No. We welcome everyone. Many of our riders are United Methodist because we have grown out of that fellowship, and our big ride every year ends at the Virginia Annual Conference and serves to raise money for mission projects of the United Methodist Church. There is no religious expectation or pressure on individual riders, although Christian congeniality permeates everything we do.

No! We know that some people do not have the time or fitness to spend two days on a bicycle. We welcome folks to ride with us for any portion of the ride that they can. We also have support vehicles that can help tired or faltering riders at any point along the route.

Yes! The Holy Rollers include people with a wide range of bicycling styles, and our rides are not races. We never leave anyone behind all by themselves; one SAG driver is assigned to keep an eye on the last riders at all times. We don't want you to miss a meal, so at a certain point a SAG vehicle driver will take you and your bicycle back to the next gathering location.

Holy Rollers have ranged from pre-teens to people in their seventies. For children under eighteen years of age, we do require that a parent or guardian accompany the Holy Rollers, either as a rider or a support person.

Note: For 2023, the Holy Rollers will waive your registration fee, and instead, we ask that you send a generous contribution to the mission projects that we support this year.

In the past, the registration fee was $50 for the entire ride. This helped us cover the costs of:

• Route planning and preparation
• Fuel for support drivers
• Food: snacks, gatorade, and other drinks throughout the ride; other food not provided by churches
• Materials for the ride: signs to mark route, rider registration packets, etc.
• Laundry provided between the ride days
• Website, documentation, and publicity

Trail Ride on Saturday, May 27: No registration or fee is required for the ride on the Capital Trail. Just come if you can and enjoy the fellowship of the ride with other Rollers.

Ride to Annual Conference June 12 – 13: All riders and support personnel must register for the ride to Annual Conference, whether you ride all of it or just a portion. Knowing how many people plan to ride helps us prepare appropriately for your support. For 2023, no registration fee is required.”

One of our support personnel is a nurse and all SAG vehicles carry basic first aid supplies. If your injuries are more serious, 911 will be called and local emergency help summoned. For 20 years, our rides have been remarkably safe, but registration does include a waiver.

Our riders have decades of experience with bike repair and maintenance, so together, we can help with most problems. SAG drivers are always patrolling, and they carry tools including pumps. We recommend that each rider carry a spare tube for unexpected flats. For problems that are more serious, support personnel can transport you and your bicycle to the closest bike shop.

We always provide every rider with a daily cue sheet. Support personnel post Holy Roller directional signs at most intersections to help you find your way. In addition, SAG drivers will wait at confusing intersections to make sure you make the correct turn. If you still get lost (and almost every year, there are bicyclists who wander off) our motorcycle support is constantly “counting heads” and as soon as we realize someone is missing, we send out SAG vehicles to locate that person. Also, the cell phone numbers for all support personnel are posted prior to the ride for riders to put into their phones so they can call if help is needed.

Support personnel communicate with each other primarily using cell phones. When coverage is spotty for cell phones, we have a set of four walkie-talkies distributed between SAG vehicles, and our motorcycle support helps to keep us connected by carrying messages and information between vehicles, riders, and rest stops.

The locations of the routes are driven by the location of the Annual Conference each year. The route planners look for paths that will be the right length and can start at a United Methodist church. We try to pass as many UMC churches as possible along the way. The generosity of local churches makes our rides possible and inspires us to keep going. The development of our routes is limited by Virginia’s terrain: we aim to design a route that is challenging, but not so challenging that the average rider cannot complete it. We look at distance and at elevation gain.

Once we have a plan, we get in a car and drive the route – over and over – specifically watching for road conditions, traffic issues, or anything that could pose a hazard or problem for bicyclists. We look for logical places to use as rest stops. We massage the route until we are confident that the chosen path is fair, well-balanced, and as safe as possible.

Thanks to the amazing support and generosity of churches and volunteers, Holy Rollers are provided:
1. Indoor camping at churches for two nights
2. Laundry service between ride days
3. SAG support for the entire ride
4. Rest stops that have meals, water, sports drinks, snacks, fruits, and other food
5. Transportation to local bike shops, if necessary
6. Registered nurse
7. Detailed cue sheets provided each day

Yes. Our volunteers collect dirty clothes (jerseys, shorts, socks, etc.) at the end of day one. Riders put their clothes in a labeled bag and give specific care instructions. The laundry support team washes and dries the laundry (at a location previously pinpointed by the Ride Coordinator) and returns the clean laundry to the church by 6:00 a.m. the next morning.

The Holy Rollers are not just a group of bicycle riders. Holy Rollers are also the people who take care of the riders and work hard to make sure the trip is successful for everyone involved. Holy Rollers are folks who accompany the riders on the trip, and Holy Rollers are the people who wait for the riders at rest stops or prepare the food that they eat at meals. Holy Rollers are people who contribute to the United Methodist Missions. Learn about all of the ways you can help on our Support Team page.