GGCC Club Run, Sunday 21st December 2025, Annual Christmas Santa Ride! - 39 Miles / 56 miles
It's that time again!! So dig out the tinsel, baubles, lights, Santa hats and whatever Christmas attire you can, decorate yourself and your bike for this year's final official club ride, the annual pootle out to Balloch!
There will be options after the coffee stop, choose to either ride straight back, or adding miles taking in the John Muir Way over to Gartness and back via Strathblane.
Festive adornments are not mandatory, but will defo make for better photos!!
Please meet under the McLennan Arch on the green for 8:30am start.
We plan to head out via our usual route along South Street onto Dumbarton road and through Clydebank and Old Kilpatrick. Once on the A82, we will take the left fork for Dumbarton, taking a right turn just after the big roundabout through Renton and on to Balloch where we will stop for a break at Mcdonalds. Afterwards we head back over the back road through Bonhill, re-joining the A82 at costa coffee and Back along the way we came out.
As mentioned previously there is also a 56 mile option for those who want a longer ride.
* Please bring money for coffee & McMuffins!
We will head out of town in our pace groups to keep it simple.
**GROUP LEADERS will be identified and nominated at Glasgow Green and a quick brief will be discussed for the ride ahead and agreed. At the split point before we move to paced groups, each group leader will get their respective group together and brief the group on the etiquette of the ride, what should and will happen and the format of the day so everyone in the group fully understands so everyone gets the most from the group they take part in.
We will go through some basic safety, group riding etiquette and group riding technique, first aid and basic bike maintenance before we set off so that everyone stays safe and knows exactly what’s happening on the ride.
For those of you who are first aid trained and have been issued first aid pack, can you please bring these along on Sunday (and each run you attend)
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AT THE ROUTE PRIOR TO SUNDAYS RIDE.
https://www.strava.com/routes/16983533
Forecast for Sunday morning is to be dry/overcast. Temperatures will be around 7-8 degrees, with a 8 mph ENE wind gusting to 19 mph.
We will split into STEADY, CHALLENGE, CHEEKY CHALLENGE
Groups should contain no more than 10 riders.
Steady is steady and usually sit between 14 – 16 mph average **NOBODY gets dropped**
Challenge should push your ability and sits about 16 - 18 mph average.
Cheeky Challenge is slightly faster and is around 18 - 20 mph.
**PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ALL GROUPS STAY TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER - THIS IS A TRAINING / SOCIAL RIDE
**these are the averages you should expect over the course of the ride in the above groups and there will be sections ridden faster and some slower depending on road profile and conditions
**Please remember to communicate within your group. If you get split due to junctions, traffic, roundabouts then get back together. If you get split as someone is really dropping off the pace then that rider steps down a group, (or steps up if going through to hard) **THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT SO BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING OR FEEL FRESH - Group Leaders may suggest a step up or down for the sake of the smoothness of the remaining group
**If you need to ask the group to slow up, we would suggest you step down as you may be in the wrong group
Please pick your group carefully and remember that all groups work together to promote group riding but steady is the only group that rides at the pace of the slowest rider and the other groups don't wait for dropped riders unless agreed amongst the group and riders on the day
**Please remember tubes, pump, levers, multitool and also please ensure your bike is in good working order, oiled, lubed, maintained **
Thanks from The Team @ GGCC