The Drift
RAGBRAI RIDING ETIQUETTE
The biggest tip for RAGBRAI is to over communicate. With thousands of cyclists around you, you must be aware and communicate; Others need to know where you are and where you’re going.
COMMUNICATE
“On your left” - Anytime you pass someone, they should know you’re going past.
“Rider On” - When you’re getting on the road/back on your bike.
“Rider Off” - When you’re getting off the road/off your bike.
“Stopping”
“Slowing”
“Rumble!” - Rumble strips can be daunting, but you’ll be okay! Hold your line, or if there’s room (and enough time to get over), communicate that you’re moving over.
“Bike Up/Car Up” - Cyclists will sometimes ride against the stream to backtrack, meet friends, help someone out, etc. They’ll be on the far left. If you hear “Bike Up,” move to the right, so the far left lane is open. Ideally the rider going against traffic will have a front light for visibility. The same applies for cars, motorcycles, and trucks, though they obviously need more space, and you have less time to respond, so play it safe!
USE HAND SIGNALS
Point to any obstacle in the road so the person behind you knows it’s there (pothole, crack, road kill, etc.)
Point to the lane you’d like to move to (Look, Point, “Coming over”, “On your left”)
Palm faced back to the person behind you = slowing/stopping
Right and left turn signals.
HOLD YOUR LINE
Always try to hold your line (maintain equal distance from either side of the lane) as you’re riding, especially going up and down a hill. Moving over without looking, pointing, or communicating is very dangerous. When in doubt, hold your line until you can safely see that it’s clear to move over, because someone could be coming up fast behind you (always look over your shoulder in addition to signaling).
RIDE RIGHT
Contrary to biking every day, on RAGBRAI, cyclists are taking up the entire road (though there are times during when there’s traffic, so staying in the right lane is critical). Think of there being three lanes on each side of the road; 6 total across both lanes of a 2-lane road. The far right is for the slower cyclists. The far left is for faster cyclists that are actively passing; it should always be open. This model is for safety and flow of RAGBRAI.
RUMBLE STRIPS
Rumble strips cause the most accidents on RAGBRAI. Cyclists will sometimes not see the rumble strips until the last minute and then move quickly to the right or left and cause a crash. If you end up going over rumble strips, you’ll be okay! Just continue straight and hold your line. It helps to lift your butt over the saddle. If you do have enough time and space to get over, you can alert others by saying “Rumble!”
ONLY PASS ON THE LEFT
Ideally, you should only pass on the left. If you’re passing on the right, a cyclist could move over at any time and run into you! If there is a big open space and there’s no other option than to pass on the right, just make sure you really make yourself known (you’ll get used to shouting) and that you’re coming up on their right.
