Our celebration of May Bike month concludes with Week 4 of our Ride Series Saturday morning May 26th. The weather will be warm and dry as we meet up at Goodrich and Main at the parking lot of Murphy Brown’s Craft Beer Empourium. Ride starts at 9:30. This will be the last  of our four planned rides every Saturday in May.

This week’s ride will explore several Clarence neighborhoods, including Martha’s Vineyard, Spaulding Green and Spaulding Lake. As the last of our May Ride Series, this route will be a bit longer (11.72 miles) and we will be crossing the escarpment for a few more up and downs.

As we remind you every 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.

As the ride begins we will be working our way down the escarpment. We will be heading gentle downhill for most of the first nine miles. Mile 9 begins our climb back up the escarpment, and we may mass up along the way to keep the group together. From this point on, the hard work is out of the way and we can expect more descents than climbing again as we roll through Spaulding Lake.

Here’s a look at our Week 4 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