Q and A on hosting a TVTMA ride 

A member told me he wants to help his son put on a kids ride out at Rabbit’s Creek. But they aren’t sure what they need to do to host a TVTMA ride. Do they need to provide a meal? Does it have to be a campout? They had quite a few questions and misconceptions about how to host a TVTMA ride.

Because we figure there are a lot of members – newer as well as senior members - that have questions about what hosting a ride entails, the TVTMA Board decided to compose a list of common questions, answers and tips for ride hosting.

Who can host a ride? Any adult member of the TVTMA can host a ride. We have had kids plan and host rides too, under the sponsorship and supervision of a parent.

Do I have to provide a meal or refreshments? Nope, no meal or refreshments are required. That is optional.

Is there an allowance for ride expenses – Yes. The TVTMA will allocate $150 for ride expenses, if requested. This money can be used for just about anything legal and moral.  Some people get T-shirts printed up for their ride. Some folks buy food for a cookout. Last year Dan Waltz and Chuck Jenkins bought jackets for the Kid’s Iron Butt. The sky’s the limit as long as it’s a common-sense, ethical use of the funds. If you have any questions on this, please e-mail the TVTMA Ride Coordinator. For legal reasons we can not reimburse for alcohol at a sponsored ride.

How do I host a ride? A ride can be as simple as a short ride around Hemingway Butte, or it can be a two day campout at Baumgartner with a cookout. Almost any kind of ride you want to put together is fine. The more the merrier! E-mail your ride plans and questions to the TVTMA Ride Coordinator .

          Here are some steps to follow for planning and hosting a ride:

1. Plan your ride – Plan a ride route you’ve ridden before in an area you are familiar with. You should have a ride leader and a ride sweeper. The more people you have helping run the ride, the easier it is on you. All of your ride crew should clearly know the ride plan. Make sure the trails you plan to take will be open and cleared of downfall, if applicable. It’s a real good idea to pre-ride the route a week or two before.

2. Submit your ride posting – Once you have your plan you can submit it anytime during the year, for any open dates on the ride calendar - http://www.tvtma.com/membermain.asp, by e-mailing the TVTMA Ride Coordinator at tom@bithell.org. How you write up your ride posting is how it will be posted, so please try and cover all the need-to-know details. Your ride posting needs to include the following information:
   1. Date, time, and location of ride.
   2. Ride contact.
   3. Directions to ride.
   4. Skill level of ride.
   5. Brief description of ride.
   6. Approximate mileage of ride.
   7. Include relevant camping/food information - If your ride will be a campout as well specify that in your ride plan. Provide details such as:

§  Are hookups and water available

§  Any limits on camper size

§  Camp rules to be observed, like keeping dogs on a leash or packing out your own trash.

§  If riding is available near camp for kids or not, and any rules regarding riding around camp.

§  What members can\should bring, if anything, to contribute to dinners or socials. 

3. Executing the ride – Remember the Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared”. Be prepared for any contingency. Bring tools, spark plugs, spare tubes, radios, GPS, water filters, first aid kits, fire starter, and any other provision you might need in case of an emergency. These are the things you should bring riding at all times, regardless if you’re hosting a ride or not. Make sure you, and everyone who should have key provisions, have them. This is good information to communicate in your ride posting. Make sure the riders joining you clearly understand the difficulty level of the terrain. I quickly learned that my idea of “Intermediate” skilled terrain is somewhere between an expert rider’s idea and a beginner rider’s idea. It’s all perspective. So if you’re in doubt whether a ride should be labeled as  ”Intermediate” or “Advanced”, error on the side of caution and call it “Advanced”.