Pete’s story
We all start as “new members”, in my case that was many miles ago…
October 2014, riding my hybrid bike somewhere near Chaddesley Corbett, 3 ladies passed me on road bikes wearing “Stourbug” cycling tops. What is “Stourbug” I thought? Searching the internet I discovered Stourbridge Bicycle Users Group. Well, as they say, the rest is history.
10+ years later I can boast the following: completing LEJOG (Land’s End to John O'Groats), Coast to Coast (Workington to Tynemouth and back), 2 tours of Wales, 3 cycling holidays in Majorca and 2 in the Pyrenees. In that time I have cycled an estimated 50,000 miles, fell off the bike twice (other than a broken mobile phone; nothing serious), and lost two stone in weight in the first year. I am fitter now than I was 40 years ago - one of my favourite quotes back then was “I think I will do some exercise but will sit down and hope the thought goes away”.
What I like about Stourbug is that it's not your run of the mill cycling club. It’s not a racing club but a social leisure cycling club where like-minded people ride at speeds and distances they are comfortable with alongside people of similar abilities. There is no age barrier and I’m guessing the ratio of male to female riders is about 50/50 which is nice I think.
For me, Stourbug has filled the void in my life after I retired from employment. But you don’t have to be retired to join, and you don’t have to live in Stourbridge either - I don't, and I simply join a ride somewhere en route. Members go out weekdays, weekends and evenings throughout the year. Stourbug has about 200 members and (weather permitting) there is nearly always a group of riders going somewhere.
I have made lots of friends since joining the club and feel extremely privileged and lucky enough to be part of the Stourbug cycling community. I hope that I can continue cycling for another 10 years, and as the saying goes: “we don’t stop cycling because we get old, we get old because we stop cycling!”