We had a great time. The organizer of the trip had done a great job planning.
Unfortunately, on the first day, one of our members rode ahead, his phone died, he missed a turn for the first night's hotel, and he rode an extra 30 miles or so before teaching Lake Ontario, having a chain problem, and realizing he had ridden too far.
I am a slow rider, so I would never do that. If I rode an extra mile, I would know it.
Those of us who had arrived at the hotel were counting heads, and when he was late arriving, we began to worry. First we called his cell phone and it went to voice mail. So we assumed the battery had died. We waited a couple of hours and finally called his wife, on the theory that he might not have our phone numbers in his memory, but surely he would remember hers. She had not heard from him. As twilight approached, we were discussing our options for getting the Canadian authorities involved to organize a search party, when he pulled up in a taxicab. We were so relieved!
For future club rides we have established new policies.
1. All riders to have a "buddy" who will notify the ride leader if their partner goes missing.
2. Highly recommended for each rider to have a cell phone and to carry a charging cable and a battery bank capable of at least one full charge.
3. Highly recommended that each rider be capable of repairing a flat by installing a patch on a their tube, or fixing simple mechanical issues, and to carry the tools and supplies for that on their bike.
4. Hand out printed copies of contact information for the SAG driver and ride leader, as well as the route map, at the beginning of each day's ride.
Hopefully these policies will avoid future problems!
