2026 Ride Leader Training will be held in person on the OSU campus. Once you register you will automatically receive an invitation by email.
REGISTER HERE
Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026 – 9:00 am – Noon (Doors open 8:30 am for coffee)
This annual training class will cover everything you ever wanted to know about safely leading a ride, from route planning to how to assess the readiness of a new rider or bike. This session is designed for ALL who might want to lead rides, with Outdoor Pursuits, your big-event fundraising teams, or just with your group of friends.
If you’re interested in having you & your riders covered by COP’s robust insurance coverage, you’ll need to complete this training before we can list your ride/group on our calendar and provide coverage. COP is the only organization in the region that offers comprehensive insurance coverage for all weekly/recurring rides. We welcome your group (Leaders & riders) to take advantage of this important protection.
Registration: Registration is free for COP members. $15 for non-members. **NOTE – You’ll need to be an active member of COP ($30) in order to list your ride on the COP calendar and take advantage of the insurance benefit for your ride. SO…you might want to join/activate your membership before signing up
Instructors: Henrik Colijn, Aaron Arehart, Randy Dull, Tricia Kovacs, Jeff Stephens, & Gordon Renkes
The discussion will include the core deliverables for planning, mapping, and leading a ride. Topics include basic bicycle safety checks, rules of the road and Ohio traffic laws, sharing the road with motorists safely and courteously, and avoiding common conflicts. Basics of group riding for beginner to intermediate level cyclists, including the importance of communication, use of hand signals, announcing road hazards, and other courteous practices for group riding. We will review Outdoor Pursuits’ insurance liability coverage for our Leaders & riders.
This training is required for Outdoor Pursuits ride leaders. Training must be renewed every two years; however, an “annual refresh” of this course for previous Ride Leaders is highly encouraged.