How to Host a Ride | coloradotandemclub

Hosting an Official Ride

These are instructions for hosting a "formal" club ride.

1

Choose a ride!

This is the really fun and creative part. You can choose your team’s old favorite or something new. Roads or bike paths, rolling hills, flat terrain or straight up a mountain! There are quite a few rides already selected on our web site to choose from. These rides already have route sheets made up, other than a practice ride (see below) they are ready to go. Remember you are “hosting” the ride not “leading” it; you don’t have to be the fastest team on the ride to help out the club and host a ride.

2

Decide: Social ride or Hammer ride?

The next step is to decide if you want it to be a social ride or a hammer ride. The difference is not just the pace of the ride. You can go fast on both a social and a hammer ride.

On social rides, we wait for all the tandems teams to re-group every so often.
We also stop as a group for fixing flats or repairs.
On a hammer ride the teams just hang on and go.

3

Start time and starting location

Think about your start time and starting location. Spring rides usually start at 9 am which allow it to warm up a bit, but in the summer you can start at 8 to avoid the heat and any afternoon thundershowers. The club guidelines are if it is less than 40 degrees and the pavement is wet we do not hold the ride. If it is poor weather the morning of the ride, don’t worry about trying to let people know the ride is canceled, they are all adults and can figure it out for themselves.

The start location needs to have parking and bathrooms are very helpful. Maybe it has a place to grab a bite to eat after the ride also.

You may want to pre-ride the route to become familiar with the route if it is new to you and to see if there is any road construction etc. This way you can plan your bathroom breaks/rest stops/water spots or re-grouping spots. By pre-riding it you will be able to produce a perfect route sheet. As you make the turns have your stoker jot them down with mileage to make up your route sheet. You can also use Google maps to make up your route sheet.

4

Prior to the ride

Send an email to news@coloradotandemclub.org with the details so it can posted on the website and included in the weekly Wednesday email to help promote your ride.

Create and print out the route sheet.
Print out the Release of Liability Form (the Sign-Up Sheet).
Print out a set of business cards from our web site after adding your name and cell
number to them.
Set these forms with your biking gear to bring with you to the ride

The day of the ride

Arrive at the starting spot 20-30 minutes early.
As the riders arrive, have them sign the release of liability form and pass out a route sheet
and business card to them.
Right before the start time, gather the riders together in a group and review the route,
regrouping points, points of interest etc.
It is always a good idea to cover ride safety tips, also.

5

After the ride

Consider a post-ride gathering to socialize, eat, drink and laugh.

Mail the sign-in sheet to:

Colorado Tandem Club

PO Box 17454

Golden, Co 80402

Thank you for your help in sharing the fun of tandeming!!