The Ride to Defeat ALS is a bicycle ride to raise funds for research into treatements for ALS. This is my first year volunteering at this event, and also my first time volunteering in a SAG vehicle. I was operating in SAG #1 along with Matt Brennan, NM1B, who coordinate the radio volunteer effort for this event.
We went out with the riders on the 100KM route, who were the first to leave. We ended up having to transport one cyclist who missed a turn (we just brought him back to the course), another who as having a hard time fixing a flat tire (we transported him to the nearest rest stop, where he was ultimately able to effect a repair), and one cyclist experiencing knee problems (we took her back to the starting line, where she waited for her partner to complete the course).
I had a chance to chat with KC1TJE at rest stop 2, located at CK Bikes (which was supposed to be open for the race but was in fact closed, meaning there really wasn't any mechanical support available on the course).
After the race was over, we swept the course both looking for any stragglers and picking up all the race signage.
Because I spent most of my time in the car I don't have many pictures of this event, other than Matt's crazy center console:
There are two Motorola APX 7500's (one VHF/700/800, one UHF/UHF), a Motorola APX 6500 (VHF), and a Motorola XTL 5000 (I can't remember how it was configured). The box with all the switches controls the amber lights on the top of his car.
Frequencies
We used the MMRA linked repeater network for this event:
| Location | Frequency | Offset | CTCSS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro | 147.27 | + | 146.2 | |
| Weston | 146.79 | - | 146.2 | |
| Marlboro | 449.925 | - | 88.5 | no tone squelch |
| Weston | 442.70 | + | 88.5 | no tone squelch |
Routes
Individual routes:
- 100 KM (62 mile) KML | Garmin course
- 40 mile route KML | Garmin course
- 20 mile route KML | Garmin course