It’s time to change gears for the 2012 Signature Ride coming up on March 24-25! The winter parades have been too much fun, but Spring is about here and it is time to put in the long rides to prepare for our favorite ride of the year! Everyone can participate in the RideSouth Signature, multiple option event. You can ride 41-213 miles in the two day event, or you can help us support the riders! Remember, we usually have a workshop clinic on the Thursday before the ride, and we also usually have a Friday meeting at the shop to clear up details. Be sure you are on our email list as we will be posting times and details soon. Here is a link for a sign-in sheet to indicate your preference. We hope you will join us!
Signature Ride Sign-up sheet

Occasionally something comes along that changes everything! The Greenspeed Magnum is the latest game changer! Designed for big folks, this tadpole style trike does it all, yet is light and nimble like the other Greenspeed trikes! The seat height and recline amount is adjustable for high speed road riding or trips through the woods! The versatile Big Apple tires are good for both adventures, as well. The swept forward frame shape makes entering and exiting the trike a breeze, and the aluminum frame makes the trike very light! The strong folding feature and the push-button release wheels means you can pack it in a very small space in seconds! Oh, did we mention the weight capacity is a whopping 400 pounds! Greenspeed’s designer, Ian Sims, has hit a home run with this machine! We have some on the floor, ready for you to test ride!

We are very close to having a REAL BIKE LANE on the lower spillway road connecting Rankin County with Ridgeland and Madison! All that is left is to put the white line down. We have promoted a WHITE LINE ONLY with raised reflective paint that alerts the occasional wandering motorist with a high pitched sound. This safely gets their attention faster than the low pitched, vehicle shaking caused by rumble strips. The shaking associated with rumble strips causes more of a startle reaction than a controlled alert for steering correction, and actually slows down reaction time. Also, we constantly repair flats, broken spokes and wrecks that are caused by cyclists trying to negotiate rumble strips in our area, and most road cyclists fear them, with good reason.

We are asking you to call your contacts today and lobby for a white line only on the low spillway road. We have spoken with a few people to lobby against the rumble strips in this area. Your help is needed, now! Our good customer, Mr. Ralph Barnes with Adcamp is the paving contractor and has done a fantastic job of putting down exceptionally smooth asphalt for the new bike lane. Thank you Ralph! The construction engineer is Neel-Schaffer, we understand. We have put in a call and hope to convince the district to start with a slightly raised white stripe to test the effectiveness. We are convinced this is the best alternative for bike lanes, which are the very best way for cyclists and motorists to safely and efficiently coexist!

As soon as the dividing line is painted, we will plan a grand opening ride to celebrate this important connection. It has been a long time in coming and we thank those who have finally made it happen! It is sure to help cyclists on both sides of the river better enjoy our great roads and trails!

WOW!! The Krewe of Nereids Parade in Waveland, Mississippi was an awesome experience! Twenty trike pilots and two velonauts captured the attention of thousands of parade watchers, and the parade judges, with another First Place Trophy! Way to go everyone!!

The weekend began on Saturday with a cruise around the area led by Cap’n Johnny and Beth. In spite of a cold, stiff, northerly breeze, folks enjoyed the twenty mile tour and especially the hot chocolate afterwards, reports Cap’n Johnny. Lane & I drove down Saturday afternoon to join most of the group at Steve’s Marina in Longbeach for a fantastic seafood dinner and some great fellowship. The place was packed, but we were able to get two large tables for everyone there. We toured some of the area on the way back to the Knight’s Inn before turning in early to prepare for the big day Sunday.

Folks began to arrive around 9:00 AM Sunday to load their trikes with the four cases of black and gold beads, and the 2500 wooden nickels we had ordered with our logo printed on them. It seemed like a lot of throws, but as it turned out, was not nearly enough! Captain Johnny, our personal ride leader for this event, held us all back till everyone was ready. We then pedaled about a mile to the first staging area where we were told to get in close behind last year’s first place float. We found an open area and waited a while, then started moving. The excitement dropped down a notch as we made it about a mile down Hwy 90, crossed over to the eastbound lane, and found we had to wait again! However, here we had a huge float upwind of us with a massive sound system! Acclimating to the earth shaking popular groove sounds blasting from the many speakers on the float, most folks were moving to the music in no time. Some riders left the waiting area to practice drills, and generally warm up in the cold, but tolerable temperatures.

There seemed to be hundreds of floats in the parade, and it took us a while to get going. Parade watchers were asking for beads and tokens, most politely, and just a few, more aggressively. The Waveland folks were all very thankful that we came down for their parade and were really intrigued with our machines. The beads went fast, then the nickels. Beth’s trailer had been loaded with 100 pounds of beads and decorations, but was emptied in the first hour of the parade. The time went fast, even though it took about 1 hour per mile! At the end of the parade, Johnny led us back to the hotel without incident right down Hwy 90. We rode in the right lane because the shoulder was littered with thousands of the cheaper, discarded beads, making for a rough ride.

We cannot say enough good things about Beth and Johnny! What a great team to have on our side! Johnny had everything organized and was a most excellent ride leader! Beth is the best RideSouth cheerleader and decorator in the world! We have some excellent pics and video we will publish soon. Everyone was instrumental in our victory and we thank all of you that participated and helped!! Everyone vowed to return next year with more beads to give out! We were especially glad to provide some publicity and support to a recovering community. We hope to visit the area much more often and hope you will join us soon. Maybe we will convince a few more folks in the area that the folks at RideSouth know the way to have fun, and really do know . . . The Way to Ride!!

Snap up one of the RideSouth Wooden Nickels and bring it into the RideSouth Shop for a Free Test Ride on any of our cool recumbent bikes or trikes! If you purchase one on the day of the test ride, we will give you one of our very cool logo caps! Hope to see you soon!

Since we were younger kids, almost every activity has had two essential elements . . . performance and recognition. As we mature, activities may change, and the balance of the “Look at me!” and “Way to go!” comments may become one-sided a bit. Both elements are important and one will not survive without the other. The performance doesn’t have to be the big game, it can be small steps that we take toward a goal. The recognition doesn’t have to be headlines, it can be as easy as a kind word. So, as we begin to plan for a new year of performances, whatever they may be, and as we give the recognition to others for their efforts, let’s remember the activity! Plan to join or support an activity soon!

Krewe of Nereids

PARADE INFORMATION

To reach the Krewe of Nereids Parade Coordinator, please call 228 596-4698

LINE UP begins at 9:30 am through 11:45 am ~ Floats will not be allowed through at any other times! ENTER FROM: A. If you are coming from Bay St. Louis, come straight down Hwy 90 to the staging area and cross over where indicated. B. If you are coming from I10, Waveland, or Hwy 603 ~ travel down Hwy 90 to Wendy’s, Turn left at that light and go down Green Meadow to intersection. Turn Rt. onto Blue Meadow and Rt. onto Hwy 90 at the next intersection. Follow 90 to staging area, approximately 1 block. There are turning lanes at both intersections.
1. ROUTE – We will line up at the traffic light at Drinkwater Boulevard and double stack trucks down Hwy 90. The parade will travel West in the East bound lane of Hwy 90. The parade ends at Waveland Ave.

2. LAST YEAR’S 1st PLACE WINNERS must arrive promptly at 9:00 am to ensure your spot at the beginning of the parade.

D. CHECKPOINT: A current driver’s license and up to date insurance policy are required. ALL SEMI TRUCK FLOATS MUST SEND A COPY OF INS. POLICY AND DR. LIC. To: Mary Turcotte 8012 Ridgewood Drive Kiln, MS 39556 before 2/10/12.

1. SAFETY: Police will conduct a breathalyzer test on anyone behind wheel of any type of vehicle.

2. IDENTIFICATION: Floats will not be issued numbers due to the lineup process ~ you must have your krewe name where it is easily seen by the reviewing stand announcers! On the driver’s side of float…

G. Marching bands, musical groups, walking groups will line up in the parking lot of the Hancock County Government Complex along with the Nereids Floats. A checkpoint will be set up there for you. Enter from: Washington Avenue and turn down Drinkwater Boulevard. The Hwy entrance will be closed! There will be a checkpoint for you as well. Pick up your items at the checkpoint please…

H. LITTER: NO boxes on the floats please!! Please ask your krewe to use bead bags…

1. JUDGING OF FLOATS: Judges will begin the judging process at 11:00 am, starting at the front of the parade. Judging will last 45 minutes. Please be on your float to be considered!

2. PARADE COORDINATOR CONTACT INFO: email: [email protected] website: www.thekreweofnereids.com parade phone: 228 596-4698

BentTrikeLovers . . . this is for you! Do you want to ride down the middle of the street with thousands of people waving, smiling and pleading for you to notice them! How about dressing up in traditional Mardi Gras colors, hats, beads and masks? Perhaps doing some simple, low speed drills . . . turning and weaving in and out in a coordinated pattern while showing off the maneuverability of your machine. Does that excite you? Or maybe just the chance to help the Mississippi Coast get back on it’s feet is a good enough cause to travel to the Waveland, MS area. Whatever your justification, the bottom line is there is no other way to have such concentrated fun-per-mile than being in a Mardi Gras parade on a trike!!

Here is a short list of things you need to do. First of all, make your way down to the coast (with your trike) and enjoy the riding in the area prior to the parade. Cap’n Johnny and Beth will be available for tours on Saturday. See the RideSouth Discussions about the Parade for details. The Knight’s Inn still has rooms available and we are holding 3 rooms if you need them. Secondly, decorate yourself and your trike in traditional garb (remember your mask)! We will ride without helmets while on the parade route, but please wear your helmet when touring the area and at all other times.

The judging for the parade is at 11:00 AM on Sunday! We would like for all members of our group to be in line around 10:00 AM so we can get organized! The meeting place is the Hancock County Government Complex at the corner of Waveland Avenue and Hwy 90 in Waveland, MS. At this writing, we are expecting 20-25 trikes and 2-3 velomobiles to be in our group! We have purchased about 125 pounds of beads and wooden nickels (RideSouth logo on them!) for you to throw to the eager crowd. If you can bring a tote sack to hang on you or your bike, we will load you up at the hotel (Knight’s Inn) prior to riding over to the parade start point. We may have a bike trailer, or two, to transport the remainder of the “throws” to the parade start. You should also bring a bit of water for the parade (no alcohol please). However, there is not a way to rejoin the group if you leave for bio breaks so keep the water intake low. The parade is one way, we are told, so afterwards we will ride back to the hotel (or other destination).

It is our goal at RideSouth to provide EVERYONE some fun and safe ways to enjoy your RideSouth purchases. We hope all of you will take advantage of this opportunity and help us to let the good folks on our coast see first hand, that we know how to have fun . . . and we know the Way to Ride . . .RideSouth!

Sometimes we can use a good cleansing rain to help us more appreciate the sunny days we just had . . . and to allow time to prepare for the sunny days ahead! That is just where we are today at RideSouth. We have had a great January and expect a banner year! Sales are beyond our expectations and we are thinking of expanding our team to help take care of our customers better. We are working on expanding our media exposure as well. More on that later. We have new ICE, Catrike, and Greenspeed trikes arriving weekly, including some fantastic models that are “game changing”! This rain will be done in a day or two and the sun will shine again! If fact, all looks great for the Waveland Krewe of Nereids parade next Sunday, February 12! We have thousands of Mardi GRAS beads and wooden nickels for you to throw to the excited onlookers! Put on your mask and bring your trikes to Waveland, MS next weekend and help us have some fun! The weather will be beautiful for our parade!!!