As Spring beckons and ridership starts to rise, Tripleshot is going to try a new hybrid ride formation system on our more popular road rides. You will still sign up on Spond in advance for your ride level — A1, A2, B1 etc. — but individual road groups will form in the parking lot, like we did from 2007 to 2020.
If more than 12 riders sign up for a particular ride level, either form into even groups, or count off 12 as people roll out, leave a gap, and form a second, third, or fourth group. 12 should be the maximum. Speak up if groups get too large — and don’t be reluctant to split on the road!
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
Since adopting Spond in June 2020, the app has helped us in many ways. It kept us all riding during a tricky pandemic, when social distancing and contact tracing were important. The app has also helped manage our explosive growth.
But many members — especially longer-term ones who recall a more intimate ride community — decry the loss of a more organic ride culture, where gathering for ride meetups was a valuable part of the group experience. Spond and our structured sign-up system can facilitate ride cliques and erode the universality that comes from physically gathering and assembling groups on the fly. Spond has given members more of a consumer perspective, encouraging us to “shop around” for the best ride. But we’d like to get back to the sense that we’re all on the same team. Instead of prioritizing predictability and making it easier to ride with just one’s friends, the hybrid system encourages us all to get to know each other, to communicate, and to help each other become better riders.
Plus, from a strictly practical perspective, the profusion of individual ride events on Spond has made the app incredibly cluttered and tedious to use. These changes should clean up our Spond feeds, save us from scrolling like mad to find our rides, and dispense with the whole waiting list drama that makes it feel like trying to book a Rathtrevor campsite, several times a week.
WHY ARE WE KEEPING SPOND AT ALL?
Spond continues to offer significant value to Club communications and to organizing trail rides, TTTs, and special events. While there may come a day when we get rid of Spond altogether, it will only be when we've secured a replacement that still addresses our many communications needs. (Currently the board is taking a hard look at Slack, which we use for our own discussions. But let’s hear your ideas!)
Also: Cycling BC still requests that we continue to record ride attendance. So Spond will continue to keep track of this through ride registrations. However, we will no longer require Ride Leaders or other admins to confirm attendance after each ride. Your event sign-up alone will keep the necessary record. This means that if you aren't going to show up for a ride to which you signed up, please be sure to decline it on Spond. See here for our updated guide to Spond etiquette.
We understand the parking lot mêlée may be a new experience for the surprising number of you who joined Tripleshot during the pandemic. Forming groups on the spot just takes communication, flexibility, and sometimes a little leadership. Keep safety primary, speak up when you see an issue, and let that Tripleshot spirit of welcome and inclusiveness guide you.
In conclusion, the board approaches these changes as a pilot/beta. Nothing is set in stone! We’ll try it out for a few months and may well need to make further changes as rides pick up and flaws in the hybrid system are revealed. We may then run a poll or two to gauge how things are going, but please let us know (anytime) what you think!
Spond Hybrid: Return to Forming Groups in Parking Lot
Moderator: mfarnham