Tips for 1st organized ride
 

I signed up for the last leg (25 miles) of the MS City to Shore ride in NJ this coming Saturday. The ride has 7000 people (most NOT leaving from my starting point) and ends in Ocean City, NJ, where it seems like there might be some things to do and socializing for a few hours.


I have never been on a large organized ride before. I did go to their "how to ride with a large group" class this past Saturday. They reviewed what to expect during this ride and how it's organized, and gave us some tricks to help avoid collisions, avoid water bottles in road, etc.


Do you bring change of clothes? TP? I know to bring water bottle, helmet, pace myself, get a good night's sleep... Do you have any other suggestions?


Thank you in advance.


Roberta

How good are you at riding 25 miles? If that's difficult, I would practice until I got good at it.

Just hang in the back, follow everyone else and in a few miles you'll figure it out.

Just do it, you'll be fine.

On a ride with 7,000 participants there will be plenty of services and there won't be a back to hang out in. There are going to be riders all around you all of the time. Ride your own pace, try to keep a little bit of space around you and don't change lanes or do anything sudden without checking out what's behind you.

Last year I retired from the event after 23 consecutive years. You won't need TP. They have these things called porta-potties. And you won't be near the 7,000 cyclists since the overwhelming majority of them start at Woodcrest. Ride defensively and expect any people around you to do the dumbest things you can imagine. It might not happen, but you should be prepared to react if it something does. Stay to the right, and for the love of Pete, if you need to stop, get completely off the road.


Definitely bring a change of clothes and shoes if you ride in riding shoes. Who wants to hang out in bike clothes, especially if you are getting a ride back tot he start or somewhere else? The ride ends right at the boardwalk, so you can take a walk or even go on the beach. Enjoy the two big bridges near the end. ;)

This. Pretty much everyone passes me within the first ten to fifteen miles. I'll start passing people in 15-25 miles. Been my experience thus far, so I'm going to try leaving last at the next one.

Hold your line.

I've been training and can ride more than 25 miles, if flat. The bridge on the end might do me in, though. Although not as fast as most of you, I've raised my average speed to 12mph (with spurts to 14mph), from 8mph at the start of the season. I've seen pictures of Woodcrest Station at the beginning of the ride, so I'm really glad I'm leaving from May's Landing!

you dont need clothes or TP.

Hold your spot as someone said.

You're responsible for not hitting anything in front of you. Others behind you are responsible for the same in regards to you. Stay to the right (if possible) if you aren't passing, and if space isn't dead wide open, make your moves known so others don't maneuver into you. You shouldn't need TP, because organized rides take a dim view on people relieving themselves in nature en route.

Other than that, not much can prepare you til you do it. It isn't that difficult of a thing to figure out on the fly.

Yes.

Just ride predictably. Don't do anything sudden when in a group. Announce your intention if in doubt.

OP will have a blast.

There are two bridges near the end. The second one is steeper. You will likely have headwind on one of them.

As noted above, I have done this event 23 times. While you don't necessarily need clothes, they are nice to have. There is no shade at the end. It's quite handy to have a change of clothes if it's hot and stinky. Or you can stand around in your sweaty bike clothes. The ride ends at the NJ shore. If there is a cool breeze coming off the ocean it's nice to have something to put on, especially if you want to walk the boardwalk. A hat to keep the sun off your head and face is also nice to have. They transport a bag for you so there is no reason not to pack a change of clothes.

I waited three hours once for the return of my clothing only to get an apology and an assurance that they would be mailed when found. Got my warm ups back about two weeks later.

Ought to figure out a way to haul them instead. Once the ride is over, I'm ready to leave.

I finished my 25 miles, with an average speed of 12 MPH, with no issues and no walking--I even rode up those bridges with the headwind. It was fun meeting and riding with so many people that I couldn't believe my 2 hour ride was over so quickly! I got to Ocean City before the hoards of speedier riders came in, so I was a bit comforted that I wasn't near the "masses." And, I kept right...


I brought a $1 rain poncho, inner tube, sweat rag, water bottle, phone, and a change of clothes, but the weather was so perfect, I didn't need to change, as I wasn't too sweaty.


Thank you, everyone! I just started riding "longer distances" this year. My first ride in May or June was 5 miles around 8MPH. I'm hoping to ride the 45 mile section next year.


Oh, and I raised $500 for MS research.

At this event, the bags they transport for riders are at the finish and sorted by rider number--without fail. It's an amazing accomplishment. They use a professional trucking service. At the finish, the same guy has been managing the luggage for years. He has a group of enthusiastic, young volunteers group the bags. This row for Nos. 1-100, this row for 101-199, etc. They even have a row for people who forget to put their number tags on their bags, and there are more than a few of them. How they do it so well is beyond me. If I ever volunteer for the event I want to work on luggage just to see how it's accomplished so well. Then, when you arrive, the volunteers help you find your bag.

No matter what you do ... They will yell at you.

Nice job! I am considering the ride here in Florida next month.

If you are going to ride in the rain with even minimal regularity, invest in a cycling rain coat and shorts/pants that dry quickly. The poncho on a bike doesn't work anywhere near as well as you would think, especially if there is any wind or you want to move with any speed.

Other than that, congrats!

Well done Roberta. I'm delighted you had such a good time.
Bern

It was unbelievably well organized and well marked with tons of volunteers. I highly recommend it.

Nice job on your first group/charity ride! Time to start planning for future events.
I've volunteered as a marshal for the NYC Bike MS a few times; always a lot of fun.
Maybe you can join us next year? :)


And we have other charity rides that are also a hoot: