Image: A group of riders on the Greasy Joe’s gravel ride that happened this past weekend in Rhode Island. Note the fashionable orange that you’ll want to wear for this upcoming ride!
Location: Richmond, Rhode Island
Ride Type: Gravel Ride, few paved roads
Date & Time: 6pm rollout Tuesday, May 10, 2022
Distance: ~18 miles
Price: Free
RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form
Details: The big, red van is spending the day in Rhode Island Tuesday, May 10 and in the evening we’re hosting a special gravel ride in conjunction with Gravel Bike Rhode Island!
Come out to enjoy a great 18 miles of a lot of dirt riding and stay afterward to enjoy after-ride food and drinks (read: tasty snacks of hot cocoa and ice cream…it’ll be a warm day so who knows what will taste best!) Our treat.
In addition to your bike, orange vest/jacket/jersey, and lights, bring a lawn chair to more enjoyably be able to hang out after the ride concludes.
Thank you to Gravel Bike Rhode Island for supplying the route and coming out to help lead the ride! We have two ride leaders (one RHQ Super Domestique) and Gravel Bike RI so we can split into two different speed groups or all stick together for a fun ride that allows everyone to ride at a conversational (but not slow) pace.
Parking: Browning Mill Pond Lower Parking Lot, Richmond, Rhode Island - MAP to the parking lot
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39356306 - thank you to GBRI for putting this together & sharing it!
Estimated time: ~2 hours, to be done before sunset. Please bring front and rear lights since we’re bumping up against sunset, in case there’s a mechanical or if we are held up at all, we don’t want to be in the dark without lights!
Ride Notes: We discuss these with you prior to rollout.
Last Minute Information: Watch Ride Headquarters’ Twitter feed for last-minute updates, weather cancellations or other changes. We email all participants with any critical late-breaking news but do not expect to receive an email.
Contact Information: Email - connect@rideheadquaters.com, Phone which reaches the ride leader before and during the ride: 413-461-7433
Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different: All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules.
Waiver: Ride Headquarters requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride with us this year.
The proper bike for this ride includes the following:
32c knobby tires minimum. Wider tires are nice, too. Tire choice depends on your riding skill set. We expect to see gravel bikes, mountain bikes, and fat bikes at this ride. As the winter progresses, expect more mountain and fat bikes, fewer gravel bikes.
Clipless pedals and shoes. These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. We strongly discourage road pedals/cleats on a mixed terrain or gravel ride.
A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes. Our insurance does not allow us to offer rides to people for any reason.
High enough tire pressure to prevent pinch flatting and burping your tires. We recommend about 80% to 90% of maximum rated tire pressure. Ask us if you’re not sure where to set your tire pressure. We like you to have more than enough air for these reasons:
We want to minimize flats on the ride; waiting for someone to change flats is not why we ride. We typically see zero flats on our ride. One of the primary reasons for this is due to higher than average tire pressure.
You can easily take it out if it’s too much, much harder to add it in.
Flat tires and burped tires are especially problematic when it’s cold. We ride on the coldest days. Our ride leader(s) can’t help with mechanicals when it’s so cold that we risk freezing our sensitive extremities.