The training rides are designed to teach riders things that
will be critical to safety during The Ride for Missing Children. These important factors need to be understood
and practiced so that on Ride day there are no serious crashes and the group is able to stay on schedule for the
school stops.
Learning to ride side by side and staying in a tight organized line on the road is very important.
The more organized the line, the safer it is. The more efficiently we move through traffic and intersections the
better, keeping the motoring public from being delayed and/or aggravated with us.
Communication is vital to keeping the riders safe as well. Turns, stops, dangerous road sections and approaching
traffic all pose a threat to a large group ride. Leaning to get this important information to all the riders in
a timely fashion is a main goal of the training rides.
Fitness is a part of the process too. Riders should be training for fitness on their own, but the training
rides are a good way to gauge your training to see if you are training hard enough an able to keep pace for the
terrain and distance that these rides include. The training rides start at approximately 25 miles in length and
increase up to approximately 60 miles the week before the actual event. Scheduled bathroom breaks are set at intervals
similar to the legs of the ride and figured into the actual route planning of the training rides.
Riders who attend training rides on a regular basis are sure to realize the benefits on the day of the actual event
and often thank the shepherds for their efforts leading up to the big day. When you train and ride as a team we
all ride safer and happier.
On training rides, as on Ride day, some riders have the role of "shepherd." These riders are dressed
in specific colors so that they are easily identified. Shepherds lead the route, control the pace, help individual
riders who may be having physical or mechanical trouble and also provide traffic control on training rides. Shepherds
use 2 way radios to communicate with each other and the SAG vehicles.
SAG support is a staffed vehicle which carries gear, first aid supplies, tools and food/ beverages for the training
rides. It is also equipped with a bike rack so that a tired/injured rider can be transported with their bike. It
also plays a very important role by informing the shepherds of any traffic problems/concerns approaching from the
rear.
There is more about training rides and shepherds in the Riders Manual. Download it today!
Training Ride Schedule - 2012 RFMC GCD TBA
Dear Riders and Friends of the Ride for Missing Children - Greater Capital District,
Our summer training rides continue with Tuesday and Thursday evening rides on the OGS Campus, and Saturday's ride
at SCCC.
The complete training ride schedule is below. The time listed is departure time. Some details have yet to be finalized
and there will be updates as more info becomes available. Please note that there are a few open dates, so if you
would like to lead a ride this year just let us know!
We still need some SAG support drivers for the training rides. Please reply if you can help with that.
Tuesday and Thursday evening rides on the OGS Campus. Meet Jon J. in Parking lot "C".
