It's official. I'm now a Yellowjacket I've been wanting to the join the Oakland cycling club for a while, ever since I bought my road bike, but have put it off for many reasons, mostly lethargy and, well, the ski season. The ski season is over, the sun is shinning and I need people to ride with to get me out on the road consistently, so I plunked down my 30 bikes and I'm now a member of the club.

The group is much different than I thought. In my warped mind, cycling is a very homogenous sport, but not with the Yellowjackets. It's a very diverse group. Young and old, although mostly older than me. Men and women, although mostly men. Black and white. Straight and gay. Skilled and novice.

The group rides at 8am every Saturday with courses designed for all levels. Most of the rides leave from Lake Merritt in Oakland (about 2 miles from my place), but there are also routes that start from BART stations around the Bay Area and some that require a little drive, like next weekend's roll around Sonoma. Here's the ride calendar on the club's impressively up to date website.