IVMTB Group Ride Guidelines & What to bring

Meet Time / Start Time / Being on Time!
Start time is always posted on the Facebook page, the Meetup.com page and on the IVMTB website. An example is meet time is 9:00am, RTR (Ready to Ride/Roll): 9:15am. This means at 9:15am sharp, you need to be 100% ready to start riding. The ride leader volunteer is to start the rides on time, so please make sure you are ready to go. 

Ride Cancellations / Location changes
If a ride must be cancelled due to bad weather or personal reasons, the ride leader volunteer will post the cancellation on the event. Please check the event page the morning of the event for any changes.

Ride Length / Pace / Difficulty
At the start of the listing for each ride is an area that describes the rides rating. The section breaks down to pace / technical difficulty / mileage / approximate elevation gain.

Example
Distance: Estimated length of ride
Elevation gain: Estimated elevation gain during ride
Pace: See descriptions below
Length: Estimated duration of ride
Skill Level: See descriptions below

Pace
Easy Social Pace – Frequent regroups, we wait for riders
Medium Social Pace – Some regroups, we wait for riders
Fast Social Pace – A few quick regroups.
Training Pace. Few or no regroups.
Race Pace. You will get dropped.

Skill Level
Is based on the hardest significant portion of the ride. If a ride is 10 miles fire road but 1 mile singletrack, the ride would be rated based on the singletrack.

  • EASY – Smooth singletrack or fire road. Obstacles such as rocks and roots might exist but are not numerous.
  • INTERMEDIATE – Steep, rutted fire road; singletrack with extended sections that can include medium or large rocks and roots; stream crossings; exposure; long singletrack descents. There may be short sections of hike a bike.
  • DIFFICULT – Singletrack with very steep and/or rocky sections; narrow trails; exposed side slopes; downhill-side-sloped sections. There may be long sections of hike a bike
  • EXTREME – Singletrack with extended steep climbs or descents over rough terrain; many tight switchbacks and turns. There will most definitely be walking involved.

Be Self-sufficient & Prepared
Make sure you have what you need with you, don’t rely on the kindness of others in the group OR the ride leader volunteer. Always assume that you could get cut off from the group, so you need to be self-sufficient.  Make sure you have extra water, food, tubes, air pump, CO2, Etc. Follow the suggested items to pack below for a guideline.

Know the Route/Pay Attention
Know where you are riding; it is your responsibility to pay attention where you are going, where the start point is and the ending point.  Inquire about drop points, exit options, turn arounds, etc. There are some places where it is easy to turn around and return and other places where you pass the “point of no return.” If you have any reservations about completing the ride, then make your plan before you get tired and discuss with the ride leader volunteer. NEVER just leave the group, make sure you clearly communicate that you are turning around. Keep an eye on the surroundings; if you don’t have a GPS, commit yourself to a mental map of where you are going. Pay attention to where you are riding, how close you are to other riders, watch your water supply, etc. Most of the incidents that happen on a ride are because someone was not paying attention.  This includes crashes, getting lost, losing people, running out of water etc.

Regroups
The ride leader volunteer will periodically regroup to make sure all are accounted for. Each rider must wait for all riders. If the last person getting there needs a few more minutes to rest, then the group is to wait. Everyone sticks together and are accounted for on the regroups. 

Yielding to Others on the Trail
Please follow CORBA’s trail etiquette that is posted here: http://www.ivmtb.org/trail-etiquette/. 

IVMTB Rules of the Trail
As a IVMTB club member or ride participant, you are to follow our club code of conduct at all times. Remember your IVMTB jersey states who you are as well as that we partner with IMBA. Please learn these important codes: http://www.ivmtb.org/rules-of-the-trail/ 

Suggested items to put in your pack
Water 
Enough food, gels & electrolytes to sustain you for the ride. Good rule of thumb is 240 calories per hour.
Multi Tool with chain breaker
2 tubes
CO2 and/or Pump
Patch Kit
Zip Ties
Duct Tape
Replacement Chain Link
Headlight (if an evening ride)
ICE (In Case of Emergency) Card or Road ID