Paris Cycling B-Group

This is a very informal and friendly group that I formed in early July of 2017 shortly after my arrival in Paris from California. We are a B-Group, which means that we are fit enough to ride a 100 km weekend ride, but we aren't terribly concerned about speed. Our ride is more about the experience, seeing some beautiful countryside and making some friends.

We offer no-drop rides, meaning no one gets left behind, namely ME. We regroup along the route as necessary at key turns and at the tops of significant climbs. We average about 20 km per hour for the gruppetto group, which is typically led by Jeff on Sundays. Saturday's rides with the faster peloton group are typically led by Mehdi and average roughly 25kph.

If you're looking for a weekend training ride with a faster group of cyclists who compete in races and triathlons, this is not the group for you. I recommend checking out Paris Cycling Group, which often rides at a pace between 27-30 kph. They have a new organizer and are also doing no-drop rides. There are other groups organized by several bike shops in Paris.

If you can ride faster and don't mind stopping on occasion during a ride to wait for others in the group -- like me -- who fall behind a little on climbs, then this may be the ride for you. If you do mind doing this, then it probably isn't.

I formed this group specifically for you...and me, of course. After trying unsuccessfully to ride with some of the fast groups in Paris, I wised up and formed my own group.

We have a distinctly international flavor, which is a byproduct of my poor French language skills and how I first promoted the group (Expat was in the name of the original group). Riders who have joined meetups thus far include men and women who hail from France, Great Britain, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Iceland, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Mexico, Canada, Poland, Spain, Italy, Norway, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine and the U.S.

What we all share in common is a love of cycling and possession of passable English language skills, although many languages are spoken during each ride.

We ride most often on Sundays because the streets have less traffic than Saturdays, but in the warmer months we frequently schedule rides for both weekend days.

If this sounds enticing and about your speed, please join us for a ride. FYI, most of us have cycling computers with GPS, which we have found indispensable. I highly recommend that you get one if you don't have one. And, of course, helmets are required.

Be advised that when you click the Going box to RSVP to join a ride, you are agreeing to wear a helmet, ride safely and responsibly, accept responsibility for your own behavior and not hold the group or organizers responsible for any damages you may suffer that are no fault of the group or organizer.

We do not charge for memberships or individual rides. However, if you enjoy a ride with Paris Cycling B-group, please consider the option to make a donation to help defray the annual fees of €200 for MeetUp group organizers. Any amount will be very much appreciated.

• Donate here via PayPal

Cheers,
Jeff Ballinger

Bike shops in the Paris area recommended by PCB members:

• Paris Bike Company, 29 Rue Victor Hugo, 92240 Malakoff (bikes, bike fit, rentals, repairs)
• Wheelbuilder -- Max Besson, max.b@limaille.com
• La Chouette, 20 Rue du Château d'Eau, 75010 Paris (repairs, steel bikes)
• ATELIER CYCLER Paris 14 (formerly Alesia Cycles), 33 Rue d'Alésia, 75014 Paris (hip stuff)
• Steel cyclewear & coffee shop, 58 Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 75011 Paris (coffee, clothes)
• Le Peloton Café, 17 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004 Paris (coffee and Anglophones)
• KM0 - Kilometre Zero, 20 rue des Acasias 75017 (High-end fancy stuff)
• La Roue Liber, 32 Rue Vignon, 75009 Paris (bike fit, bikes)