remstalriders - hard ride soft drink
What began as a group of friends riding together has grown into a community that welcomes everyone, from teenagers on their first bike to seasoned cyclists and even the local pastor. Their mantra, “hard ride, soft drink,” says it all: ride hard and take the time to pause and enjoy the small moments too.
We caught up with the team to learn more about their community and the traditions that keep riders coming back. Open, inclusive, and full of energy, this is a group you’ll want to join, and their eye-catching purple kit is just the cherry on top.
What inspired you to start remstalriders and bring riders together?
At first we were only a small group of friends who sometimes rode their bikes together. Doing this more often showed us how much a great community of like minded people has to give. That was when we decided to open the group up to everybody.
What's the meaning behind the teams slogan: hard ride, soft drink.
In the beginning our weekly rides were just for recovery, always stopping for a refreshing soft drink in between. As more and more people joined we split into smaller pace groups and started to challenge ourselves in a fun way, to ride hard. Our soft drink break has still always stayed the same trademark part of our adventures and is what makes us unique to lots of other events.
Who’s a rider in the group whose journey inspires everyone?
Being able to bring so many different types of riders together is what inspires us to keep going. There are teenagers who just got their first bike, seasoned cyclists, our local pastor and empowering groups of women who found a safe space, especially in our SHEOVITA events.
What small rituals, traditions, or quirks have grown into the heartbeat of the remstalriders community?
After our rides the core group always went to our local kebab place for dinner. Over time, although not a part of the program, lots of people know this and join us there.
How do you see the partnership with CIOVITA supporting the growth and foundation of the remstalriders community?
With CIOVITA we feel we found the perfect partner for us and the community. Working with a brand that shares the same values we do enables us to keep doing our thing, spreading the vibe and create a common feeling and experiences.
Every group has legendary rides or funny mishaps. Which story from the remstalriders always gets retold?
From special events like a 200km ride at 32°C to the student who was late on time and caught up to us with the highest average speed ever whilst still wearing his school backpack. Everyone has their own favourite highlight with remstalriders.
What does the next chapter of remstalriders look like?
We believe that continuing with and strengthening our community is what we‘re best at. We created remstalriders on common ground, to share time and experiences, build relationships and enjoy together. The greatest feedback we can get is if people come repeatedly, become regulars, friends. This is why we do it and what we want to preserve.
Follow remstalriders here:
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/remstalriders/)
STRAVA (https://www.strava.com/clubs/remstalriders)
Photo Credits: @underpier_
