There are six objectives under Article 2 of the Sacramento Wheelmen Constitution, one of which reads: “To provide a social group in which individuals interested in all aspects of bicycling may participate.”
For this reason, we encourage you to join a club ride, meet new people, and become an active member of this club’s riding community.
- Check the Sacramento Wheelmen club website for the RIDE CALENDAR to find ride information, start locations, start times, and a GPS file link, if available. Cue sheets can be printed out from the web site of the GPS file. A variety of rides can be found on the RIDE CALENDAR. The club offers TOURS & ZODIACS, which are multi-day events, and have their own section to enable long term planning. They also show up on the RIDE CALENDER.
- Members can set up an account with the club’s group email provider. Weekday ride leaders often use the club’s email account to provide specific route information, including links to GPS files, change start times or cancel the ride.
- Items to bring on the ride:
- A helmet (mandatory)!
- Water (either in water bottles or a CamelBak).
- Food (energy bars, gels, any kind of high-carbohydrate snack).
- At least one spare tube(s) and a patch kit.
- A portable pump that can strap onto your bike frame, or a CO2 set.
- Tools: 2 tire levers, maybe a "multi-tool".
- Money for the breakfast or coffee stops.
- A bike in good condition (make sure you’ve checked it before leaving home). A road bike, as opposed to a mountain bike, is going to work best for keeping up on a club ride. While some folks occasionally join us on their mountain bikes, they must work very hard to keep up with the lighter and faster road bikes that most club riders use.
- Appropriate clothing. Lycra shorts and jerseys with rear pockets are not mandatory, but you’ll soon learn why they are the most comfortable choice for several hours on a bicycle seat.
- A Mirror is encouraged so left turns can be made safely and also to notify fellow cyclists of approaching cars and bicycles.
- Front and rear lights are also encouraged.
- Arrive early enough to meet and greet other riders. Legibly print your name on the ride roster, initial in and write in your cell phone number, too, in case the ride leader needs to contact you. Members are covered by the club’s supplemental accident insurance after signing the ride roster and riding the course. This helps the ride leader keep track of who is on the ride and to report mileage credit for riders. Initialing out indicates that the ride leader does not need to wait or look for the rider.
- Non-members must also sign the Accident Waiver and Liability Release form. Consider joining the club since members are covered by the club’s supplemental accident insurance.
- Club mileage is credited by riding the course as posted on the ride calendar. Route and ride deviations can be accommodated as long as the information is communicated to the ride leader. Riding to the start and not returning to the start or joining the ride in progress on club rides are acceptable for club mileage credit. Communication with the ride leader is expected when deviating from the ride course.
- Initial out on the roster at the end of the ride and record your miles or the ride leader can record your miles. This last step helps the ride leader determine whether or not everyone has returned safely. If the ride leader has been informed a rider is not returning to the start, it is assumed the rider has made it home safely. If not returning to the start, call, text message, or email your miles to the ride leader.
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