What's In A Name?

Last winter at the Washington County Bicycle Club’s planning meeting, we discussed the value of naming our rides. Even a simple name imparts a personality to a ride in a way that “club ride” does not. I’m thinking about this again because I’m really disappointed with the turnout at our last two club rides. Our new adventure rides are doing OK, and while that almost certainly can be attributed to their longer and more challenging nature, the fact the they are named can’t be overlooked. Last Saturday’s route was gorgeous and so was the weather. I can’t help but wonder whether that ride would have been more successful if we had promoted it as the “Tour of Erin” instead of just “club ride.” Do non-members see “club ride” and assume it’s a members-only event? For 2011 we need to drop that designation and give every ride a unique name. Let’s make every ride an event, not just a bi-weekly obligation.