I think there's two different ways really

partly depends on your own preferences, and what's available locally.

Have a look online for local cycling clubs, and see if a nearby one does a 'beginners' ride (a lot do). Might be something like 30-50k (sorry!). That might sound a lot, but as long as it's a beginners' ride it'll be at a very steady speed, with waiting for anyone who gets dropped on hills or anything. You'll be surprised how far you can go without any training whatsoever (that's one of the joys of cycling).

Being with other, more experienced road riders takes a lot of the anxiety out of it (and I guarantee they'll be friendly).

If you can't see anything that looks suitable near you, or if you don't fancy starting with others, then the thing to do is just go out and try a bit of a ride or two on your local roads. Start modestly - just do a 30k ride, at whatever pace you fancy. No need for any fancy equipment at all (that'll come!), as long as your bike is roadworthy and you can fix a puncture.

Then once you've got a bit of confidence up (and if you enjoy it), then you can look into trying a club ride out. No need to actually join a club - you can just tag along at first and see if it suits. They'll all have regular social rides - those are the ones you're looking for.

Give it a try!

Posted By: Tricky Hawes, Feb 27, 12:08:55