MHBC Ride Leader Training Virtual Sessions

Our board has been working hard all winter to create an amazing 2025 ride season! We believe ride leader training will build ride leader confidence and skills, make posting and promoting a ride easier and create a consistent process for our members.

MHBC has scheduled two virtual ride leader training dates on Zoom for current leaders and any MHBC members who are interested in leading rides this season. It is very important that all ride leaders either attend one of the virtual sessions or listen to the recording of the session, which will be sent to all ride leaders after the scheduled virtual, live training sessions. 

Trainings are scheduled on Zoom for April 5th at 4 pm & April 16th – 7 pm 

Topics covered: 

• Brush up on ride leader basics

• Learn some tricks and tips to posting rides, using Ride with GPS and Teamup apps

• Policies updates

• Information from the recent member survey about what participants are looking for in their rides experiences

  Zoom link for April 5 @ 4 pm

  Zoom link for April 23 @ 7 pm

Submitted by Karen Weis

Ride Leader Incentive Program for 2025

We encourage any member who wants to be a ride leader to review the Ride Leader INFO tab on our website.  As a 100% volunteer group, our Ride Leaders are the heart of our organization providing innumerable,  diverse rides throughout the Hudson Valley.

This year we will be providing a Pactimo store credit at the end of the season as a thank-you to all ride leaders who qualify.  Ride leaders will be able to go into the club store where they will find a variety of quality, MHBC gear. Several new items have been added for this season. 

2025 MHBC Rider Survey Insights for Future Rides

We recently surveyed our members to better understand your riding preferences, and we received a great response with 130 completed surveys! 

Thank you to everyone who participated. Here's a summary of what we learned:

Riding Frequency:

• A significant 54% of respondents indicated they either never or rarely ride with the club (1-2 times per month), while another 35% ride regularly or occasionally (a few times per week or few times per month). This highlights an opportunity to increase engagement.

Ride Preferences:

• Speed: The most popular average ride speed is 12-14 mph (32% preference).

• Type: Road rides followed by Social rides (more casual with regrouping) are the clear favorites.

• Distance: Preferred ride lengths are 30-40 miles, closely followed by 40-60 miles.

• Timing: Weekend early mornings and weekday mornings/evenings are the most popular times for rides.

• Location: Ulster County followed closely by eastern and western Dutchess County are the most desired ride locations.

• Location as barrier: 40% of respondents do not participate in rides due to ride location.

• Recurring Rides: A strong 81% of you expressed a desire for more recurring rides, held weekly or monthly at the same location and time.

Moving Forward:

These results provide valuable insights for planning future rides. We will prioritize social rides, consider ride lengths of 30-60 miles, and aim for more rides with speeds around 12-14 mph. Additionally, we will work with our ride leaders to schedule rides in Ulster and eastern/western Dutchess Counties, and attempt to provide more weekly and monthly recurring rides. We are also aware that ride location is a barrier for many members, and will work to provide a wider variety of ride locations. We hope these changes will encourage more members to join us on the road!

submitted by Charles Vigna

A Vision of Connection

The KAT is a proposed link between Kingston and the Ashokan Rail Trail, extending the region’s multi-use trail system to the Catskill Mountains. It’s a plan to connect city with country, to connect people with nature, to connect friends and neighbors. It’s a proposal to create a safe, accessible and free new gateway to the Catskills.

The goal: Our position is simple: more Trail, more access, more health, more recreation, more economic benefit. You are needed in the effort to extend the Ashokan Rail Trail. Join by signing this letter of support or use the QR code below.