Riding Skills

Learn safety tips for the upcoming ride. Watch this short video (just over 7 minutes) from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Group Starts & Group Riding
It is important that all riders, veteran or newbie, understand the courtesies involved with a ride this size. Follow some of these helpful safety ideas to make your ride more enjoyable.

• Recognize that in a large group there will be riders who ride at your pace.
• No matter what your pace is, do not be in a hurry at the start. This is a ride, not a race! If you purposely ride the first 5 miles at a slower, controlled pace, you will find a comfort zone.
• Riding safely in big groups requires communicating with other riders around you. Call hazards, call when passing and listen to others. Give hand signals when stopping or turning.
• Maintain your personal space. Ride smoothly and predictably. Ride in a straight line. Do not weave. Avoid sudden sideways movements.
• Passing on a bicycle is a two-way event. The passer and the passee both have responsibilities that will make the pass safe and friendly. The passers have the responsibility to ease up as they approach and wait for safe conditions to pass. The passees have the responsibility to listen, hold a steady speed and line, and go to single file to make room for the passers to get around.
• Listen and respect the Gold Wing and SAG drivers, medics and officers – they are looking out for your safety.
• Common group riding mistakes include riding in pacelines when you are inexperienced with the general process, overlapping the wheel of the rider in front of you, riding more than 2 abreast and crossing over the center stripe.

The bottom line is to ride friendly and respect the communities that we ride through. Enjoy the ride –remember that this is a fund-raiser to find a cure for MS, not a race!