Cogals (pronounce it correctly: kog-al) are meetings of like-minded misfits brought together by the promise of beer, preceded by a bike ride. Cogals are free, open to all, organized by our fellow Velominati and are always followed by consumption of post-ride recovery ales and merriment. These are gatherings of unbridled observance of Rule #4.
Cogals differ themselves from other group rides by the meeting the following criteria:
- First, Cogals are free, organized and supported through Velominati, though not necessarily a Keeper. Anyone is welcome to join a Cogal. Legally speaking, however, we have no involvement, so if you crash or die, it’s your own problem. Please be careful to study the route previously and take precautionary measures to stay safe.
- Second, a Cogal is a day-long undertaking that focuses 100% on the bike. The rides are categorized (Casually Deliberate, Rule #5, Rule #10, for example) but are long. This is what you’re doing today, nothing else; see Rule #4. Rides can be any length, but a minimum distance of 130km should be expected.
- Third, Cogals always include a session of Malted Recovery Beverage Consumption after the ride. Whenever possible, it should also include a pre-ride espresso.
Not all the events in The Cogals are actual Cogals. We also post rides and events that are of interest to the community, as well as Keepers Tours, which are Velominati-hosted, paid cycling Tours tailored to the tastes of a velominatus.
Any member of the community is welcomed to organize a Cogal. If interested, either post your interest below or email us with the following information:
- Date of Cogal
- Starting Address (ideally somewhere neutral, like a café or park)
- Route (MapMyRide, Bikely, or Strava)
- Ride Classification (Casually Deliberate, Rule V, Rule VV, or suggest another)
- A paragraph describing the Cogal
Upcoming Cogals
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Submit Your Own Cogal:
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View Comments
Hi all,
all these Cogal reports are inspiring this lurker - there should be another UK Cogal. The first one, I believe, was Shropshire earl;ier this year, so how about a year ending one in November. I don't have a route in mind, but being based in London I would suggest a tour of Essex, or Kent, or Suffolk, or......... somewhere!
Just a thought........
Cheers,
David
@King Clydesdale
I'm taking my four-year-old to watch the Montreal race.
@King Clydesdale
I'll definitely be at the Montreal race. Perhaps QC as well.
@Chris
my son and I plan to do Mont Ventoux next year sometime - possibly Easter, possibly the summer. It would be our first ever classic climb (well, any climb, really, of any description) and it seems fitting in the Tour's 100th year to honour Mr Simpson. Did you manage it this year?
Cheers,
David
@davidlhill
I've been thinking of doing that with my sons in a few years.
My wild and crazy scheme is to aim to join the Club des Cingles for my 50th birthday, so I have four years to peak.
They can do one ascent each and then wait at the top for the last one... or drag me up it, we'll see.
Well, I'll be 48 or 49. Only downside is that I'll have to do larger challenge for the next year!
As for a London Cogal, how about from Victoria Pendleton's home town to Laura Trott's and back. Have to take a roundabout route as they're only 30 or so miles apart!
Given that rumour has it that there is going to be a South Australian / Adelaide COGAL, I feel that the question of attending a " half a COGAL " needs to be opened up the the "V" community for consultation.
We live 90mins from the aforementioned possible COGAL and therefore time is of the essence.
Does doing half a COGAL sit well with the keepers ?? Or would one be banished to the darkest outpost to think long and hard about the question even being asked.
Given that some Velominati have flown, driven extreme distances and crawled kilometres over broken glass (so I'm told) to participate in a Cogal, the question is: what's really keeping you from participating fully? The answer to your question lies in The Rules.
@ten B ............ yes ......the Rules ...... loving everyone of them ........ Rule 5 in particular .... which is an everyday occurance for me as I have a C7 neck injury ...... loves to ride my bike as a release from work and the pressures of a young family also ....... so maybe I need a Rule 5.5 ............ bring on the 130k's around Adelaide and Ill see if I can make the grade ........ Glove firmly slapped in face and gauntlet thrown !! :-) ..... ahhhhhhh that was refreshing ... now just to confirm the date
@Barracuda where are you based? We're heading South of the city so if you're down that way you could easily pull the ejector lever half way but doing so if you're out North isn't really going to be worth it.
We're aiming for Sunday, January 20th , which is the same day as the pre-TDU crit around the east end of the city, so the plan is for us to do the ride, recover at the Belgian Beer Cafe & then watch the pros do their thing.
I'm in the process of putting the article together so hopefully we'll have the full details up soon.