Breadcrumb Navigation:

National Home > Chapters > Greater Delaware Valley > Fundraising Events > Bike MS > Safety & Training Zone > Group Riding

Bike MS safety zone

Group Riding

User Options:

Text Size

This summer, more than 7,000 cyclists will ride the roads in South Jersey and Pennsylvania Dutch country to create a world free of MS. That means group riding skills will be in high demand. Are you prepared to ride safely?

| Group Riding Basics | Group Riding Skills Courses | Group Starts (City to Shore) |

Group Riding Basics

Group ridingGroup riding takes practice. Riding with other cyclists all around you may cause you to feel trapped. Relax. It is most important to create your own safety zone. This may vary depending on the speed and ability level of the people you are with, so be flexible. Let others know of your anxiety - they may also be new at this.

Your responsibility in a pack includes:

  • Follow police direction and all traffic signals and signs.
  • Be aware of others around you.
  • Communicate well in advance. Use gestures in combination with verbal commands.
  • Ride with your head up. Look down at the road: not at the person in front of you.
  • Maintain control and speed of your bike, even going downhill.
  • Know your limits. Crashes can occur when inexperienced cyclists do not have the bike-handling skills to make quick decisions in a pack.
  • Safety starts with you. A group mentality is not always safe. Expect to stop at all red lights and stop signs - it’s the law! Each cyclist is responsible for verifying that the intersection is clear.
  • Adjust your safety zone to fit the conditions of the road, weather and traffic. Always plan an escape route.
  • Never overlap your wheels with another cyclist.
  • Do not use areobars in a pack.
  • Be aware of how weather will affect your bike. Riding in wet conditions requires slower speed and greater breaking distance.
  • Be respectful of other riders. Help others when needed
  • Pace lines can be dangerous. Never ride in a pace line with cyclists during Bike MS weekend. Do not ride more than two abreast.

Click here for additional group riding tips (PDF, 205 KB).

Back to top
 

Group Riding Skills Courses

League of American Bicyclists logoBike MS has partnered with the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), a national organization dedicated to cycling, cycling advocacy and cycling education, to offer our cyclists Group Riding Skills (GRS) Courses, to provide the knowledge and resources they need to cycle safely during Bike MS weekend.

The GRS courses benefit novice and experienced riders, individuals and team members. We strongly encourage all Bike MS cyclists to join us for a GRS course this summer.

Back to top
 

Group Starts (City to Shore)

Group startDue to the number of cyclists starting at PATCO Woodcrest Station (75 & 100-mile start) Saturday morning, a staggered start has been instituted. Remember, you are starting with 7,000 other cyclists and it is important that all riders, veteran or novice, understand the courtesies involved with a ride the size of City to Shore.

Staggered Start Schedule: Click here
Staggered Start Map: Coming soon

Staggered Start Tips:

  • Be aware and courteous of the Bike MS staff and volunteers directing cyclists in and around the start shoot
  • Only enter the start shoot via the staging area (see map)
  • Stay out of the start shoot at all times! (unless it is your group's turn to be released) – remember, you may just be arriving to PATCO, but your fellow Bike MS cyclists may be getting on the road.
  • Only cross the shoot at designated areas (see map)
  • Pay attention to when it is your group’s turn to start – arrive to PATCO early to make sure you can leave on time
  • Listen for your group to be called over the loudspeaker
  • Only enter the staging area when your group is called
  • Be patient

Back to top