In addition to promoting bicycle safety, the group schedules rides up to six days a week in the summertime and impromptu rides are announced over an email listserv.
Each organized ride is listed on the group's website and details how many miles and at what pace the ride will be. Rides typically range from 11 to more than 35 miles in length and 11 to more than 18 mph in speed.
Routes are mostly in the Rehoboth Beach, Lewes and Harbeson areas, but Kurpjuweit said the group is looking to expand throughout the county.
"People who don't live in the area full time, they don't know the best roads to ride on," he said. You can look at a map, but the maps don't tell you everything you need to know. Our routes might take us more miles to get from Rehoboth to Milton, but we're going to do the most safest and most enjoyable ride."
Many rides are scheduled with a destination in mind where the bicyclists can relax and socialize. While rides typically have four to seven cyclists during the week, on the weekends, that number can jump into the double digits.
"Cycling alone can be boring," Kurpjuweit said. "I find cyclists are social people. They like to ride with other cyclists and talk about bicycling and other things. Talking on the road isn't always possible."
Allen Segal leads several rides and said he enjoys his experience because of the camaraderie involved.
"These are people who turn out to be your friends," he said. "A lot of the rides, you have some wonderful conversations."
Segal said another advantage of the club is that he's able to see places he hasn't seen before, including Trap Pond in Laurel.
"It gives you an appreciation of Delmarva," he said.
Promoting bicycle safety is also an important aspect of the rides. No bicyclist can ride on a trip without a helmet, and new riders to the group are trained on how to ride with a group, Kurpjuweit said.
"We know that as cyclists, we have certain responsibilities to ride safely," he said. "We stress that with our members."
James Westhoff, spokesman for the Delaware Department of Transportation, said Sussex Cyclists has been an extraordinary partner in helping keep the Cape region's bicyclists safe.
Since 2005, when a Polish student was killed in a bicycling accident, Westhoff said he sees students now riding with traffic and keeping better-maintained bikes. He added the cyclists have taken on a maternalistic point of view with the students, as they are guests of the resort area and are far away from home and their families.
"There's no mistake that there are young people alive today because of the hard work of Sussex Cyclists and DelDOT," he said.
"We want them to be safe and go home safe with a good impression of the United States."
Source: www.delmarvanow.com
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