First organized ride/road ride. Help!

[Kathi]

A good paceline leader will warn you a group is passing and how many are in the group. Other riders will say things like " 2 more coming, or I'm the last one". Many riders latch on and have no idea how to ride in the paceline. Often the leader doensn't know how many riders are behind him. I slow down when the last rider passes me as they often will move over in front of you without looking and they can catch your front wheel. You will go down rather than them. Unless you know what you are doing avoid pacelines. Ocassionally, someone will want to draft off of you, especially if it's windy. They should ask if it's ok and only say yes is you're comfortable. I don't feel comfortable with a rider I don't know, so when I realize what is happening I just pull off the road.

On my 1st century I set my goals for the number of miles to each sag stop rather than worrying about the total number of miles I had to ride. Mentally, it made the ride easier.

I always carry food and my own energy drink. Often the sag stops have "lite" snacks which aren't substantial enough for me. If lunch isn't available I carry a lunch with me or plan to eat in whatever town I'm in at lunch time. To save time we often stop in the local grocery store and pick up a sandwich. I once bonked 2 miles from a sag stop and fortunately I had a bar with me that gave me enough energy to get there. Lunch was being served so I was good to go afterward.

If you have to stop on the road, for safety for yourself and other riders, move off the road, either into a driveway or onto a side road. If there are hills you have to walk, your bicycle should be on your left. Most people don't do that, including me.

Whenever we stop in a gas station or grocery store to use their restrooms we try to buy a little something from them. We feel it's a courtesy to the store owners who allow us to use their facilities.

I try to warn riders ahead of me about riders who don't bother to tell me they're passing. This is where a mirror is helpful, they not so startling is you see them coming.

I've ridden in the area where you will be riding but it's been a long time. My memory is that it is fairly flat. Not Little Miami bike trail flat but in comparsion to riding in the Ohio River Valley (east/west of Cincy) it's flat.

I'm currently on my way to Wisconsin for the Sagbraw tour. I'm sure I'll see a lot of "do's and don'ts" next week.

[OakLeaf]

Chuck Harris will probably show up for the ride registration with his mirrors for sale. He hits all the big rides in the area. Get one. Get a few for your friends too, because even though yours will last forever (my Chuck Harris mirror survived a crash I nearly didn't, and I landed right on it), he's getting on in years.

As others have said, be wary of drafting from all angles. Be prepared for fast pacelines passing you too close without warning - if you choose to draft, be very selective about whom you draft and ALWAYS let them know you're there - and keep an eye in your mirror so you'll know if someone's drafting you without asking, and don't be shy about asking them not to if it makes you uncomfortable.

Do get used to signaling to riders and drivers behind you. Not just people who might be drafting, but anyone within eye or earshot. Point with the hand on the same side of you as any hazard before you pass it, and call out what it is (hole, roadkill, bump, gravel...). Stopping, slowing, turning, use the same hand signals you would in a car, but also signal audibly. (Some people say "braking" to mean both "stopping" and "slowing," so be prepared for someone to come to a complete stop in front of you even if they don't actually say "stopping.") "Car back" will get passed up the line, and "car up" gets passed back.

And have fun!

[Kathi]

I have a Chuck Harris mirror with a picture of a tunnel from the Elroy-Sparta trail in Wisconsin, my 1st metric century.

[Catrin]

A good paceline leader will warn you a group is passing and how many are in the group. Other riders will say things like " 2 more coming, or I'm the last one".

I've never had this happen on the road, ever. Not one time, not from a paceline of any size. Perhaps I was invisible? Non-paceline riders have been better at alerting me to their presence. Of course this didn't mean my experience is average, and I do have a bar-end mirror so perhaps they assume I see them (which I usually do - have only been surprised a few times).