When And Where To Show Up On Ride Day
These are the times you should ARRIVE to check in. Please do NOT arrive earlier! You’ll just be in the way, and the set-up crew is surly enough at this hour. Go home and go back to sleep!
Look below for the times check-in ENDS too – if you’re late, you’re out of luck! Riders who attempt to start the ride after the cut-off times will be fed to a pack of hungry dogs. (Any remains will be denied access to the ride).
Just look for the check-in location and distances you want, and then READ CAREFULLY!
Here’s a Ride to Montauk secret: We ask you during on-line registration which check-in location and distance you want. This helps us plan for the big day. But the truth is that on ride you can show up at ANY start line and do ANY distance, without telling us that you changed your plans -- just read the chart above, show up in the right place at the right time, and go!
WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I ARRIVE AT MORNING CHECK-IN?
1. Go to the Check-In table to pick up your rider number. If you already have your rider number, skip this step.
2. Take your bike to the Bike Loading area. If you have already loaded your bike you can skip this step. (Duh!)
We’ll have info for you in the morning on where to load your luggage, pick up your route sheet, catch morning transportation, grab free breakfast... (It all varies just a bit depending on which route you pick, and it’s WAY too dull to spell out here! Not to worry -- we’ll take extra-good care of you.
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OK, But What Time Can I Actually Start to PEDAL?
We do NOT do a mass start -- after you check in, you can start pedaling whenever you're ready.
"Day-Of" Registration
If you have friends who want to sign up on the day of the ride, please show them this web site (so they know what to expect) and have them go to the start line of their choice at the time listed below. Please note that "day-of" registration is much more expensive -- $185 for all routes and distances -- and is cash-only (no credit cards or checks). On-line registration is available until June 16 at noon here and is faster and cheaper for you.
Rest Stops
Official Ride to Montauk rest stops are located about 25 miles apart. Stop by, rest, and see your friends. We'll be there with food, water, first aid, and bathrooms. Bike repair will be available at most rest stops, and at designated locations along the route. Depending on which route you're riding, you won't be going to all of the rest stops -- here's the schedule:
* Rest Stop #1 -- Lynbrook: 145-mile cyclists only
* Rest Stop #2 -- Babylon: 145-mile cyclists only
* Rest Stop #3 -- Blue Point: 145- and 100-mile cyclists
* Rest Stop #4 -- Westhampton: 145-, 100-, and 66-mile cyclists
* Rest Stop #5 -- Water Mill: All cyclists
Food
We serve a light breakfast at the start lines (probably bagels, doughnuts, coffee, and bananas, or similar) so if you're dreaming of a giant stack of flashbacks with maple syrup, better eat up before you get there.
Our fantastic rest areas are located approximately every 25 miles. Each rest stop features:
Water
Sports drink
Bananas
Another Fresh fruit
Something bread-y (for much-needed carbos)
Something sweet (for those who prefer to use sugar as their fuel)
Something with protein
We’re also known to provide stupid stuff like homemade pie with whipped cream made on the spot or ice cream, but whenever we offer goodies like this we will also always provide healthy snacks too. (By the way, every year someone complains when we serve Oreos next to the healthy snacks. And every year ALL of the Oreos get eaten...)
All of this means that we love you, but that if you are eating a strict diet, you should bring some snacks with you, or buy them along the route.
We do not serve bottled water on any of our rides. Click here to see why. There are many stores along the route where you can buy bottled water if you wish.
At the finish line we serve a free all-you-can-eat meal suitable for vegetarians and meat eaters.
Repairs
We'll have bike repair experts along the route.
ALL bikes can get flat tires. Even if you don’t know how to change a flat, be SURE that you are carrying TWO extra tubes that fit your bike, a pump, and a patch kit. If you have these items with you, someone else can help you. If you don’t have this stuff, it’s going to take MUCH longer to get you back on the road.
S.A.G. Service
S.A.G. stands for Support and Gear -- these are the wonderful folks who will help you if you can't finish the ride because your bike breaks, you pull a muscle, or you're just too pooped to pedal. We provide the best S.A.G. service of any bike ride in the U.S.
Period.
HOWEVER... Make no mistake -- most of our wonderful S.A.G. drivers are not bike mechanics -- they will take you to where you can get assistance, but please don’t assume that they can do repairs for you on the spot (we’re grateful just to have them available to drive!)
We offer two different types of S.A.G. service:
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1.S.A.G. On Demand -- we'll have vehicles with bike racks on call throughout the ride. If you break down or need help, grab a phone and call us at headquarters. (The phone number will be printed on the route sheet you'll receive on the day of the ride). We'll dispatch the nearest vehicle to rush to your aid, but ONLY if you contact us -- the vehicles don’t just circle around; they are on-call, waiting to hear where they need to go to next.
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S.A.G. On Demand vehicles will usually take you to the nearest official rest stop, where we can help you. Please understand that we’ll always do our very best to help, but S.A.G. on Demand is not a taxi service -- we will not be able to take you to grandma’s house or Thai food take-out.
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2.Finish Line S.A.G. -- no matter what, ALL cyclists need to be at the finish line no later than 6:00 p.m. so they'll have time to shower, eat, and get transportation home. The Finish Line S.A.G. team drives along at the very end of the ride and looks for people who need help. They are the clean-up crew who make sure that everyone is off the road by the end of the day.
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If you need S.A.G. service, stay in a safe spot near the road where we can see you. Our rest stops are the best place to look for S.A.G. service -- get there if you can. (But please don't put yourself in danger just to prove you can make it to the next rest stop!)
Don’t just assume that the Finish Line S.A.G. is “on the way” -- if you need a lift, please be sure to call our S.A.G. headquarters. (Some of the crew like to drive with their eyes closed, so they might not see you on the road unless you tell us where to look for you.)
S.A.G.ed riders will be taken to Montauk, so you won't miss your friends, the party, your luggage, or your ride home!
If you ship a bag to Montauk in our luggage truck but never make it to the finish line, we'll bring your bag back to our office for you. We are located a convenient 10,000 miles from where you live. Reach us after the ride at luggage @ ridetomontauk .com. We will not be able to check our email until the Monday after the ride. We will not be coherent enough to answer it for another day or three after that.
Help On the Way
Our S.A.G. team members are really smart -- they have years of experience. They know what time the transportation home is leaving. They know how fast cyclists can pedal. If they offer you a lift to the finish line, it's not to pester you -- it's because they know that if they don't help you, you are going to miss the last transportation home, and you'll be stuck in Montauk overnight. Please don't argue with them -- they're trying to help you.
The S.A.G. team's goal is to get everyone to Montauk no later than 6:00 p.m. by hook or by crook. That will give you just enough time to eat, shower, change, and get on the last transport home.
We ride on public roads, and we certainly can't make you accept a lift, but if you refuse S.A.G. service, you are on your own, and we can not guarantee you transportation home, showers, first aid, luggage service, food, or a place to sleep. In fact, if you’re out in the Hamptons section of the ride you’ll probably be attacked by a gang of marauding Lexus owners.
On the day of the ride we'll give you a route sheet that includes a schedule of how far along you should be at specific times to avoid getting S.A.G.ed.
Glen
Your tour director and humble servant
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