Ride Leaders' Tool Kit

We Appreciate Our Ride Leaders!

Please consider volunteering to lead one of our rides.  Being a ride leader is not as big a deal as you might imagine.  Basically, you're just helping us make sure that a ride happens.  No one has ever left a ride saying, "Boy, that sure was a lousy ride leader!"  Everyone really appreciates having someone take a turn.  If you've never led a ride before, we're happy to help out.  You don't have to be the fastest or most experienced rider in the group.  You can be the slowest rider and be an effective ride leader.

Here's a list of pointers and links to help you out:

1. Choose your route:  Not familiar with the roads?  Choose a simple route.  Look at our ready-made Popular Rides list.  You can print a route slip by following the links on that page.  You can also use the web site bikely.com to draw a route. Or you can email any of the members for ideas, or to ask for a co-leader for the first time.  If you don't yet own a cycling map, good ones are either the Krebs North Bay Cycling Map, or the Sonoma County Bike Coalition Map.
2. Post your ride.  For a Saturday ride, or any other ride that's not one of the regular Tues/Thurs/Sunday rides, post your ride description on the Ride Notification Email list.  We recommend you use the template on the Ride Classification Descriptions page to describe the ride (length, difficulty, etc.). Just copy and paste it into your email posting. For the regular weekly rides, it's OK to just show up 15 minutes before departure time (that would mean showing up at 8:15 at the Apple Box) to brainstorm a route with your fellow riders.
3. Route slips:  They are not required for the regular rides, but if you're leading a Saturday or an off-the-calendar ride, it would be helpful to print out a route slip. Print around 6-10.  This can be as simple as a list of turns, and the rest stop location, if any. 
4. On ride day:  If there are any non-members in your group, they must sign a waiver form.   If you meet at the Apple Box, there are waiver forms and pens in a drawer in the white cabinet by the window.  If anyone appears without a helmet, send them home!
5. The ride:  Your main responsibility is to keep track of your riders.  If you are the fastest, ask someone to help you keep track of the rear.  If you are the slowest, tell the hot-shots where to wait for you.  Use the principles outlined in Guidelines for Group Rides.
6. Riders Under 18:  We welcome junior riders, as long as 1) they bring a waiver form signed by a parent or guardian and 2) they are accompanied by an adult rider who assumes responsibility for them.
7. "Herding cats":  It's not always possible to keep a varied group of riders together.  Don't feel badly if the group splits apart during your journey; it's sometimes inevitable.  Just agree on some meeting places along the route, don't leave the slowest rider hanging out to dry, and everyone will be happy.
8. HAVE FUN!