This year, 21 people completed our 2021 Rider Satisfaction Survey, which was open September through December, and we collected feedback via a short, nine-question survey. The survey, over the last four years, has been largely the same, with minor changes to questions 5 (ride speed), 6 (preferred routes), and 7 (cycling kit), some years.

The first four questions were basic satisfaction inquiries. All participants reported that our group rides meet their needs, 95% of participants said they were satisfied or very satisfied with our club, and 95% said we have very-high-quality or high-quality rides. The safety of our rides was rated as above average or excellent by 76% of participants, which is the first time in four years that it’s been below 92%. Safety was also the most common theme in the comments.

This year, we modified question 5 and its answer choices, to ask the survey participants to rate the speed of our rides in a different way. Rather than rating how fast the rides are compared to performance, we asked participants to rate how easy or difficult the rides are compared to their fitness. It’s a subtle difference that makes comparison with previous year’s data suspect. All responses were in the sweet spot of easy to difficult, with twice as many selecting the later. No one thought our rides were very easy or very hard. I will continue to be attentive to our speed and do what I can to ensure that we stay together for the first 90% of the ride.

The next question (6) asked about your preferred ride routes. This year, we asked which types of routes we should ride more often, rather than which routes you prefer. Rural roads garnered the most support, followed by suburban roads. Wind direction and weather will continue to affect my route selection, with a bias toward rural and suburban roads.

A question about club kit was next (7), and I’ve changed this one each year, as the items that we’ve recently offered has changed. This year, I asked “when are you interested in purchasing our club kit (bibs and jersey) from Garneau?” And, 48% answered 2022, while 29% answered 2023, so we will offer our club kit again in 2022.

Question 8 asked how long you’ve been riding with the club. Just two of this year’s new riders were survey participants. 66% of the participants have ridden with the group for 5 years or more.

Comments and Concerns

Question 9 was an open-ended field for your comments, questions, or concerns. The responses had a few themes, which I’ll address below. Many of you used this field to put a personal touch on your survey responses. Various forms of “thank you” were frequent and appreciated.

Safety was the most common theme in the comments. Those comments are featured in the quotes in this post.

You may view the 2021 Rider Satisfaction Survey results for yourself.