Personal SAG Drivers on Organized Rides

[velogirl]

Looking for some opinions here. What do you think about folks who have friends/SOs drive the entire century route when they're riding, stopping, taking photos, etc?

I personally think it's a waste of gas (and irresponsible toward our environment). I've been trying really hard to cut out unneccessary driving in my life and I can't imagine having someone come along to "drive" the route of a recreational century I was riding. That's 100 miles of killing the environment.

I also think it's dangerous for the riders -- who wants more cars on the road when you're riding with 100s or 1,000s of other riders? We had some really bad experiences with a national TnT event in Lake Tahoe a number of years ago, and there was at least one car-bike collision that I know of (and the car was a friend/supporter of the cyclist).

Am I nuts, or do some of you share these opinions?

[snapdragen]

I agree with you velogirl. One year at the Cinderella there was someone following his SO in his little sports car. Not exactly a SAG car...and constantly in the way.

[SadieKate]

100% with you. Every organized ride I have been on this year with the exception of the 200K route for the Wine Country had a noticeable increase in traffic from private SAGs. Just volunteer as an official SAG for goodness sake! I wish the organizers would get more assertive about asking them to leave.

By the time the same unmarked car has whizzed around you 5 times and you've had to ride out into traffic to get around them parked only half off the road, your scenic ride on "low traffic roads" is pretty much not so scenic and definitely loosing out on the fun factor.

Official SAGs are there for all necessary support (and the clubs can always use more) and we should all learn to be self-sufficient for foreseeable necessities.

And the cheering hubbies I've seen on the Cinderella . . . :rolleyes: certainly isn't letting the wifey-poo be an independent cyclist.

[Eden]

Totally agree - our biggest ride here, the STP (8,000 riders!) by the Cascade Bicycle Club, specifically requests that you do not bring your own private sag, as they feel that it is dangerous and they already provide as much support as you should need to complete the ride.

[Nanci]

Here, some of the Centuries prohibit personal SAG vehicles. The TORSV ride gives drivers maps with an alternate route, so the non-riders can stay off the route, but still meet up with their riders at stops. (There's a non-rider fee so they can eat). For Brevets, it's against the rules to receive assistance from anyone but the RBA anywhere except the controls.

Still, I've seen a lot of older men with their really ancient mothers following them along in a car- they worry or something.

Nanci

[sarahkonamojo]

The Non-Riding Spouse, know it well. (Non-riding Mom, non-riding friend, and non-riding rider also appeared.) Just came off a ride with a lot of them... Ride the Rockies. Due to the length of the ride in both miles and days some people apparently can't handle life without a personal sag. (The ride is more than adequately supported.)

the ride organizers suggest alternate routes for cars, but certainly personal sags just put more cars on the road. And not all of the personal sags take this advice. On top of the increased traffic many of these personal sag vehicles are RVs and campers. Sigh...

SKM

[Grog]

I just can't believe what I'm reading....

Glad I've never seen that problem on an organized ride! I remember now reading about it in the info booklet of the Grand Tour (one-week supported ride in Quebec), they kindly asked not to have friends/family following you in a car for security reasons... Thank God!!

[Deanna]

Most of the organized rides I've been on officially ban them, and I guess I've been lucky enough to pick ones where the support is so good people don't need them. I think the idea of centuries is to challenge yourself a little AND get away from cars. Personal sags defeat that.

My husband does a ride/race called the Everest Challenge, where, a rider can have "personal sag" but they must get one of the official signs for the car and you must be ABLE and WILLING to help any other rider in the same class as your rider.

[SadieKate]

I guess I've been lucky enough to pick ones where the support is so good people don't need them. I think the idea of centuries is to challenge yourself a little AND get away from cars. Personal sags defeat that.Doesn't matter how wonderful the support is, some people feel they need their own personal driver - no matter how it impacts others.

[mimitabby]

in 1992 when my kids did their first STP with their dad, I did follow them (not right behind!) but I met them at prearranged stops in our van every 30 miles or so. They were 10 and 12 years old and it was a long hot ride. (and their dad was 6 weeks post knee surgery) In later STP's I only met them at the overnight stop. I hate driving a car amidst all those bikes and always try to take alternate routes.

[Pedal Wench]

The Non-Riding Spouse, know it well. (Non-riding Mom, non-riding friend, and non-riding rider also appeared.) Just came off a ride with a lot of them... Ride the Rockies. Due to the length of the ride in both miles and days some people apparently can't handle life without a personal sag. (The ride is more than adequately supported.)

the ride organizers suggest alternate routes for cars, but certainly personal sags just put more cars on the road. And not all of the personal sags take this advice. On top of the increased traffic many of these personal sag vehicles are RVs and campers. Sigh...

SKM
Ah! I was there too! Except for the personal SAGs for the adaptive cyclists, I wish the rest would have stayed away. Some days, they really got in the way! Every rest stop had 10-20 extra vehicles that you know were personal support. Why? I can't figure out what purpose they serve?

PS - Did you have a blast? I did!

[Aggie_Ama]

Ugh, unfortunately I saw one this year on the BP MS150 (Houston to Austin). They provide an alternate route, but one Jeep was around every day. They have a TON of support, plenty of sag vehicles and a lot of motorcycle medics/sag. With 13,000 riders personal sags are just a bad idea. The Jeep driver kept slowing for her rider, following along. She would have been hindering traffic at anytime. It isn't fair for one person to witness their rider and it would not be safe for everyone to bring along fans. That is what the grand finish of the MS150 is for! Annoyed the snot of me.

[weathergal]

There was a bunch of them on Biking Across Kansas. They got so familiar that by the end of the week you pretty much knew which vehicles were private SAGs and which were local traffic. Kind of got annoying playing leapfrog all the time.

However, I probably shouldn't rag on the ones in our ride very much. When headwinds and hills got really bad and many riders couldn't take it, the personal SAGs were really good about giving people rides, even if it wasn't "their" riders. I caught a ride with one of them myself to the endpoint when I got sick on the last day. Although I suppose a lot of them could have just volunteered to be offical SAGs.

[Kathi]

My SO and a friend did Ride the Rockies also. I couldn't because I'm still rehabbing my knee. I drove with them to Cortez, spent Sat. nite with them, then came home. On Friday, I drove to Canon City and picked them up.

I did notice a lot of non riders, we had a couple camped near us that was sagging their son. I asked what they were going to do all week and they didn't have a clue! I felt I was much better off at home, rather than hanging around, clogging the roads and wasting gasoline.

It wasn't clear, does RTR charge for non riders? No one questioned me being there and I could have easily spent the week. Also, non riders cause congestion at the camp sites, especially in the bathrooms, take up more tent space and motel rooms.

On Sun morning, instead of using the few sinks available I drove into Durango and stopped at a gas station to wash my face and brush my teeth. I had to stop anyway, the group serving breakfast ran out of coffee and there was a long line at the coffee stand outside.

Did anyone have any dealings with SportsGarage? That's the shop I ordered my Serotta from.

[Trek420]

My opinion is the non riding DH, DP, SOOTOG, SOOTSG, PITA .... whatever if you simply must see, help, be there for, lend emotional and moral support for the rider then by all means CREW!

Sign up, volunteer, help out or otherwise be of service to all.

[Pedal Wench]

Kathi,

Thanks. As a rider, I really appreciate that you went home. No offense, really, but by reducing the number of cars along the route, you made it much safer for me and everyone. Thank you.

I know that they give alternate routes for personal SAGs, but many days, there were no alternates. I realize that they provide a valuable service, and help out other riders too, but there were plenty of official SAGs that would provide that same service too. Like someone else said, we got to know the personal SAGs - "Oh, look, there are the people with the Shelties".

Maybe the personal SAGS could leave extra early, or wait until we're all off the road before they do the drives.

Does anyone who did RTR know if personal SAGs were allowed on the route up to Royal Gorge? Any extra traffic on that would have been really a bad idea - there were folks walking and weaving all over the place!

[sarahkonamojo]

Really had a great time on Ride the Rockies this year. Didn't love the pace line crash I witnessed, but overall great people and great ride. (I won some really nice wheels, too!)

This is only my second Ride the Rockies, but I was much more aware of all of the personal sags this year. Certainly, some riders require sags, the para-cyclists and extremely young/old riders, but most of the sags were unnecessary. The only time the organizers verify your rider status is at bike check and if you require official sag or assistance. I'd say the camping space (shower space) was the real issue, particularly in Chama.

Great ride in spite of the sags and I didn't need a sag. (yea!) Only 2 flats and both caught pre-ride. Oh and those last hills up to the royal gorge, killer.

SKM

[Pedal Wench]

This was my second RTR too, and like you, noticed the vehicles much more this year (last year was my first.)

The ride was incredible - thought I would tip over on the climbs the last day!

Did you win the Cane Creek wheels??? I heard them call your name - almost missed our shuttle to Denver trying to win them! I demo'ed them on the day we rode from Chama to Alamosa. They were incredible on those climbs. I'm seriously thinking about buying a pair. They were really stiff and fast. Beat me up a little bit on those bumpy county roads outside of Alamosa, but they made up for it with speed. You'll love them!

[Kathi]

I was there when you won the wheels too! Remember to pick up both wheels next time! :D

Do you realize that you were standing about 15 ft from me!

The only cars allowed going to Royal Gorge was for the para-cyclists. There was more traffic east of Alamosa because the major east-west road in that area was closed because of the forest fire around the pass.

Also, maybe some of the private sags were riders that were riding part of the route then having the sag pick them up or switching places.

[sarahkonamojo]

I won Zipp wheels. I haven't tried them yet. Getting some new tires first.

There were no personal sags up to the Gorge. They did a good job of stopping them at highway 50.

SKM

[hibiscus09]

The only reason I would object to personal sags is due to the increased vehicles among the cyclists. I'm doing the MS150 this year and they do not allow personal sags.