Ride Leader 101

Leading a ride is simple and a lot of fun! It is a great way to get to know more of your fellow cyclists and enjoy riding many of the beautiful cycling routes in our area. If you, are a member in good standing and would like to lead a ride, but don’t know where to start, contact the ride coordinator or one of our “fall back” leaders for assistance. Their contact information is listed below. They will be happy to help you with the process and suggest possible routes. For your convenience we have a library of ride routes on the Bikely website (www.bikely.com) for you to pick from.

Planning Your Ride

· You must be a member in good standing of the Pedalers to lead a ride. Our club’s liability insurance covers members in case of an accident. Therefore for liability purposes you must be a member to lead a ride.

· Select a date and time for your ride. It is fine to have more than one ride posted on our calendar on any day. Just be sure they are different from each other in terms of distance and/or difficulty.

· Plan your route. You may make up a route of your own or select a route from those listed in our Pedalers library on Bikely (www.bikely.com ). Just log in to the Bikely website and search under Reno, NV. Any ride that begins it’s listing with a “PP” is a tested Pedalers route. You will find distance, elevation, and can print cue sheets.

· Post the ride on the Pedalers calendar. To do this open the Dynamic Calendar, log in using “procrastinating” as the user id and “pedalers” as the password. Follow the directions on the website after you log in and your ride will be published. Check the calendar again after posting to be sure all the information is correct. If any errors appear contact the ride coordinator to edit the entry.

· If you need to cancel the ride be sure to contact the ride coordinator to post the ride as “cancelled” for liability purposes. Better yet, contact one of our “fall back” leaders to sub for you! They are a group of experienced ride leaders who have agreed to take a ride on short notice. They will lead either your ride or one of similar distance and difficulty. Their contact information is listed below. If you do have to cancel and cannot get anyone to sub for you – a two hour cancellation policy is necessary.

· Download the sign in sheet/liability waiver from the Ride Leader Information on the website. Print enough copies of your route sheets for everyone to have their own copy.

· Add your cell phone number to your route sheets so you can be contacted during the ride if necessary.

· If you are not comfortable with it, practice changing a tire or two before your ride day. Most of the time you have enough people on your ride who love this stuff, but it is better to be sure you know how to do this also. Unfortunately no matter how long you stare at them, they don’t change themselves.

· Before you begin the ride, have each rider sign the sign in sheet and take a route sheet. Rriders under 18 must bring a signed “minor release form” and give it to you prior to the ride. Once everyone has signed in, have everyone introduce themselves, briefly discuss the route, identifying regrouping points, and potential road hazards. Reiterate the rules of the road, stress safety and don’t forget to enjoy the ride!

· Be sure to do head counts along the way to keep track of all your riders. If you have a large group 12 or more, you may ask another experienced rider to act as a sweep on the ride to help you keep track of all your riders.

· Note – HELMETS ARE ALWAYS REQUIRED ON ALL RIDES. NO HEMET – NO RIDE!

· No headphones, earbuds, or ear sets are permitted on any Pedalers ride

· After the ride starts, remember you don’t have to ride off the front for the entire ride. Riding in the middle and off the back gives you an opportunity to chat with everyone on the ride, take care of the slower riders, encouraging them to keep up, and look out for everyone. Enjoy the route and make new friends. Get creative with your rides and keep them interesting and challenging.

· Remember to rate your ride and stick to that rating and your route sheet. People will choose your ride to match their abilities. Changing that plan can create frustration and confusion. The goal is for everyone to have fun.

· Be sure to schedule a couple of rest stops and a lunch break if appropriate. A well-fed cyclist is a happy one.

· For liability reasons, please hang on to your sign-up sheet for at least 10 days after your ride. If you had an accident on your ride, please forward your sign-up sheet to Sarah Bousfield and send a copy to Mary Beth Roselli. Their contact information is listed below.

Creating a Ride Route

The easiest way to select a route is to visit the Pedalers route library on Bikely (www.bikely.com). Each ride is listed with a PP for Procrastinating Pedalers and provides distance and elevation. You can choose one of those tested routes, vary an established one or create one of your own. The advantage of using our library of established routes is that we have tested them for distance, difficulty, and challenge. You can count on them to be what they are advertised to be.

If you create one of your own, be sure it is one that you have ridden before. Include an estimate of mileage, estimate difficulty, and determine the pace. Use either Google Maps, Mapquest, or Bikely to be sure the route is clear, street names correct, and all the rights and lefts are correct.

Print your route sheets to have enough for all participants and you are on your way.

Items to Bring on Your Ride

· Cell phone – share the number with your riders in case someone gets into trouble or gets lost on the route.

· Ride sign in sheet – in case you have to contact a missing rider or someone’s emergency contact.

· Route sheet

· Spare Tubes, pump, CO2 cartridges and patches

· Your ID and insurance card

· Some cash for snacks and lunch along the way

· Bring a pump, oil and a rag at the start of the ride for anyone needed to prime their bike.

Emergency Procedures

If someone is injured on your ride, follow these emergency procedures to ensure the safety of your group and your injured rider:

· Assess the injury. If it appears to be a serious injury call 911.

· If the injuries are minor, move the rider and their bike out of the road. If not, direct oncoming traffic around the injured rider until assistance arrives.

· Contact that rider’s emergency contact to inform them of the injury

· Call another rider from your sign in sheet to take over the rest of the ride for you and to ensure all the other riders finish safely.

· Remain with the injured rider until emergency assistance or their emergency contact arrives

· Make arrangements to get the injured rider’s bike collected and then go to the finish point of your ride.

· Contact, both our Treasurer, Sarah Bousefield and our President, Suzanne Bach to inform them of the accident.

All of this may sound like a lot, but once you have done it, it is easier the next time. Soon you will be a pro!

Contact Information

If you have posted a ride and for some reason have to cancel, contact our ride coordinator to post the cancellation or contact one of our “fall back leaders” to sub for you. These are experienced leaders who have agreed to take rides on short notice and are happy to fill in for you. They may not do the ride you have scheduled, but will do something very close in distance and difficulty.