Taking the Tour de Singles

So, you’re single. You’re tired of house parties and meat markets. And while meeting a special someone would be nice, you would be happy just meeting fun people and enjoying the outdoors.

How does Single Cyclists sound? The group has a ride coming up Sunday morning along the Royal Oaks-Santa Fe Dam bike path.

Group founder Walter Crowe promises you don’t have to be a Greg LeMond to pull off the Tour de Singles.

The rides are on flat paths, and the skill levels of the riders vary.

“One of the nice things about this group is that it’s pretty heterogeneous,” with people ranging in age from their 20s to one woman in her 70s, Crowe said. “The people that keep coming back enjoy bicycling. They enjoy the light intermediate level. They enjoy the socializing.”

Crowe and company are prepared for beginners too.

“We have a sweep rider,” he said. “There’s always somebody in the back. We try to stop periodically. It does break into two or three little grouplets.”

Crowe remembers what it was like to get back in the saddle after a long hiatus. He and two other friends started the group in February, and Crowe said it had been a while since he had ridden.

“Actually, one mile killed me getting back on a bicycle,” he said. It was rough “the first couple times. You get to different plateaus very quickly.”

Crowe said that the purpose of the group is to have fun biking with other singles. In fact, people who are, as he says, “scouting out” don’t usually stay with the group.

On the other hand, romance has been known to flower. It’s just not the point.

“I don’t want to sound philosophical. People meet through doing things that they enjoy,” he said.

The group will meet at Buena Vista and Orange avenues in Duarte at 9 a.m. Sunday. A $2 donation is requested to cover the cost of the group’s mailings and ads. Information: (818) 794-7064.