2020 Sprouts Ride Marshal Guide

Thank you for volunteering to Marshal the 2020 Sprouts Ride!

The 2020 Sprouts Ride will take place on Sunday, April 26, 2020.

You must complete the Marshal Training (below) by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 to be eligible to marshal at the ride.

 Marshal Training   Check-In and Ride Start Times   Marshal Expectations Marshal Resources Ride RoutesVenue Address Getting There Locking Your Bike Schedule of EventsRide Information What to Bring Site Maps

Marshal Training

In order to marshal for this ride you must listen to a mandatory training (below) by 5 PM on Wednesday, April 22.  

Please email events@waba.org if you need a transcript of the training.

In order to confirm that you listened to the entire training, fill out the response form (below). If you do not fill it out by April 22, you will not be able to marshal.

Marshal Training Audio| Response Form

The whole process should take you less than 20 minutes.

If you have submitted your response form and included an accurate email address, you will receive a confirmation email with reminders about day-of logistics from the WABA events coordinator after 5 PM on April 22.

Check-in and Ride Start Times

On Sunday, April 26, the day of the ride, you’ll check in at a separate marshal table at the ride start. 

If you are marshaling the 14 mile Sapling Route, check in is from  11 am to 11:30 am.  

If you are marshaling the 6 mile Bean Sprout route, check in is at 12 pm.  

Marshal Expectations

WABA relies on marshals to make sure that riders are safe, following traffic laws, and to be WABA’s eyes and ears on the road (since WABA staff can’t be). You are providing a very important service to our riders and we are placing a lot of responsibility on you. When you volunteer as a marshal you are signing up to be a representative of WABA and the bicycling community— and we want that community to be inclusive and compassionate.

WABA’s Ride Marshal Code of Conduct

Ride Marshals agree to follow these expectations in good faith and to the best of your ability when you complete the Marshal Training Response Form (required for all Ride Marshals).

  • Ride marshals are friendly, approachable, and attentive to ride participants, contributing to a fun and safe environment by not harming anyone in any way, and avoiding unwelcome behavior including discrimination, harassment (sexual or non-sexual), physical or verbal abuse, tokenism, microaggressions, negligence or other harmful actions.
  • Ride marshals are considerate of all other road users, including people walking, driving, and biking, and encourage all participants to do the same.
  • Ride marshals wear a helmet on WABA’s rides, as is required by WABA’s insurance.
    Ride marshals familiarize themselves with the event route prior to the ride by reviewing the Marshal Guide in advance of the ride. On ride day, they carry the cue sheets (received at ride check-in) and help guide riders back to the route as necessary. 
  • Ride marshals assist ride participants in case of mechanical breakdowns or other issues by stopping to help the rider create a plan to resolve it.  In the event of a complex issue, the WABA on-call staffer can help make a plan. Some solutions may mean ride marshal doesn’t complete the route themselves.
  • Ride marshals bicycle safely and legally. That includes:
    • Stopping at stop signs and red lights.
    • Clearly signaling every turn and stop.
    • Not riding more than two abreast in the street.
    • Yielding to and notifying pedestrians of your presence (especially on trails!).
  • Ride marshals check in with WABA staff at pit stops and initial the pit stop check-in form.

In the event that they are with or encounter a rider who requires medical attention, Ride Marshals will:

  1. Stop riding and stay with the injured rider until the situation is resolved/
  2. Make available the first aid supplies contained within the Ride Marshall first aid kit.
  3. Call 911 for any injury needing additional medical attention such as, but not limited to: trouble breathing, uncontrollable bleeding, suspected broken bones or sprains, head injuries, any loss of consciousness, or hyper/hypothermia. When emergency medical services arrive, the participant has the right to refuse medical transportation. 
  4. Call WABA’s emergency response staffer on-call by using the phone number provided  in the marshal kit, and further assist WABA staff as needed, able and instructed.
  5. Document the scene as completely as possible, by completing the incident report form in the marshal kit. Incident reports are required to be turned over to the WABA rider marshal coordinator before leaving the event.

Marshal Resources

  • What to do after a crash: Please read this guide so you can best assist riders when they need it most.
  • City Cycling: If you haven’t yet taken a WABA City Cycling class, please try to get one soon (we have spring and fall seasons of classes)! They are free for WABA members.
  • ABC Quick Check: refresh your memory of this important pre-ride ritual.
  • Helmet Fit: make sure you know how to fit a helmet properly.
  • Intersectional Positioning: set an example for safe bicycling by using these techniques.
  • Sharing a Road: be a predictable and safe road user.
  • Sharing a Trail: be courteous to other trail users.

Ride Routes

Routes from the 2019 Sprouts Ride are below.

The 2020 routes will be similar but not the same. Marshals will receive a link to the 2019 routes (ride with GPS, GPX, TCX, and Google Maps files) the week before the event. Cuesheets will be given out at ride check-in.

2019 Bean Sprout Route (6 miles) —2020 Route will be posted week of the event!

2019 Sapling Route (14 miles)—2020 Route will be posted week of the event!

Day of changes will be shared at pit stops and on Twitter when possible. However, unexpected construction or a last-minute road closure are always a possibility. As always, stay aware of your surroundings when riding in traffic.

Venue Address

The check-in and route start location for the Sprouts Ride is TBD in NoMA, Washington DC.

All routes end at the REI Washington, DC Flagship Store (201 M St NE, Washington, DC 20002)

Getting There

The check-in location for the 2020 Sprouts Ride will be announced by April 6, 2020.

The closest metro station to check-in will be the NoMA station on the Red Line.

It will be accessible by bike from the Metropolitan Branch Trail.

NoMA Bid has a list of pay-to-park surface lots and parking garages open to the public.

There is zoned and metered street parking available in the NoMA area.

Locking Your Bike

There will be limited bike parking at the start and end locations. If you plan to spend time at the post-ride celebration at the REI Flagship Store, bring a lock for your bike.

If you don’t want to carry the lock with you on the ride, you may label it (we’ll have duct tape and a sharpie for you) and give it to us. We’ll bring have it for you at REI when you arrive there at the end of the ride.

Sprouts Ride Event Schedule

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Sapling Route – 14 miles

Check in: 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Rolling start: 11:30 AM
Anacostia Park Pit Stop : 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Celebration at REI: 12:00 PM- 4:00 PM

Bean Sprout Route – 6 miles

Check in: 12:00 PM-12:30 PM
Group start: 12:30 PM
Kingman Island Park Pit Stop: 12:00 PM- 3:00 PM
Celebration at REI: 12:00 PM- 4:00 PM

Celebration at REI

Celebration at REI: 12:00 PM- 4:00 PM

All Ride Marshals and Sweep Riders will receive a free drink and snack at the post-ride celebration, courtesy of our partners at REI.

Ride Information

This is the information provided to all ride participants.

This is an unsupported ride.

If  there is an emergency, call 911. 

This is an unsupported ride, which means there are no Support and Gear (SAG) vehicles riding the route to help in case of emergency.

There will be Ride Marshals. Marshals are WABA volunteers who are the first line of response in incidents that involve ride participants and are also an avenue of communication between ride participants and WABA staff members.  If you have a non-emergency issue, let a ride marshal in a yellow vest know. They will direct you on next steps.  

Ride Marshals are as new to the ride route as you are, so don’t treat them as ride leaders—read your cue sheets!

If you feel unable to finish the ride at any time, you are free to withdraw and make your own way home or to the post-ride celebration .

We suggest you bring a SmartTrip card, charged cell phone, and $20 for cab fare with you. It’s also a good idea to have a friend or family member in the city “on-call” to come pick you up along the route in case of an emergency, a bike mechanical issue, or if you just don’t feel like riding any more. 

Don’t feel like you have to complete your ride route to come to the celebration —we’ll be happy to see you no matter how you got there!

Food on the Ride

Riders receive snacks and water at each pit stop.

If you want additional snacks or meals, please plan to pack or buy them along the route. Food and drink options at local businesses along the route will be plentiful—feel free to make your own pit stops! 

Please note: we do not provide bottled water. You must bring your own water bottles. 

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are located at the ride start, each pit stop , and at the post-ride celebration. There are also ample opportunities to stop at local establishments along the ride.

Time Limits

As an unsupported ride, there is no time limit for the Sprouts Ride routes— WABA will not ask any rider to stop riding. However, check-in, the pit stops, and the post-ride celebration are only open during the specified hours, which are on the schedule in the Rider Guide and will be on the cue sheets you receive at check-in

If you feel unable to finish the ride at any time, you are free to withdraw and make your own way home or to the post-ride celebration. We suggest you bring a SmartTrip card, charged cell phone, and $20 for cab fare with you. It’s also a good idea to have a friend or family member in the city “on-call” to come pick you up along the route in case of an emergency, a bike mechanical issue, or if you just don’t feel like riding any more. 

What to Bring

  • Bike
  • Helmet (Required by our insurance. You can’t ride without one.)
  • SmartTrip card
  • Weather appropriate clothing
  • Water bottles (there will be refill stations at pit stops)
  • Saddle bag (to carry spare tube, tire levers, and pump or patch kit)
  • Spare tube (especially if you have a non-standard rim size!)
  • Charged cell phone and charger
  • Sunglasses and sunscreen
  • Additional snacks
  • An adventurous spirit!

Site Maps

Coming soon!

Page last updated by Anna McCormally on March 11, 2020.