }}

{{ o.role }}{{ o.yearLabel }}

The monthly email

One email a month: Sunday ride plans, race weekends, and where we're getting coffee.

You're on the list. See you on a ride.

Sponsors

Skratch Labs First Endurance Jakroo

Bates Cycling Alum?

We want to connect! Follow along on Instagram and let us know if you're in the area to ride. We'd love to hear from you at {{ site.email }}.