Hey there NCC Member
You probably noticed that it's been raining a lot. The first half of May felt like the last half of October, but the weather is finally getting wicked nice, so we hope you're getting out there and enjoying it safely. That doesn't mean our Zwift
virtual Club rides are stopping, though! And you can connect on our
Discussion Groups. So we'll see you online!
Club Update
The Baker/Polito Administration recently announced its phased approach to re-opening Massachusetts after requiring strict social distancing since Mid-March (without fully mandating a lockdown). Despite the outdoor nature of Cycling, most of our activities and events would likely fall into Phase 4, which is quite a ways off.
So what does that mean? Well...it's very disappointing, but we're cancelling both the Massochista and Youth Cyclocross for 2020. Because there is still so much unknown about future risks from COVID-19, it's safest for these events not to happen this year. We're a Club that is all about fun and healthy activity, but the potential remains for these activities to be very unhealthy. Everyone registered for the Massochista will receive a refund.
Club Rides Remain Virtual
Because of the pandemic and the risk of virus transmission, we have not been running group rides this season. While we're continuing to watch and follow guidance from public health officials, right now the situation remains unchanged: no group rides. As the situation progresses and it is deemed safe to hold group rides in some capacity, we'll figure out ways to experience some aspects of this community together, in person again. When we do return to riding together, it most certainly won't be the 50-rider mass-start Wednesday Night Rides as we've had in the past, we are much more likely to see (much) smaller groups of 5-10 departing at different times. We are looking at ways to return to riding together safely, and some type of modified Tuesday night TT series might be the first thing to come back. If you've got thoughts or ideas or concerns, please let us know. In the meantime, we're continuing to ride solo outdoors and crank the cranks in the virtual worlds. As plans unfold, be sure to keep an eye on the
NCC Event Calendar for details.
Again -
this is far from certain. We just wanted to include it because this newsletter was on track to be a tremendous bummer.
What is certain is that there are
NCC Zwift Rides and Races scheduled through June, and we're having fun there. Ride Leader Michael Bello even put together this great
NCC Zwift Guide to help you get oriented.
Don't forget about
our discussion boards, too! It's a great place to share pictures and stories from rides directly with the Club and our members.
Virtual Hangouts
Because many of our members are friends and, in general, as a Club we tend to like one another, we're hosting occasional virtual hangouts as scheduling allows. Be on the lookout for an invite to the next one!
Until things change, we'll excitedly wave when we see another NCC kit riding down the opposite side of the road.
