PROCRASTINATING PEDALERS

ROUTE PLANNING AND DOCUMENTATION (ROUTE BUILDING 101)

 This is to identify a few simple guidelines for planning bicycle routes for the Pedalers, and applies primarily to road rides.  The intent is to provide a library of documented routes for ride leaders to use, thereby making the task of leading a ride much easier.  Each route should be documented with a route sheet using the format of the attachments.  This also provides a means for new riders who may be unfamiliar with the Reno area to participate in our rides without any concern for getting lost (if they get dropped). 

For use in planning routes, the following files will be on the club website

-         All club routes currently documented and approved

-         A template for route preparation (Microsoft Word)

      -         A library of road segments for which distances have already been measured. (Microsoft Excel)

1. If you know of a route that would be appropriate for a club ride, you can create a route sheet using the template file (If you wish to create a route slip you will need to have Microsoft Word installed on your computer to use this template.  To download a copy of our Route Slip Template, click on this link , be patient while it loads up in Word, and then save the document to your computer to use with Word at any time you desire.)

    .  The distances for each segment may be found in the Segment Library (Excel) spread sheet.  Many distances for the Reno area are already measured, but if there are segments on the proposed route not listed in the table, please advise me and I’ll arrange to measure them, either using a mapping data base or by riding the segment.  You can also figure out how hard the ride will be by checking how much elevation is gained in the elevations table.

2. A primary consideration for a club ride is that it should be a safe route and should be within the capabilities of all club riders.  We have no control over who shows up for a club ride and that must be a consideration in the planning process.  It is however, safe to assume that anyone who signs up for a club ride possesses the basic riding skills necessary to operate a bicycle safely on local roads that are suitable for cycling.

3. Routes should be planned to use roads that have either a marked bike lane or a reasonable shoulder (marked or unmarked) upon which to ride, consistent with the traffic density on that road.  Some roads have little or no shoulder, but are safe to ride because the traffic is light and visibility good (e.g. – Red Rock Rd).