We’re riding tomorrow (Thursday 6/7) leaving Hoboken’s 14th street at the water at 5:40am sharp! In and out to the park and back by 7am.
Reminder on cycling ettiqute and make sure you’ve filled out the waiver (email Andrew Shore for details):
1. Stay alert at all times. Look around – it is natural to stare at the wheel directly in front of you. Be sure to look ahead so that you can respond to any issues on the road or issues that may start ahead of you in a pace line.
2. Follow the rules of the road. Do not run red lights or stop signs!
3. Lights until it is light enough at the start of our rides.
4. Announce if an intersection is clear before going through it.
5. Ride Single File when any traffic is nearby.
6. Hold your line; do not move from side to side.
7. Don’t overlap wheels; ensure your front wheel is never beside someone’s rear wheel.
8. Don’t look back!
9. Beware of pot holes in the road and announce them to the riders behind you.
10. Don’t brake unless absolutely necessary. If you need to brake, it is best to tether your front brakes and do not slam you rear break. If you need to slow down to stop, move to the outside of the group.
11. Pass carefully on the left and announce before you do so. NEVER pass on the right.
12. When riding in a pace-line move through at a steady pace and make sure you are clear of the front rider before pulling off. When on the front of the pace-line, keep the groups pace and do not surge your speed.
* At red lights, when coming to a stop, group up and take up the lane (as a car would) or remain in single file. Announce you are slowing/stopping. Do not weave in and out of stopped cars. It takes one driver looking at his phone and not the road to veer a few inches and knock one/any/all of us over.
* Unless the intersection is totally empty, slow down and announce if the intersection is clear or not. If there is a car (even just one) stopped in front of the group, then stop behind the car. Do not go around the car. At ‘T’ intersections, take caution as you pass stopped cars.
* Do not attempt to pass slowed/stopped riders as a red light approaches. Even if the light is going to turn green before we reach it. Large groups suffer from communication delays through the peloton. Assume we’re all going to stop.
*River Road, especially southbound, have a lot of potholes and we all know where they are. Do not unpredictably and quickly go around the pot holes – slow down or move more into the interior of the lane. Lately I’ve noticed the pot holes getting bigger and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone flipped over at one. A friend of mine flipped over and broke her collar bone on the Gimbels ride from those long (parallel to the curb) cracks that I am starting to see on River Road.
* Coming down the hill out of the park and reaching the first light (Orchard Street) at a high speed and subsequently down to the route 5 intersection poses a problem to a group with 30 people as there are dangerous bottle necks. Single file while in motion and taking up a lane at red lights gives makes us predictable to cars. Most cars are nervous around groups of cyclists and either scared to pass and tailgate us or worse pass us too close and far too fast.
* Remember that New Jersey is filled with a lot of assholes and many of them drive cars like assholes. Let’s all get home in one piece, even if you don’t win the sprint home.
