Learn about weight-loss program of the Des Moines Cycle Club
Georgie Libbie, president of the Des Moines Cycle Club, will be the speaker Thursday, April 24, at 6:30 pm when the newly-reorganized Cyclists Of Greene (COG) bike club meets at the Greene County Community Center in Jefferson. The event is free and open to the public.
Libbie plans to describe the Des Moines club’s full expansive program, but she will focus on a major success they had last year with a “Pedal Off The Pounds” program. “We thought we might have 20 to 30 people interested, but we wound up with just under 100,” she said. “I guess everybody is interested in losing weight.”
They followed the recommendations of Des Moines-area bicycling coach David Ertl, who authored a book with the “Pedal Off The Pounds” title. It included dividing the group into teams, doing regular bike rides, and having weekly group meetings with weigh-ins and programs. Some of those programs included speakers on improving health; others had fun challenges, like a race to determine “who could ride the slowest.”
Participants in the program last summer lost more than 500 pounds collectively. Libbie lost “38 or 39 pounds” herself.
“Everybody who stuck with the program lost weight and felt good about that,” she said. “But another good thing that happened was that we introduced a lot of people to cycling who had never done it before. It can be kind of intimidating starting into the sport, when you see all the fancy bikes and clothing. We made sure we were welcoming to everybody. We didn’t dress fancy. We assured everybody this was about improving our health, meeting some new friends and making it fun.”
The Des Moines Cycle Club has about 300 members and is one of the oldest bike clubs in the state. It has a full program of regular rides around the metro area, sponsors a large RAGBRAI group and also has its own racing team. The club has monthly meetings with programs. One of its largest rides is the annual “Tour the Raccoon” weekend-long ride using the full length of the Raccoon River Valley Trail, with an overnight stay in Jefferson during the Bell Tower Festival. That ride is set for June 14-15 this year.
Cyclists Of Greene, which was informally organized in 2010, is now “the bicycling program” of the Jefferson park & recreation department. Craig Berry is COG president; Helen Leavenworth is secretary-treasurer, and Chuck Offenburger is rides director.
From May 1 thru October, the club will offer Sunday evening family rides (within Jefferson) at 5 pm.; adult rides (generally on the RRVT and in the countryside) on Wednesdays at 5:30 pm and Saturdays at 8 am; women’s rides (exclusively for adult women) will be scheduled if there is interest, and there will also be monthly “Full Moon Rides” on the RRVT. The first of those moonlit rides is Wednesday, May 14, with departure at 7:30 pm. There will be other special group rides during the summer. All the COG rides will start from the Jefferson Depot. Helmets are required and participants will be asked to sign liability waiver statements.
For more information on Sunday family rides, adult rides and women’s rides, call Offenburger at 515-370-2659. For more information on Full Moon Rides, call John Brunow at 515-370-5521. There will be frequent information updates on the Cyclists Of Greene page on Facebook.
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