Category Archives: The Right Side of the Road

Articles to encourage you and the non-cycling community to be safe and have fun

Ride Report: Next Steps

On October 7, 2017, Jeannie & Stuart Coulter (pictured) rode in the Next Steps Century they liked a lot and thought perhaps club members would like to attend next year. Please enjoy their report:

We attended the Next Steps Century ride in Dunlap, TN. This event used to be run by the Chattanooga Bike Club but is now organized by the Next Step Resources Center, a teen pregnancy crisis center (as a fund raiser). This is their third year. We were returning to our old stomping grounds since we used to live in Jasper. The ride was well run and they had many volunteers. They had SAG vehicles that roamed the course and one that spent a lot of time behind us. I wonder why? The start and all of the rest stops were at churches with good bathrooms. The food was plentiful at the first stop, but meager at the second.

Continue reading →

2017 ERV Ride

The 44th running of the Elk River Valley was a success. As far as we know everyone enjoyed the routes (12,52 and 75 miles) and no one was hurt. However, Mica Jon was “tackled” by a playful black lab and went down; he says he is fine but his bike was injured pretty badly.

There were around 65 riders for the September 9th ride. In addition to HRBike members, there was a huge contingent from the Murfreesboro Bike Club, a few Veloteers’, several from the Columbia Bike Club and one or two from other clubs.

Due to the way the registration was managed, we also have several new members: 4 families and 9 individuals. The combination of HRBike memberships and sale of HRBike merchandise helped us to come out in the black. Continue reading →

In Case of Emergency

Chris Smith, a local paramedic, spoke at the Summer HRBike meeting. Below is a summary of helpful information from Chris if we find ourselves in an emergency situation.

Stay Calm – Take a deep breath to get your thoughts together before calling 911. Clearly describe where you are, the details of what happened and the status of the person injured. Stay on the line until 911 says it is okay for you to hang up.

Don’t make the situation worse – If the injured party is in harm’s way, move them to safety as gently as possible keeping their head, neck and spine in alignment. To move them put your hands under their armpits and pull them to safety. If they can move on their own, it is probably okay for them to do so.

Figure out what is different from normal – Ask the injured person where they’re hurting and tell responders everything you know about what happened. If the injured person shows signs of shock – pale, cool skin, rapid heart rate & breath – cover them up. Continue reading →