We continue to celebrate May bike month, and Week 3 of our Ride Series could be our most interesting ride yet. We’re meeting up at Transit and Main at Brennan’s Bowery Bar Saturday May 19th at 9am for a tour of Harris Hill. Ride starts at 9:30. This will be the 3rd of our four planned rides every Saturday in May.

Before we continue, a couple of other Bike Month announcements. First, today is bike to work day. If your job and schedule permit, we would encourage you to participate. Once you’ve done it we hope you make biking to work a part of your summer routine.

Secondly, Sunday May 20th is Skyride, GoBike Buffalo’s annual aerial ride over the skyway in downtown Buffalo. Registration is required, but it will be an experience you will never forget – and the ride is more gentle than you may expect. You can find out more information on the GoBike Website.

With that out of the way, ley’s get back to our May Ride Series. Last week we all woke to rain, but it was gone before our ride started from Main and Nottingham, and we had a delightful ride through several Harris Hill neighborhoods.

As we reminded you last week, this is not a full-blown slow roll. This will be a smaller, unsupported group ride following vehicle and traffic laws. Our goal is to keep everyone together at an easy-going 8-10 mile pace that should return us to our start sometime between 10:30 and 11:00am. We will be heading north this week, so we will have a bit of a climb on the return, but most of the ride will be level to gently rolling terrain.

To get from where we are going to the meat of our ride we will be negotiating some busier sections at the very start, and we will have a couple of strategic left turns along the route – so stay sharp, stay together and remember your hand signals.

Here’s a look at our Week 3 route:

As always, please remember these few tips to help ensure you have a fun and safe ride:

Before You Ride – ABC Check:

• AIR. Pinch your tires to check for firmness before you ride
• BRAKES. Make sure they work and are not rubbing the tire
• CRANK/CHAIN. Any problems with your gears or chain? Check it over – Check your entire bike over for anything loose or damaged.

Obey the Rules of the Road:

• #1 RULE – Be aware of your surroundings!
• Obey traffic signals, stop signs and NYS law
• Ride in a straight line
• Ride to the right on the side with traffic as seems most reasonably safe
• Ride single file or no more than two abreast
• Announce your pass “On your LEFT!” when overtaking slower riders
• Point out to help those behind you avoid potholes, storm drain etc…
• Use hand signals for turning, stopping and slowing
• Be courteous
• Anticipate traffic patterns
• Stay a car doors length away from parked cars

Helmets and attire:

• Always wear a properly fitting helmet
• Don’t wear loose clothing; it can get caught in the chain etc…
• Wear Reflective clothing
• Consider comfortable bike attire, shoes, eyewear and gloves