In May, I traveled to Portland, Oregon for a week-long conference. If you're like me, it's no fun to be off your bike for a week in May, and the weather looked like it would be great in Portland.

I strapped my bike on the rack, grabbed the rest of my kit, and decided to figure out where to ride when I got there. (Tip: remember your shoes!)

After a day or two, I had some free time on a Tuesday evening (Tuesday Night Ride, anyone?) but I was in the middle of a trafficky urban area. I wanted to stretch my legs out, not sit at stoplights.

When I first joined the Mount Baker Bike Club here in Bellingham, I was immediately treated to a host of routes riding regular club rides and taking impromptu side trips with club members I had just met. In Portland, I felt a little out to sea.

Then I thought, "there must be a least ONE bike club here with a ride today!" So I started searching online, and wouldn't you know it - I found not one, but TWO Tuesday rides! The first ride I found left too early for my schedule, but the second ride left at 6 p.m. and went about 25 miles - pretty much the same as the Mt. Baker Bike Club's Tuesday Night Ride.

There was an email posted, and I wrote out of courtesy and curiosity, but I didn't get a reply. I figured I'd head to the rendezvous point anyway - a park a couple of miles away. I used our Mount Bake Bike Club RidewithGPS account (available to all club members!) to plot the route to the park and downloaded it to my head unit.

I rode out to the park and waited around for people in spandex to show up. Sure enough, they did. We all introduced ourselves and I assured them that my group riding skills were up to snuff (thanks to a full season of riding with my favorite local club). They gladly accepted me into their ranks, and off we went.

I followed their cues, and just like our group rides, people communicated the route clearly, pointed out hazards, and let me - the newbie - know what to look for and what was ahead so I could pace my ride.

Importantly, there was no way I was going to be able to smoothly and easily navigate the route they had carefully perfected over years of club riding.

So, what are the three ways to find a ride? Here are mine, in order of preference:

1. Find a local club and join their ride!

Most local clubs, including ours, have a policy of letting new riders and visitors join one ride without registering for the club. Being a member of a club gets you bone fides among other clubs, too, because there is a bit of a standard among cyclists prone to joining clubs. We all speak the same language and share a set of skills and a love of cycling.

I also wore my Mt. Baker Bike Club jersey - represent!

If you're coming to Bellingham from out of town, and you're reading this - please feel free to join one of our rides!

2. Find a local bike club and copy their routes

If your schedule doesn't allow you to meet up with other cyclists on their scheduled club ride, they might publish some of their routes. The Mount Baker Bike Club RidewithGPS account has a number of our routes published publicly. (There is a whole library full of rides that club members can access, too!)

3. Look up a club on Strava and see what routes the members ride

If you look up a club on Strava, you can see what rides some of their members are taking. These might be regular rides or just great local routes that aren't easy to find anywhere else.

For instance, I rode with members of Portland Velo - and the Mt. Baker Bike Club also has a Strava Club where you can see groups of us on our weekly group rides together. To search clubs, look for the search icon on Strava, and change the search from "Athletes" to "Clubs."

Find some nice-looking ride and copy that route to your head unit. Comments under the ride might give you up-to-the-minute local knowledge and conditions, as well.

Or, just deduce from the people all riding together and the name of the Activity ("TNR" is a pretty common abbreviation for "Tuesday Night Ride" on Strava) when and where the group ride is, and show up with your bike and your group riding mindset!

Finally, when you do take that great out-of-town ride, get a picture and send it to us or post it on our Facebook page so we can share the adventure - and maybe take it ourselves!